Doechii made her highly anticipated Met Gala debut on May 5, 2025, during the Costume Institute Benefit, themed “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” The celebration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, home to the country’s preeminent costume collection, showcased this thrilling intersection of fashion and cultural heritage. More particularly, it highlighted breathtaking menswear wardrobe.
Doechii wore a major Louis Vuitton fit styled by Pharrell Williams. This audacious style choice drew a literal storm of criticism, resulting in equally severe backlash and pushback. Critics voiced concerns about her treatment of her team leading up to the event, prompting her to respond directly through social media.
On Instagram, Doechii used self-deprecating humor to approach the topic. She emphasized the logistical struggle she had, joking, “Heaven forbid a girl needed more than one umbrella.” In response, she uploaded a hilarious TikTok video of herself battling with four umbrellas. It was the precursors to all that endless chaos that precisely characterized the evening.
“And another one. Who has an umbrella? I need four f***** umbrellas,” – Doechii
Through it all, Doechii still showed appreciation for her team’s hard work. She concluded, “This was the night we all imagined and dreamed about and my team just really nailed it (umbrellas included)!”
In preparation for her performance at the gala, Doechii looked to bastions of the movement and the Black literary imagination. She continued, “Tying that in with the content, we were very much influenced by Monica Miller’s book and her exhibition. A few pages later, when we had researched a bit more on this figure, Julius Soubise, it really hit home. I think all of us were inspired by him deeply tonight.” This relationship to Soubise was a strong testament to her wish to incorporate modern design with historical importance in the most successful way.
The Met Gala’s dress code of “Tailored for You” was a fitting tribute to the evening’s theme, celebrating Black style and creativity. Doechii really took this ethos to heart, especially during overstimulating stretches of the festival where it would’ve been easy to get overwhelmed.
“All jokes aside this was such an overstimulating night but I wouldn’t trade it for the world!” – Doechii
Later, she took to TikTok to further lighten the mood, posting a video accompanied by “Easy” by The Commodores, showcasing her playful side amid the pressures of the evening.
