MET Gala celebrates Mississippi fashion icon Patrick Kelly

By Ora Reed

Special to the Jackson Advocate

On May 5th, the blue carpeted entrance of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City was the showcase for Black fashion designers. With the 2025 theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”. Introducing ‘Dandyism’, many of the celebrity attendees donned canes and hats, embracing the spirit of Black men of an earlier era. The MET Gala is the world’s most prestigious and glamorous fashion event of the year. The Gala, which supports the Costume Institute at the Museum, raised a record breaking $31 million, as a well-honored Black designer, Patrick Kelly was remembered.

Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1954, Patrick Kelly rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most celebrated and influential Black fashion designers of the 20th century. He was the first American designer accepted into the prestigious Chambre Syndicale du Pret-a-Porter des Couturiers et des Createurs de Mode, France’s governing body of haute couture. The first retrospective of Patrick Kelly’s work includes more than sixty complete ensembles drawn from his estate. Archival material from the estate and numerous objects from Kelly’s personal collection of memorabilia are also featured. His journey from the segregated South to the runways of Paris was not only inspirational – it was historic.

During his early years, Kelly was influenced by the creativity and fashion sense of his female relatives. Reared by his mother and grandmother, he would see them add embellishments to simple store-bought clothing. His grandmother, who worked as a domestic, fueled his creativity by bringing home fashion magazines discarded by her employers. Drawing inspiration from Southern Church attire, vintage American culture, and the women in his community, made him fall in love with style and color.

As a young adult, he moved to Atlanta, where he sold recycled clothes and worked without pay as a window dresser at Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Boutique. After briefly studying art and fashion, Kelly made the pivotal move to New York City, where he studied at the Parsons School of Design. His next move was to Paris, where he would make his mark on the world fashion stage.

It was in Paris during the mid to late 1980s that Kelly found his greatest success. He began by selling dresses on the street and working as a costumer for the nightclub Le Palais. His flamboyant garments became popular, and he soon gained the attention of the clothing conglomerate Warnaco. His Paris designs were then carried by such well known stores as Henri Bendel, Bloomingdale’s, and Bergdorf Goodman. Celebrities Cicely Tyson, Bette Davis, Grace Jones, and Isabella Rosellini were among his clients.

Patrick Kelly’s designs were playful, and unapologetically bold. He was known for using bright colors, exaggerated silhouettes, and whimsical elements like buttons, bows, and hearts. Other motifs like the use of hats and splashy accessories, celebrated his rural southern roots. However, beneath the surface of fun was a deep commentary on race, culture, and identity. He often incorporated symbols like the golliwog or watermelon-painful caricatures reclaimed in a way that forced audiences to confront stereotypes while celebrating Blackness.

For the evening, Ego Nwodim, a Gala co-host and SNL star, wore a Christopher John Rogers ensemble, which paid homage to Kelly. Her button-themed nail decals were a matching detail to the rainbow buttons on her sleeves. She was proud to summon the spirit of this almost forgotten Black fashion designer. 

Only producing collections from 1985, his meteoric rise was cut short when he died of AIDS complications in 1990 at the age of 35. Despite his brief career, his impact was profound. His work challenged norms in fashion and opened doors for designers of color. From Vicksburg to Versailles, Patrick Kelly’s life is a testament to the power of talent, joy, authenticity and perseverance. His story continues to inspire new generations of designers. Patrick Kelly, another great Mississippian!

Editor’s Note: Jackson resident Ora Reed is an internationally recognized jazz artist who has impeccable taste in fashion, often designing her own performance gowns and accessories. For the past 25 years, she has served as Mississippi’s Cultural Ambassador.