What is Pachuco Style? Willy Chavarría Explains His 2025 Met Gala Look
Willy Chavarria departs The Mark Hotel prior to attending The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Chicano designer, Willy Chavarría has made his Met Gala appearance in true Chavarría style — in a reimagined Pachuco inspired look.
In an interview with Women’s Wear Daily, Chavarría wears a bubblegum pink, double breasted suit with an embossed green tie and a wide brimmed hat- an ensemble that looks straight off of his Autumn/Winter 25 Collection.
In a brief interview with WWD, Chavarría describes his look and the definition of Pachuco style. “As we know, the Pachuco look is the quintessential dandy from the 30’s and 40’s representing Latinos and black (people) who dressed as a form of resistance to the beauty,” says Chavarría, before adding, “I hope to encapsulate that.”
Chavarria has referenced Pachuco style and Zoot Suit era styling in past runway collections, fusing streetwear and high fashion while uplifting his Chicano heritage and identity.
Pachucos are young Mexican-Americans that emerged in the 1930s and 1940s and used their style as a form of resistance. They popularized the “Zoot suit”— flashy, colorful, and oversized suits that were inspired by Black Americans in Harlem, and music such as swing dance, jazz, and blues. Pachucos used their style to reject American assimilation and oppose racism.
The 2025 Met Gala put a spotlight on Black styling and tailoring with the 2025 spring exhibition titled “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” The exhibit draws inspiration from Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, and “feature garments, paintings, photographs, and more—all exploring the indelible style of Black men in the context of dandyism, from the 18th-century through present day.” As for the night of the Met Gala itself, the dress code is “Tailored for You.”
Willy Chavarría’s oversized Zoot suits are also included in the accompanying Met Gala Exhibition alongside 40 contemporary designers.
