The Who What Wear Podcast: BONUS: Power Stylists Wayman and Micah on Dressing Colman Domingo (and Others) for the 2025 Met Gala, Their Harlem Roots, and the Significance of Black Dandyism

On Monday evening, just after the 2025 Met Gala arrivals wrapped up, Who What Wear Shopping Director Bobby Schuessler sat down with Editorial Director Lauren Eggertsen and senior fashion and social media editor Tara Gonzalez to debrief on the most successful and creative interpretations of this year's theme, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. After a night full of touching homages and nuanced references, our editors are breaking down the impeccable storytelling told through fashion at the Met Gala this year. Plus, they discuss Diana Ross's triumphant return to the Met, Doechii's logo face stamp, and Colman Domingo's numerous flawless looks. Shop our editor's eBay picks here!

Kristen Kish is a chef, restaurateur, author, and host of the hit Bravo cooking competition show Top Chef. She briefly studied international business in college before dropping out to pursue culinary school. After finishing her training, she worked several jobs in the restaurant industry in Chicago and Boston. In 2012, Kish was cast in—and won—the 10th season of the legendary culinary competition show Top Chef. Since then, she has opened the Austin-based restaurant Arlo Grey, released a cookbook, and founded a line of aperitifs. She also returned to the world of TV, becoming the host of several food shows, including 36 Hours and Restaurants at the End of the World. In 2024, Kish rejoined Top Chef for its 21st season as the new permanent host of the program. The newest season, Top Chef: Destination Canada, premiered in March 2025. This April, she released a memoir, Accidentally on Purpose, a frank, insightful look at her life and career thus far.

What does it take to make it as an independent designer today? Is New York Fashion Week dead? This week, Who What Wear Associate Features Editor Ana Escalante breaks down her recent piece for our Spring Issue about the state of the fashion industry—and what it feels like to be an American fashion designer in 2025. She and Editorial Director Lauren Eggertsen discuss why Ana wanted to explore this topic given the current sociopolitical climate, and what she learned from meeting with a half dozen American designers. Plus, Ana shares snippets from her interviews with Business of Fashion senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young, as well the designers themselves, including Sergio Hudson, Jackson Wiederhoeft, and Allina Liu. They dive into their hopes and fears for the industry, the challenges they’re facing right now, and more.

Ariana Ferwerda and Kiley McKinnon are the co-founders of the women’s ski and activewear brand Halfdays. McKinnon is a former freestyle aerial skier who competed at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, and Ariana holds degrees in marketing and marketing research from Michigan State University. Despite their different professional backgrounds, when the two met in Denver in 2019, they commiserated over the lack of stylish, mid-range ski apparel options for women. They felt they could do better, and less than a year later, they launched Halfdays, a line of sleek women's skiwear made from nearly 100% recycled materials. Though it was originally a direct-to-consumer company, today, its products are sold in retailers like Nordstrom and Dick’s Sporting Goods. The brand has also expanded into hiking gear, athleisure, and more. Last year, it saw 86% year-on-year growth and triple-digit wholesale growth.

Grace Na is the founder of Pistola, a Los Angeles–based womenswear and denim brand. Since its creation in 2013, Pistola has become a go-to destination for reasonably priced, trendy, high-quality denim styles—including a few viral hits, like the pink denim jumpsuit Greta Gerwig wore while directing the Barbie movie. This week, Grace joins Who What Wear Shopping Director Bobby Schuessler to discuss how she uses data to guide her design process, her best styling tips for different denim silhouettes, and her thoughts on modern skinny jeans.