What is Black Dandyism? How This Year’s Met Gala Theme Honors Black Excellence
This year, the Met Gala dress code is “Tailored for You,” focusing on the suits, tailoring, and structured silhouettes characteristic of Black Dandy menswear.
The dress code is a nod to the museum’s upcoming spring 2025 exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring
Black Style,” which will feature garments and artwork exploring the
12 characteristics of Black Dandy
style from the 18th century to the present day.
“Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” will be the first fashion exhibition centered around race in their 88 year history.
The exhibition is guest curated by scholar Monica L. Miller, based on Miller’s book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, which explores the history of the Black Dandy style.
Photo: The Black House (1973-1976) by Colin Jones
Black Dandyism is rooted in subverting a history of enslavement, during which strict dress codes and gender norms were imposed on Black men and women. While their dress codes were dictated by their enslavers, Black Dandyism allowed Black people, especially Black men, to reclaim their autonomy, challenge racial and gender norms, and carve out their own identities through “clothing, gesture, and wit.”
In her book, Miller describes Black Dandyism as “a strategy and a tool to rethink identity, to reimagine the self in a different context.
To really push a boundary—especially during
the time of enslavement, to really push a boundary
on who and what counts as human, even.”
Sources: Vogue, TIME, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity by Monica L. Miller
Photo: Harlem Stoop. courtesy of Tyler Mitchell
Photos: courtesy of Tyler Mitchell:
Photo: Dandy Lion: The Black Dandy and Street Style Directed by: Tina Vaden & Maddy Talias & Daniel Huskey
While Black Dandyism is often associated with Black men, Black women, queer, and gender-expansive people have also embraced and influenced the Black Dandy style and aesthetic to self-express and challenge stereotypes. Often playing with gender roles, Dandyism serves as form of resistance against negative stereotypes.
Photo: Dream Defenders
Black Dandy style has been adopted by fashion industry leaders like late fashion editor André Leon Talley and fashion designer Dapper Dan, and also those from outside the fashion world such as NFL player Cam Newton.
These leaders have helped lead Black Dandyism to where it is today:
André Leon Talley's work as a Vogue fashion editor championing Black representation made him an essential precursor to this year's Met Gala theme, as he was one of the first Black editors to break barriers and celebrate African American culture in fashion. His legacy of innovation and unapologetic voice continues to resonate in the Met's current exploration of Black excellence.
Photos: Getty Images
Dapper Dan embodied modern dandyism by transforming Harlem's street corners into his personal runway, reimagining European luxury logos through a decidedly Black American lens.
His bootleg creations represented a new kind of dandy—one that challenged fashion's colonial traditions and reclaimed luxury for the streets, ultimately forcing fashion houses like Gucci to acknowledge that true style rebellion comes from the margins.
This year’s Met Gala is co-chaired by:
Colman Domingo
Lewis Hamilton
A$AP Rocky
Pharrell Williams
LeBron James (honorary chair) Anna Wintour
The gala also boasts a star-studded host committee, including André 3000, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jordan Casteel, Dapper Dan, Doechii, Ayo Edebiri, Edward Enninful, Jeremy O. Harris, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Rashid Johnson, Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee, Audra McDonald, Janelle Monáe, Jeremy Pope, Angel Reese, Sha'Carri Richardson, Tyla, Usher, and Kara Walker.
Source: Vogue
While some are praising the Met Gala for spotlighting Black fashion history, others are concerned that the event’s guest list of wealthy, predominantly White elites might not understand the assignment.
The Met Gala is no stranger to controversy. The Met has been critiqued heavily for its collection of artifacts that have been stolen, looted or acquired illegally. Additionally, with individual tickets costing $75,000 (proceeds going to the Met Museum), the event is often criticized as an out-of-touch display of wealth which disregards the violence and suffering faced by others around the world.
The mixed reactions to this year’s Met Gala theme point to the systemic racism and elitism that is still reinforced by the fashion industry today. Careers
in the fashion industry are often only accessible through wealth and connections, which tends
to place BIPOC people at a disadvantage.
A fashion industry study by the Council of
Fashion Designers of America found that:
Black women (42%) and Asian women (27%) employees were most likely to express that their race/ethnicity had a negative impact on receiving raises and promotions, compared to 1% of White employees.
Less than 10% of undergraduate students at the top six U.S. fashion schools are Black.
50% of employees of color report that a career in fashion is not equally accessible to all qualified candidates.
Take Action:
Support organizations working to advance Black representation in the fashion industry:
@blackinfashioncouncil
@raisefashionnow
@black_design_collective
@brag_usa
@15percentpledge
