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One of my male friends used to say, whenever we saw a stylish Black person, “Black folks can dress no matter if they had $5 or $5,000 to spend,” and we’d both laugh. It was purely an inside cultural joke—you had to be Black to truly get it. Maybe not so much now.
Anyway, it’s no secret that back in the day, Black folks took great pride in their dress. Many of us still do. It was a way to showcase creative expression and reclaim dignity. Dressing well made us feel good, a stark contrast to the dehumanizing “slave digs” forced upon us, which said far more about the enslavers than the enslaved. Still, even under those conditions, the enslaved resented the visual disparity. As Black people emerged from enslavement, their creativity shone through their sense of style, with colors and embellishments that reached back to the cultures they had been so cruelly separated from.
On October 9, the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced its upcoming show, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style." The exhibition will focus on the Black dandy, exploring the importance of clothing and style in shaping Black identities within the Atlantic diaspora.
Black dandyism is a style that blends European menswear with African aesthetics, serving as both self-expression and cultural resistance. Black dandies are known for their refined fashion sense, often featuring tailored suits in bold colors and patterns, accessorized with signature items like bow ties.
This is the first Costume Institute exhibition since 2003’s "Men in Skirts" to focus exclusively on menswear. It is also the first under Andrew Bolton, curator in charge, to feature a guest curator. Monica Miller, professor and chair of Africana Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University, takes on this role. Miller examines the figure of the Black dandy, tracing its history from 18th-century art to modern-day representations on the streets of Harlem, on runways, in performance spaces, and in film.
The exhibition draws inspiration from Miller’s 2009 book, "Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity." In her book, Miller positions Black dandyism as both an aesthetic movement and a political statement. The show promises to capture this intersection of artistry and activism.
For those unfamiliar, dandyism is a celebration of meticulous style. Miller offers an alternative definition, describing it as “dressing wisely and well.” She interprets Black dandyism as “a strategy and a tool to rethink identity, to reimagine the self in a different context. To really push boundaries—especially during the time of enslavement—on who and what counts as human.”
The exhibition will illustrate how Black people evolved from being seen as property—luxury items acquired as signifiers of wealth and status—to autonomous, self-fashioned individuals who have become global trendsetters.
Miller frames this transformation as the journey of the Black dandy: from invisibility within oppressive institutions to visibility as creators of bold, non-violent resistance. The evolution of dandyism symbolizes the reclamation of identity, dignity, and humanity—a visual and cultural “slap in the face” to those who sought to dehumanize Black people.
This exhibition promises to be a profound exploration of the enduring power of fashion and style in the fight for recognition, representation, and liberation.