Superfine: Tailoring Black Style Traces the Legacy of Black Dandyism, to Be Inaugurated with the Met Gala on May 5
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced that its Costume Institute will present the exhibition Superfine: Tailoring Black Style from May 10 through October 26, 2025. Drawing inspiration from Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, the exhibition will explore the history and cultural significance of the Black dandy, from its origins in 18th-century Europe to its modern-day presence in cities like London, New York, and Paris.
The opening will be marked by the Costume Institute Benefit – better known as The Met Gala – on May 5, 2025. The event will be co-chaired by Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and Anna Wintour, with LeBron James serving as the honorary chair. Chef Kwame Onwuachi will curate the menu, and Cy Gain will oversee the décor concept alongside Derek McLane and Raúl Àvila. The annual gala supports the Costume Institute’s exhibitions, publications, acquisitions, and operational needs.
“The Costume Institute’s spring 2025 exhibition will explore—with remarkable scale and breadth—the importance of sartorial style to the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora,” said Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and Chief Executive Officer. “Through a diverse range of media, this groundbreaking presentation will also celebrate the power of style as a democratic tool for rejecting stereotypes and accessing new possibilities.”
Guest Curator Monica L. Miller remarked, “Fashion and dress have been used in a contest of power and aesthetics for Black people from the time of enslavement to the present, and dandyism has long served as a vehicle through which one can manipulate the relationship between clothing, identity, and power.” She added that the exhibition will delve into the “productive tension” within Black dandyism and will explore elements like ownership, authority, freedom, and transgression.
Andrew Bolton, Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute, highlighted the role of Black designers in challenging conventional identity categories, noting, “While their styles are both singular and distinctive, what unites them is a reliance on various tropes that are rooted in the tradition of dandyism, and specifically Black dandyism.”
Defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “one who studies above everything to dress elegantly and fashionably,” dandyism was initially imposed on Black men in 18th-century Europe. The trend emerged amidst the Atlantic slave trade and a growing culture of consumerism, leading Black individuals – both free and enslaved – to recognize style as a tool for signaling status. Over time, Black dandyism evolved into a means of identity transformation and social commentary.
The exhibition will be organized around themes that portray Black dandyism as an evolving style, with traits like ownership, presence, ease, and cosmopolitanism shaping its narrative. Through garments, accessories, and various art forms, Superfine will illustrate how Black dandyism has contributed to the shaping of Black identities and offered new possibilities for self-expression within the Black Atlantic diaspora.
Superfine will showcase historical and contemporary garments by American and European designers, as well as drawings, prints, photographs, and film excerpts that highlight Black identity and experience from the 18th century to the present. The exhibition will be curated by Monica L. Miller, along with The Costume Institute’s Andrew Bolton, William DeGregorio, Amanda Garfinkel, and research assistant Kai Marcel.
Miller and the curatorial team will consult with an advisory committee of scholars including Dr. Christine Checinska, Jason Cyrus, Thelma Golden, Deborah Tulani Salahu-Din, and Jonathan Michael Square. In addition, The Met’s Design Department, with artist Torkwase Dyson and SAT3 Studio, will bring the exhibition’s conceptual design to life.
An illustrated catalog with new photography by Tyler Mitchell will accompany the exhibition, featuring contributions from various thought leaders. A range of educational programs and public events related to the exhibition will also be announced at a later date.
Superfine: Tailoring Black Style is made possible by Louis Vuitton, with major funding from Instagram, the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation, Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe and Africa Fashion International, and The Perry Foundation. Additional support is provided by Condé Nast.
