This year’s Met Gala will pay homage to a lesser-known element of fashion history.
With a nod to menswear, the dress code for this year’s event is “Tailored for You,” while the theme is “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”
The theme will coincide with the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibit of the same name, on view May 10 to Oct. 26 and inspired by Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.” The exhibition will explore “the importance of style to the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora,” particularly in the United States and Europe, and interpret “dandyism” as both an aesthetic and a socio-political strategy through garments, art and other objects from the 18th century to the present.
Here’s what to know about dandyism as a concept and how fashion’s biggest stars may interpret this year’s theme.
Met Gala 2025: Everything to know about the star-studded fashion extravaganza
What is a Black dandy, and what is ‘dandyism’?
Dandyism is characterized by an intense focus on aesthetics. Black dandyism began emerging as far back as 1700s England, when slave owners who wanted to flaunt their wealth began dressing their slaves in expensive clothing, creating a “dandified black servant” or “luxury slave” trend, according to Miller, a professor at Columbia University who also serves as the Met’s guest curator for this exhibit.
Black men read the room, recognizing the power dynamics clothing signaled, and began making their involuntary uniforms their own. Black dandyism became a practice in which Black people used the power of clothing, personal style and even humor and wit as a form of resistance, and a way for them to push back on societal limitations and negative perceptions not just in terms of race, but also class, gender and sexuality.
At its core, the Black dandy figure uses fashion and aesthetics to engage in these power dynamics, highlighting the importance of personal style in shaping one’s identity.
“Dandyism can seem frivolous, but it often poses a challenge to or a transcendence of social and cultural hierarchies,” said Miller in a Feb. 4 statement, per Vogue. “It asks questions about identity, representation, and mobility in relation to race, class, gender, sexuality, and power.”
2025 Met Gala inspiration: Think André 3000, co-chair Colman Domingo
Miller points to historic figure Julius Soubise, a freed slave and 18th-century London socialite described as a “sartorial impresario,” as an example of the Black dandy. But there are modern-day examples, from Prince, André Leon Talley and André 3000 to hip-hop fashion icon Dapper Dan and designer LaQuan Smith.
Tyler, the Creator and Met Gala co-chairs Pharrell Williams and Colman Domingo are some other notable figures who lean into the aesthetic, as well as women like Met Gala host committee member Janelle Monáe and singer Solange, who both often play with bold patterns and colors as well as traditional dandyism: polished silhouettes, tailored suits and structured styles.
From streetwear to ‘street couture’: Hip-hop transformed fashion like no other before it
Vogue’s May 2025 covers offered more design direction, with shots of Met co-chairs A$AP Rocky, Lewis Hamilton and Domingo, as well as an assortment of other stars including Yara Shahidi, Aaron Pierre, Teyana Taylor, Jon Batiste and others. As Monáe and Lakeith Stanfield put it, it’s all about “individuality” and “freedom.”
So how will the stars take on the “Tailoring Black Style” theme? We’ll have to wait until May 5 to find out.
Contributing: Edward Segarra
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Met Gala theme, explained: What is a Black dandy?
