Dandy Divine: Elegance, Rebellion, and Black Brilliance at the 2025 Met Gala
By Francesca Rompal, MA
Art by Tyler Mitchell; Image courtesy of The Met
The first Monday in May is sacred on the fashion calendar, yet in recent years, far too many guests have treated the Met Gala theme like a vague suggestion — skimmed and sidelined in favor of safe gowns and predictable silhouettes. But this year’s Costume Institute exhibition theme, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, delivered a rare thing: intention. The carpet shimmered with history, precision, and guests who clearly got it this year— honoring the deep legacy of Black dandyism with elegance, edge, and just the right amount of drama.
What Is Dandyism, Really?
To call dandyism a fashion trend would be missing the point entirely. At its core, dandyism is about self-expression and defiance — style as art, resistance, and identity. While classic Western dandyism is often tied to figures like Beau Brummell, who used sharp tailoring and minimalism to quietly rebel against aristocratic excess, Black dandyism holds a deeper, more radical purpose.
Author Zora Neale Hurston at the New York Times Book Fair, 1937.
Image courtesy of NYPL Digital Collections; Image ID: 1953647
While the European influence loomed large, it was the Harlem Renaissance that gave dandyism its most radical makeover. In the hands (and wardrobes) of Black artists, thinkers, and visionaries like Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Josephine Baker, tailoring became more than elegance — it became armor. Harlem’s streets were lined with individuals who dressed not only to the nines but with intent: slick suits, feathered hats, silk gloves, lapel pins and jewelry like punctuation marks on a self-authored sentence. The Black dandy wasn’t just performing style — they were rewriting the script for an entirely new legacy. Later icons like André Leon Talley, Patrick Kelly, and Dapper Dan continued this legacy, using fashion as defiance, storytelling, and cultural power. At a time when dignity was still rationed by race, their wardrobes spoke volumes: we are here, we are brilliant, and we refuse to be invisible.
Author James Baldwin, 1972.
Photo: Sophie Bassouls
Curated by professor and author Dr. Monica L. Miller, the 2025 exhibition honors dandyism through the lens of Black expression: not just about clothes, but about reclaiming space, visibility, and pride. Whether during the Harlem Renaissance, the civil rights era, or today's streetwear-meets-runway revolution, Black dandyism has always been about power dressed in elegance.
Tailoring With Intention
This year’s standout looks weren’t just well-dressed — they were well-researched. Think razor-sharp suits, exaggerated lapels, velvet and suiting fabric with intent. Flowing coats trailed behind their wearers like modern-day royal trains, nodding to historical silhouettes with a contemporary twist. This was tailoring with something to say, and it spoke fluently.
Photos: Getty Images
Photos: Getty Images
Flowing Drama: Capes, Coats & the Theater of Style
Beyond the cuts came the movement — silk trains, velvet robes, draped overlays, and capes that billowed like royalty. Theatrical, yes, but never costume. Each look felt like a love letter to opulence without apology, tapping into the drama and pageantry that has always lived within Black fashion traditions.
Photos: Getty Images
Photos: Getty Images
The Power of Embellishment
No detail was spared. We saw brooches, bejeweled gloves, embroidered jackets, and metallic finishes that caught the light like stars. But the real takeaway? Nothing felt frivolous. The sparkle had weight — a nod to how adornment, particularly in Black style, has long been a statement of self-worth, survival, and celebration.
The most exciting moments came from those who understood that dandyism isn’t just a look — it’s an ethos. These were ensembles with camp, flair, wit, and historical significance all rolled into one. It was less about excess and more about excellence, and that’s where the magic happened.
Photos: Getty Images
Photos: Getty Images
And of course the carpet was graced by queen, icon, legend — Diana Ross! Need we say more?
Photos: Getty Images
Until Next Year
The 2025 Met Gala finally gave us a carpet worthy of the theme. It wasn’t just a delightful ode to glamour — it was a love letter to the rich legacy of Black style and the cultural power of getting dressed with purpose. This year, fashion spoke volumes. And for once, everyone was listening! Now show us those after-party looks…
Read more about the exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, at The Met: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/superfine-tailoring-black-style
See every look from last night’s red carpet at Vogue: https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/met-gala-2025-red-carpet
Learn a bit more about the history of Black dandyism at Vogue: https://www.vogue.com/article/what-is-black-dandyism
