May 5 marks the New York Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala, which always takes place on the first Monday in May. It is the most celebrated day in fashion, where celebrities, movie stars, and the social elite dress extravagantly under the direction of Vogue Magazine editor Anna Wintour. Tickets are as extravagant as the dresses, with a single ticket costing $75,000.
This is an invitation-only red-carpet event, and guests are even given individual arrival times. Attendees celebrate a fashion theme while dining and dancing to the best. It is an extravaganza for the rich and famous, and I am excited about this year’s gala because it celebrated black males who are too often misrepresented in mainstream media. By the way, the Gala of 2025 raised more money than any other, with $31 million.
The 2025 gala celebrates “THE DANDY.” So, what is a “DANDY“? Dandyism dates back to slavery and distinguishes British slaves from American slaves.
The Oxford Dictionary defines a dandy man as “a man unduly devoted to style, neatness, and fashion in dress and appearance.” In the 18th century, the British celebrated Black slave males with extravagant clothing made from the finest fabrics—silks, brocades, velvets—and paraded them around as what they termed “luxury slaves.” The luxury slave was demeaned as no more than a minstrel and was used primarily for entertainment rather than labor, unlike the American slave. The British had a different mindset from the Americans regarding the captured people.
Professor Monica L. Miller of Barnard College wrote “Slaves to Fashion.” It is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. She breaks down the dandy man, a figure of high fashion and style, revealing how his communication about himself and his personality is expressed through his dress. She highlights historical icons like Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and W. E. B. Du Bois was a dandy man, as they commanded dignity and power through their tailored attire. Their dress embodied the idea of power. They were suited men. Black American men viewed the concept of dandy differently than the British.
The exhibition is organized into 12 sections, each representing a characteristic that defines dandy style.
Miller is serving alongside head curator Andrew Bolton as a guest curator for the show, which will display garments, paintings, photographs and more visual works from artists including Torkwase Dyson, Tanda Francis, André Grenard Matswa and Tyler Mitchell “all exploring the indelible style of Black dandies, from the 18th century through to the present day.”
The 12 sections of the exhibition are: Ownership, Presence, Distinction, Disguise, Freedom, Champion, Respectability, Jook, Heritage, Beauty, Cool and Cosmopolitanism. Jook is defined in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Characteristics of Negro Expression” as “a space for dancing, drinking and other leisure activities.”
The British dressed African males in costumes and had them perform. The “Superfine” name borrows from the 1789 autobiography of the enslaved Olaudah Equiano, who wrote of laying out eight pounds of his money “for a suit of superfine clothes to dance with at his freedom.” He wanted a picture to document his freedom in fine dress.
So then, the modern-day Dandy is a man’s public statement about his identity, reflecting personality, culture, power and expression while rejecting Eurocentric aesthetics. Dandy men are bold, colorful, unique, and expressive in their attire, complemented by accessories such as a hat, an ascot, a shirt, or a cane. In other words, the dandy man possesses a uniqueness that says, “I Am.” He is more than just the best dressed; his clothing features him; it serves as his sophisticated signature.
The theme of this year’s MET Gala is “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” The Gala originated from the Professor’s book, and I am curious about how Ms. Wintour developed this theme at this time. Vogue Magazine has four covers for the May issue, all featuring Dandy Men.
The late Andre Leon Talley influenced this year’s gala. He loved fashion and was the most distinctive dresser of them all. He died in 2022 and worked tirelessly over the years on this special event, dating back to Vogue editor, Diana Vreeland. I consider him the dandiest of them all.
I was excited to see this year’s attire. And I must say some got it, but some didn’t. The “Dandy” did not drape or have flowing trains of fabric on the floor.
This is a Black male event. The committee features Coleman Domingo, Pharrell Williams, and legendary basketball icon LeBron James as honorary chair. Unfortunately, before the gala, LeBron announced he would not attend due to a knee injury.
My curiosity is about what the stars will wear to pay tribute to Black male style. The gala is historic, particularly at this time, when the
The president is trying to erase and eliminate “Blackness” and “Black culture” from American society as he claims the unfitness of “American ideology.”
I really hope to interview Monica Miller and Vogue editor Anna Wintour about this important exhibit, which runs from May 10 to October 26, 2025.
