Feeling Dandy
Dandyism defined the moment, as fashion gave voice to those once unheard—rooted in history, styled with intent, and carried forward through elegance and quiet defiance.
The first Black editor-in-chief of British Vogue, Edward Enninful, and Andre Leon Talley, pictured together for Vogue and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Available via Fashionista © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
The recent reclaiming of dandyism relates to a movement of style and expression which first prevailed in the 18th century. It contains historic notes of limitless exploration through style - which breaks any boundaries and limitations placed on black people within society. Dandyism is a celebratory expression of one’s soul and true essence, through the clothes and styles they choose to engage in. An art form, a movement, a cultural statement of glamorous individuality. Even though this forward-thinking expression has impacted communities unspeakably, it is true that not all members of society will be aware of its impact or the cultural relevance.
This is a style which has prevailed for many years, decades, originating all the way back to legendary figures like Beau Brummell – a man whose reputation consisted of relentlessly standing out by being impeccably groomed and dressed as a black, oppressed man. His message, “Don’t talk about your clothes, let your clothes do the talking,” links in with recent fashion scenes that have been bringing light to the topic - addressing the revolutionary importance of ethnic history in the way we dress. Using fashion and popular figures to address topics and history which may not be widely known, proves the power and influence of the way we dress and messages it can contain. Coming from days where black people were so oppressed that they had to turn to fashion to feel free, to now be able to celebrate on a much larger scale is monumental.
A strong example of where this movement has been put in the spotlight would be the anticipated theme of this year’s Met Gala- ‘Superfine: Tailoring black style’, with an underpinned dress code of ‘Tailored For You’, gathering A-list celebrities and personalities together at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. We know this is an annual occurrence, but this year inclines us to address the embedded cultural contexts which have been carefully curated beneath the art seen on this May’s carpet, surrounding menswear for the first time in history. Previously, The Met’s themes have been that of natural history and deep research, but focussing on groups which have previously been under oppression and a long fight for freedom seems to be something which is hugely relevant today.
The head curator of the Met Museum’s Anna Wintour Costume centre, Andrew Bolton OBE, works closely each year with Anna, but this year one of the most important figures worked with for the duration of the Met’s exhibition was Monica Miller.
Miller, author of ‘Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity’ (published October 2009) stood as an important figure on discussing and inspiring the Met’s theme, producing the Exhibition which is divided into 12 sectors which all resemble elements of dandy style, inspired by her publishings. Wintour's joint choice of displaying this at one of the most regarded fashion events allows for fashion to further become an expressive outlet; which goes so much deeper than just shaped materials. It allows for details as subtle as stitching to be inspired and integrated through decades of knowledge and protest. It opens a world of colours and accessories which are rooted in boundless self expression. Looks curated are inspired from a win of freedom, the diverse way in which people of colour had work to distribute their identity, power and resistance. It highlights how fashion is a deep art form which speaks for the unspeakable, and represents decades of tailored knowledge, from so many angles.
From Black co-chairs such as Pharell and Coleman Domingo and iconic black athletic attendees like Serena Williams and Simone Biles, the first Monday in May of 2025 was an integral celebration in modern New York of what it means to be black, and dandy at that. It felt like an honour to culture - not only through the refined guestlist, but through the ideology that lay behind the designers and what they produced for the carpet this year.
Fashion designers from all walks of life closely studied and delved into the history of this groundbreaking theme in order to portray the heritage and work of this author, consequently producing on-point designs for this theme and the dandy stars of today who graced the carpet. Diving into some examples from this year’s carpet will help us to get a better understanding of the theme and the relevance the historic crafting of the pieces holds, reclaiming dandyism powerfully.
A creditable creative example is Pharrell: appointed creative director of Louis Vuitton in 2023 (after his vicarious history in fashion with brands like Billionaire Boys Club and Bape). Pharrell worked with singer Doechii at this year's Met to create a look correlating what fashion means to LV and Monica Miller, drawing off of character Julius from the novel, who is described in Miller’s book as rocking style choices of “diamond buckled, red heeled shoes'. We can see this inspired work, alongside the finely tailored check prints and traditional notes of gold that Doechii debuts on the carpet. By drawing off on an iconic character in the novel that the theme quotes, history is brought to life on the carpet. We got the chance to visually interpret the vivid past of dandyism.
Singer Doechii’s 2025 Met Gala look created with Pharrell for LV. Photographed by Dimitrios Kamboutis, Getty Images. Available via Harper's Bazaar. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Much inspiration of this look was directed to the icon Andre Leon Talley, who worked for Vogue from 1983 as first black creative director, known to always represent a dandy demeanour. Homage was paid through the presentation of pieces from his valuable wardrobe at the exhibition, including a caftan by Patience Torlowei, one of his Morty Sills suits, and pieces of his Louis Vuitton luggage. Doechii and Pharrell even went as far to reference one of Talley’s favourite hobbies, tennis. The singer debuted a devoted image of herself kitted out in LV tennis gear approaching her first Met. Anna Wintour recalls in tribute - “I thought of how even when he was doing something one might have found slightly over the top—playing tennis in full Vuitton, for instance—it was, for André, an act of supreme confidence, of total self-possession.”, and if this does not scream dandy, then what does? (Vogue)
The intricate methods of expression which originate from the designer and artists here, through niche references from history of dandyism and outward styling which reflects the essence of the movement show the deep message that this theme had the potential to provide. This has been escalated through the scale of the event itself, and the famous people behind it. Without distributing this theme at such a large scale, it is likely that many minds, including my own, would never have thought about the oppression of black people, and its fashionable consequences, at such an impactful scale. It serves as a reminder of history and where black people have had to come from and that serves as a vital message. It's unmistakable, the culture and the flashy clothes: attention is brought to a topic which is often disregarded amongst the flurry of news and affairs which we see each day. Perhaps this event even works as a marker to resemble how much progress has actually been made, which is gratifying for black communities.
Other artistic references to Talley on the carpet include Coleman Domingo's great blue Valentino cape (Referencing Talley’s fit from the 2011 Mcqueen Met gala), as a co-chair of this event, as well as being an influential actor who has done much work in other cultural areas such as HBO series, produced by A24, Euphoria (2019-2022), we can further see the importance of popular figures and events or bringing light to topics that society need to see. Not only was Domingo’s Met fit referencing the Late Alexander Mcqueen, it referenced the late Talley. In this way his outfit becomes an epicentre of history - referencing creative figures which changed the way fashion moves forwards forever, as well as being rooted in the history of black dandyism and what this involves. It shows the deep artistic thought process of fashion and using platforms as a voice.
The event and the looks contained was used as a stage for history and heritage, with many popular and influential minds working together to piece together the past and shape a celebratory tone for the successes of black people and how far we have come now. Each guest thought about and distributed the ideology of dandyism, but the existence of this movement alone is enough to show the importance of it. The journey of black communities and figures and the transformative work that has been put in to be free is something that will be eternally important, the Met just happened to shine a brighter light, and many camera flashes, into the history. See you next year…
