Andrew Bolton is the current head curator of the Anna Wintour Costume Center at the Metropolitan Museum of New York City, where the Met Gala is held every year. Bolton has chosen the gala’s nuanced and, on occasion, controversial themes since 2015 in an attempt to diversify the type of fashion displayed at the notorious costume exhibit.
He told Vogue, “What I try to do is work on a topic that seems timely, and that defines a cultural shift that’s happening or is about to happen.”
In relation to this upcoming year’s theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” Bolton has selected the first theme solely centered on men’s fashion since 2003’s “Men in Skirts.” Bolton has expressed his belief that men’s fashion is experiencing a renaissance, trailblazed by a group of Black men who are not afraid to break certain societal norms surrounding fashion, as is tradition in Black dandyism.
The exhibit explores the origins and progression of Black dandyism as covered in Monica L. Miller’s book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.” The exposition will be partitioned based on the 12 characteristics of Black dandyism as defined by a 1934 Zora Neale Hurston essay. Such themes include “cosmopolitan,” “caricature,” “ownership,” “ease,” “authority,” “exaggeration,” “freedom,” “transgression,” “dissonance,” and “spectacularity.”
Bolton was first familiarized with Miller’s work back when he was conducting research for 2021’s theme, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” Once Bolton generates a theme, he must receive approval from the Met’s director, Max Hollein, and president, Daniel H. Weiss. After gaining their blessing, Bolton must persuade the editorial director of Condé Nast and editor- in-chief of American Vogue, Anna Wintour. Since Bolton has obtained the green light for this theme in particular, Miller, the chair of Africana studies at Barnard College, will be curating the exhibition alongside him.
Each year four co-chairs are announced to help Wintour run the gala. For this year, it’s Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, Pharrell Williams and A$AP Rocky with LeBron James as an honorary co-chair. Although the specifics of what tasks they perform has never been revealed, it’s been rumored that they help plan the event’s dress code, dinner and performances as well as simply setting the tone by being some of the first to make an appearance.
As for the focus of the exhibit, Black dandyism is derived from European dandyism. The term “dandy” was used to describe a man who was well-knowledgeable and devoted to the art of fashion. The term was coined by socialite Beau Brummell in the 18th-century. The rise of consumerism in combination with the Atlantic slave trade gave way to the practice of having one’s slaves dress fashionably, and therefore the imposition of dandyism onto Black men.
Black men used Black dandyism to appear visually equal to their white counterparts as a rebuttal to assimilation where colonists attempted to sterilize all Indigenous aspects of culture. After emancipation, the trend continued and enabled Black men to assert their new social and political levels of agency. “Peacocking” is when one manipulates fashion to draw attention to themselves and reclaim a sense of individuality. With this, black men had transformed themselves from being the objects of wealth into autonomous fashion icons, wearing these status symbols.
Fashion sensibility and adornment has been historically associated as female practices, but the Black dandy figures of today have continued to push gender boundaries by adopting both. Before colonialism, African societies were generally less rigid about their gender definitions compared to European ones, meaning that the Black dandyism of today reflects an African rooted understanding of gender fluidity.
When the theme was initially announced, many were quick to express their opinion that guests should allude to the legacies of André Leon Talley and Dapper Dan, who both exemplify contemporary dandyism. Talley was the former editor-at-large for Vogue and Dan is a well- known designer. Overall, dandyism has always served as a way for Black men to assert their bodily autonomy, as seen when a cohort dressed up to march down Fifth Avenue and gather at 125th Harlem Street as a tribute to George Floyd, honoring his life and the disempowerment he faced before his death.
It’s been recommended by fashion scholars such as Cora Harrington that guests pay special attention to the tailoring aspects of their garments like silhouette. As for women, they should attempt to resemble and reinvent the look of the dandizette, who is known for wearing pink shoes, a white dress and gloves.