Black Dandyism and the Duplicity of the Met Gala

Monica L Miller is the guest co-curator of the upcoming MET exhibition on Black Dandyism, after literally writing the book on it in 2009. In a gentle attempt to avoid the undoubtably bling appropriation that we would have seen in celebrities dressed to this theme, the annual fundraisers theme was ‘tailored for you’.

So now that everyone’s published their best and worst dressed lists and had a chance to digest all the looks let’s get into the details.

Yes, the theme cleverly avoided reference to race, and we saw more Black hosts and guests than previous years (who brought LOOKS). We also saw a lot of mainstream, white-led fashion houses which was a huge shame because a whole carpet dressed by Black designers would have been incredible. It raised the question of how far support truly goes in terms of allyship past the performative.

So what’s Black Dandyism, and how would we have liked to see the theme interpreted?

What defines dandyism? To really simplify it its fancy and exaggerated clothing on a male body, and in Monica’s own words from her appearance on the fashion history podcast Dressed in 2018, also the ‘pointed deployment of gesture and wit’.

Dandyism is an aesthetic from the 17th and 18th century that emerged from the huge social and political changes going on across the globe at that time. The Dandy was a figure using fashion to emerge from this complicated cultural climate and critique it. Famously French and British dandies defied the preexisting social norms to question the structures they lived within. And what about Black dandies was so amazing?

So in the 28th century the big political changes going on were centred around imperialism and the slave trade, this is the conflict that Black dandies emerged from, and which they critiqued with witty, excessive fashion that questioned and challenged ideas of hierarchy and appropriateness in the societies that has enslaved them.

Now brace yourself for how dehumanising this bit of the history is.

At the time in Europe, one of the most top level ‘luxury items’ it was imaginable to own was an enslaved, Black person who didn’t have to work, but rather was educated to succeed within court. Yeah, people were made into status symbols. These enslaved people, living in court, beside royalty knew they were being exploited, they knew everything that was going on around them and Black dandies were the ones who analysed the systems they had been inserted into, and created a smart, witty critique of them, using the semiotics of clothing to do so.

A Fop is a man who is excessively concerned with their clothing and appearance and these super stylish Black dandies were Fops. This is where I want to shake anyone who says fashion doesn’t matter by the shoulders and say - look… imagine how strong this statement was.

Abolition began and many now free, previously enslaved, people have been recorded in writing to be seeking autonomy and personalisation though specific, and expressive clothing. Clothing is what crafts and changes public image, certifies status, and could put in place a Black aspirational image within culture. The proof of how powerful dandyism was for Black people at this time isn’t just evident in their desires but in the heightened anxieties a well-dressed Black man provoked in anti-abolitionists.

Fashion illustrations from the same era desperately try to mock Black dandies, to make them look silly and invalidate their bold fashion choices which asserted power and transgressed across lines of race and class - hoping to belittle this powerful reclamation of the self. Which thankfully, could not be extinguished.

That’s a whistle stop tour of where Black dandyism came from. The history is long and beautiful and there are so many Black dandies existing inter finery today. (See the Congolese subculture La Sape for a colourful and beautiful example)

Maybe you can see from this glimpse into the history, why we didn’t find all the looks this year to be as ground breaking, transgressive, and honorary in respect of this amazing fashion history as they could have been.

But anyway - onto the Met as a whole.

We’ve seen some mixed messages this year. Every year we see activist take to social media to call out the huge attention, press coverage and money pumping into this red carpet display of luxury, in contrast to the under-covered and under-funded genocides, disasters and crises going on around the world. And - Facts.

This year with the Met Gala taking on such an important theme we’ve also seen activists saying- let us have this. For once all eyes are on Black history, Black designers and Black culture, let us showcase Black joy and celebrate that we are finally having this moment. Also - facts.

So let’s take this moment to relish in the history, the looks, the joy of fashion and the sheer power of this moment from fashion history. The exhibition is undoubtedly going to be incredible. But let’s also take note of how the Met Gala itself could be a little less performative and a little more action.

Another point we’ve seen - the Met gala raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and art deserves funding and protection. To that we actually disagree. And we’re a fashion magazine, and I’m a girl who’s dedicated her life to fashion and proving that it matters as a human artefact. But the money coming into the Met is disgusting, and when theres multiple disasters going on globally, and they are garnering all this money and attention with an event in support of Black culture, which is conistently still under attack in the US - I have to concede that the money could be going somewhere better.

The Met is funded through a combination of city agreements, private donations and its own admissions revenue. A post by Change The Museum in 2023 called out that  “The Met Museum gets almost $30 million in guaranteed city funding from taxpayer dollars. The Met also has an exemption to paying taxes in drawing from their endowment, which according to the Art Newspaper makes it “America’s biggest tax-subsidy museum beneficiary.” It feels like a slap in the face to taxpayers and underpaid, overworked museum workers that the Met Gala was held May 1, International Workers’ Day.”

A lawsuit in 2013 (reported by the BBC) also shone light on the fact that the museum was using deceptive wording to prompt higher ticket donations by making people thing it was a fee they had to pay, when in reality the museum has an agreement with the city that in exchange for the fact they operate rent free and receive grants - the museum has to be accessible for free at least 5 days and 2 evenings per week.

The Met gala is the biggest fundraiser for the Met, and I’m sure some of this money is needed to keep staff well paid, and archival items well cared for. But this year the Met Gala made $31 million, the highest it’s ever raked in. And I just can’t help but think that money could have actually gone to help Black women survive medical bias, or to put emerging Black creatives through education and apprenticeships, or to provide clothing to homeless Black people, or even to offer free museum visits to Black people - instead of tricking people into paying higher ticket donations…

Anyway to end on a positive note we adored some of the fashion, we love the exhibition theme, and we are obsessed with the power of this moment in fashion history.

You can listen to Monica L Miller’s interview on Dressed here, and pick up a copy of her book here (which we recommend to show your support with your wallet) But… we did also find a free Pdf version here…