Met Gala 2025 Superfine: Tailoring Black Style

Fashion

This year's Met Gala theme is a celebration of style as statement and self-fashioning.

Black people have historically had to navigate harsh discriminating textures of social fabric. Oppression in various forms including enslavement, restrictions to specific job categories and restricted resources intended to relegate them to obscurity, it is with sheer imagination and determination that our people have stitched their presence in time.

The Met Exhibition and Gala  theme is inspired by the book of the guest curator this year, Monica L. Miller’s "Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity"

Dandyism, historically defined as men who are extremely devoted to style and approach it as a discipline cannot be reduced to frivolity as fashion is sometimes narrowly misjudged.

Someone who is impeccably groomed and dressed favouring bespoke tailoring , bold prints and creates an aesthetic that is deeply personal is a dandy.

Seeing the parade and interpretations of the theme this year really brought home to me the enduring stylish impressions and ties of my family. The sculpted from within magic where the presented outer form of my ancestors followed the audacious inner being.

The theme had me really sit with the question: Who helped you tailor your sense of style?

It’s always been obvious to me how the matriarchy in my family intertwines with my identity in various ways , including shaping my style. So when people ask me where I get my style from , I always say from my mother and she got it from her mother and her aunt and sister. Undoubtedly proud to share fine taste with all of the great women in my family I somewhat viewed this as a luck of the draw or not really interesting or special.

However, the spotlighting of black dandyism and the Met brought me to reflect on my grandfather who passed away when I was 6 years old and was a very central figure in the life of my Mom (Francisca) and Mmamogolo (older mother in the Pedi culture). They have fond memories of his acclaimed style.

My grandfather

Under apartheid laws my grandfather could only work as a petrol attendant. His location had an attaching auto and mechanic shop so it wasn’t always tidy and easy work. You couldn’t tell on appearance what job my grandfather did and how messy it could get because he was so intentional with his appearance and the details. He was the most stylish person in their community. Always immaculate, people would always compliment him by saying “you look  like a man that belongs in a catalogue”. This is referring to the yesteryear mail order shopping, especially for clothing where customers would receive catalogues from companies often with beautiful photography and descriptions of the available items. A more modern reference would be - he looked like a model in a magazine editorial.

His dapper way of dressing formed part of a bigger personal philosophy which includes resisting projected expectations and limiting classifications.

He set his own standard to affirm his own self-worth and dignity, self-discipline and excellence. This same outlook filtered into the diet my Mom and her sister grew up on. He spared no expense always emphasising superfoods which always came branded with his utterance of “I’m nourishing bodies and opening minds”. His flair and intentionality sparked so much joy and imagination that it moved the boundaries for my Mom, bringing her to understand herself, her taste and possibilities.

His whole style and way of being informed such a strong aspect of how I was dressed by my Mom, with a touch of the unexpected and fluidity. I knew at a young age (as early as 7) that I didn't need to win a best dressed title in a school competition because I knew on a deeper level that the style choices my Mom was making for me were imprinted with a winning formula which was inimitable, a combination of style and individuality.This in turn shaped my framework and approach to style which is limitless.

I revel in our collective style,  a statement of power, intellect, and individuality.

Here’s a look at how you can embrace your inner dandy;

ARTFULLY ABSORB THINGS

Interact with the world - its beauty, chaos, imperfections, trends and digest the realities. Artfully filtering through your own self discipline what you will adopt and reflect. This is a signifier of refined intellect.

PURSUING BEAUTY IS A VIRTUE

The pursuit of the beautiful in appearance, attitude, conversations and surroundings is the ultimate pursuit of higher expression and we care for this level of detail and passion.

MASTERY OF SELF

The enduring legacy of the dandy is to know thyself even in a world that may not be fashioned for you. Build your world. Construct your own standard and expression of it. This involves a posture of unflinching swiftness to resist conformity when it doesn’t speak to your blueprint and to be comfortable with how you present yourself may be a discomfort to mass culture.

The Met Costume Institute exhibition "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" opens to the public for viewing on May 10 through October  26, 2025, at The Met (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) Fifth Avenue, NYC.