By Kayla Nwaki
The Met Gala night took place on May 5th, showcasing the extravagant and unique fashion showcases from celebrities of all fields: musicians, actors, artists, fashion designers and influencers! The theme this year was “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”, which emphasised the way black culture shines through fashion, and its importance to the people who are involved with black fashion movements. This also highlighted a topic that is not talked about often – Black Dandyism, an etiquette of fashion.
This theme was inspired by Monica L. Miller’s book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity”, which focuses on how black people over the years have used fashion as a means to express their identity and what they stand for.
You may be wondering, what is Black dandyism? Black Dandyism is not simply a singular style, but an art in which black people express themselves. They use dandyism to push through societal norms and to show that they are special individuals – all with their own tailoring. With that in place, the dress code was “Tailored for you”, which encouraged attendees of the Met Gala to come in such clothing that tells their story and expresses their personality, similarly to the way in which black people had done in the past.
So how did the celebrities at the Met Gala express themselves? Bad Bunny, who paid homage to his homeland, Puerto Rico, wore a hat that symbolised his culture, as well as a suit that he previously worked on with Prada. Rihanna, brought her third pregnancy to light with a Marc Jacobs tailored outfit! These were a fraction of the people who participated in the Met Gala, but there were many other artists that eagerly expressed their culture and identity through fashion on the night!