Met Gala 2025 Black Dandyism: Artists Who Carry The Style

Tonight (May 5), fashion’s most prestigious stage shifts its focus to something deeper than fleeting trends. The 2025 Met Gala theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” is more than a glossy celebration of couture. It is a sharp homage to Black Dandyism, a centuries-old language of self-definition and quiet defiance. For Black men, women, and non-binary visionaries, Dandyism has never been about vanity. It is armor, poetry, and rebellion stitched into sharp lapels and silk-lined cuffs. 

Dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe and the Caribbean, Dandyism emerged as a subversive statement. Both colonized and formerly enslaved people adopted European codes of dress not to assimilate, but to assert their right to dignity and presence in hostile environments. It was never about fitting in but about standing taller.

Figures like Miles Davis in his slim-cut Italian suits, or the late André Leon Talley, whose capes and caftans embodied grandeur and intellect, modernized the Dandy beyond formality. Harlem icon Dapper Dan made it local and legendary, remixing European logos into street-approved luxury that rewrote fashion rules altogether. Today, designers like LaQuan Smith continue that legacy, fusing sensual silhouettes with sharp tailoring that speaks directly to Black excellence.

As Hip Hop evolved from block parties to a global stage, so, too, did Black Dandyism. Rappers and singers began to slip into tailored silhouettes, pushing past streetwear into custom suiting, silks, and bold pattern play. From André 3000’s playful maximalism to Pharrell’s prep-school-meets-high-fashion finesse, Dandyism found fresh life, reshaping Hip Hop’s visual identity. Outside of the recording studio, entertainers like Billy Porter and Coleman Domingo carried the tradition to Hollywood and Broadway, merging style with performance and using fashion as a statement. Across art forms, Black Dandyism remains a powerful visual assertion of autonomy and imagination.

This year’s Met Gala theme acknowledges what has been true for decades. Black Dandyism isn’t imitation. It is invention. It is identity made wearable. This evening, its legacy will move through the Met, celebrated by a new generation of cultural arbiters who know that in Black culture, style has always been political.

Long before the red carpets caught up, Janelle Monáe built her brand on a strict black-and-white palette and razor-sharp tailoring that flipped traditional menswear on its head. Suits were a stylistic choice and an anthem, worn daily early in her career as a declaration of both artistic and personal agency. Raised working-class in Kansas City, Monáe openly framed her tuxedo-heavy wardrobe as a nod to her parents — a janitor and a sanitation worker — who wore uniforms daily. In her hands, the uniform became a stage. With crisp collars, cropped jackets, and high-waisted trousers, Monáe embodied a futurist spin on Dandyism that was equally about heritage and subversion.

Over time, her look evolved beyond strict monochrome. Met Gala appearances and press tours saw her blend sharp tailoring with sculptural gowns, ornate embellishments, and avant-garde touches. Yet, even as she leaned into softer silhouettes and embraced more fluid expressions of self, the discipline and poise of her Dandy roots never left. From sharp tuxedos to bold, skin-baring designs, Monáe reimagines gender and formality on her own terms, signaling that Dandyism remains both timeless and endlessly flexible.

When Young Thug posed in a flowing lavender Alessandro Trincone gown for his Jeffery mixtape cover in 2016, Hip Hop was shocked. However, it was a declaration. Amid gender-fluid fashion hitting mainstream Hip Hop, Thug blurred lines making a dress sheer fabrics a part of his streetwear-meets-high fashion vocabulary.

Rooted in Atlanta, Thug pushed Dandyism into sometimes uncomfortable territory, especially within a Hip Hop culture that bolsters hyper-masculinity. He rejected rigid manliness and invited softness and eccentricity into Rap’s visual lexicon. A ruffled blouse and pearl accessories became part of his legacy, and despite some pushback, fans ate it up. 

Later, Thugger’s iconic gown from the Jeffery mixtape cover was displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Mass. It was featured in the museum’s “Gender Bending Fashion” exhibition, which explored the interplay between fashion and gender identity. This exhibition highlighted how contemporary fashion challenges traditional gender norms, and Young Thug’s ensemble was a standout piece, symbolizing the fusion of music, fashion, and cultural commentary.

Outkast never dressed alike, yet together, they embodied the full range of Black Dandyism’s potential. André 3000 emerged as Rap’s most celebrated eccentric, pairing turbans with suspenders, velvet blazers with feathered boas, and at times, kilts with bowties. His looks often read as playful, but underneath the whimsy was a calculated subversion of Hip Hop’s restrictive dress codes. André’s style suggested that intelligence, romance, and Southern quirk were just as worthy of Rap’s spotlight as bravado.

Big Boi, by contrast, brought a cooler, more traditional sense of refinement. Crisp button-ups, tailored pants, and fedoras defined his signature look, steeped in Southern Black gentleman aesthetics. While less flamboyant than his counterpart, Big Boi’s approach was no less intentional. His fashion paid homage to tradition, yet always with a modern, luxurious twist that reflected Atlanta’s growing influence on style. Together, Outkast told stories through clothes. Their visual contrast embodied what Black Dandyism thrives on: freedom of expression and the refusal to let fashion dictate identity.

Erykah Badu has long existed in a sartorial universe of her own making. Dandyism often conjures images of suits and polished silhouettes, and Badu flips the script entirely. Her approach is still maximalist and layered, yet deeply rooted in Afrocentric and spiritual symbolism. Wide-brimmed hats, elongated jackets, and oversized tailoring define her signature, creating a visual language that bridges Black mysticism and avant-garde fashion.

This has been an aesthetic since Badu’s early Baduizm days, where headwraps and ankh jewelry signaled cultural grounding. It resonated in red carpet appearances, draped in Thom Browne suits or androgynous, sculptural pieces. Regularly, Badu has expanded the idea of what Black Dandyism can be. She often plays with mixing crisp tailoring and sculptural hats with soft, layered robes. Her looks blur gender expectations and reject Western ideals of minimalist chic in favor of ancestral and cosmic storytelling. Always enigmatic, always ahead, Badu reminds us that Black Dandyism is also about audacity.

Effortless cool has always been his signature. Preceding streetwear and couture sharing the same runway, Pharrell treated fashion’s most exclusive spaces like familiar territory. His version of Black Dandyism spoke in soft tones with slim suits paired with skate shoes or denim jeans. There was also pastel knits accented by brooches and necklaces layered without pretension. Each detail felt natural, never forced.

Tailoring was more about rhythm. Blazers met Bermuda shorts, Chanel met Billionaire Boys Club, and luxury intertwined with playfulness. Pharrell expanded the definition of dapper, embracing sparkle and softness while sidestepping the heavy-handed theatrics often expected from style icons. Then, when fashion’s upper echelon welcomed him into its rarefied world, it was inevitable. Pharrell had already spent years balancing street sensibilities with high fashion fluency. There is no need for theatrics in his Dandyism. Each choice is measured yet magnetic, shaped by the simple fact that elegance never begs to be noticed.

For A$AP Rocky, Dandyism never felt borrowed. It came coded in his DNA, shaped by Harlem’s long-standing tradition of dressing sharp and thinking sharper. Rocky didn’t arrive in Hip Hop looking to prove his fashion credentials. He embodied them naturally, making designer names feel as essential as slang and as signature as a pair of Uptowns.

From Raf Simons sweaters to Gucci loafers, his wardrobe is a curated collision of street and couture. He drapes himself in silk scarves one day and oversized denim the next, always maintaining an air of ease. Rocky understands that Dandyism is as much about posture and presence as it is about tailoring. His style speaks fluently in contradictions of casual yet precise, vintage yet ahead.

Collaborations with Dior Homme and regular appearances in fashion’s front rows cemented his standing beyond Rap. Still, Rocky’s influence feels most potent in his everyday looks. His Dandyism shifts easily. One day, it’s bold and attention-grabbing. The next, it leans subtle and refined. Either way, every choice feels instinctive and deliberate, shaped by mood rather than rules.

Solange doesn’t dress for structure. She dresses for feeling. Her take on Dandyism avoids stiffness and leans into volume, movement, and texture. Oversized coats, tailored sets, and pleated fabrics give her style shape without locking it in place. Every look feels strategic but never forced, guided more by instinct than any rulebook.

She may not make appearances as often as her fans would hope, but Solange moves through fashion with ease. Structured and soft elements coexist, while clean palettes draw attention without chasing it. Her Dandyism is curated with care, weaving Soft Girl Era into every look.

Tailoring has always been part of Colman Domingo’s story, but in his hands, it feels deeply personal. On red carpets and magazine covers, he favors refined suiting that nods to tradition without being trapped by it. Bold colors, textured fabrics, and unconventional cuts make his looks feel alive and memorable. His style has become signature, leaving many anticipating each appearance, if only to see how he redefines elegance next.

Domingo’s approach isn’t about flash or theatrics. His looks carry presence without feeling calculated. Jewel-toned suits, silk shirts, and structured blazers show his ability to strike a balance between classic codes and contemporary edge. He respects the foundation of tailoring, but constantly reinterprets it on his terms. Through this, Domingo brings grown-man sophistication to Black Dandyism with a style that feels polished and unmistakably his.

At first glance, Tyler’s style feels cheeky. Polo shirts, loafers, pastel cardigans, and perfectly pressed trousers suggest prep school codes pulled straight from yearbook archives. Yet, look closer, and it becomes clear this isn’t cosplay, but calculated and clever. Tyler uses familiar silhouettes to rewrite expectations, infusing them with humor and irony.

Golf le Fleur, his fashion brand, became a playground for this vision. Soft suiting, fuzzy knits, and vintage-inspired outerwear reflect his knack for transforming classic menswear into something youthful and sly. Tyler doesn’t wear clothes the way tradition dictates. He bends them toward his own mischievous rhythm, where pink is powerful and shorts suit any occasion. His Dandyism lives in the details. Sharp tailoring, clean lines, and subtle accessories tell a story of elegance filtered through irreverence. Tyler rejects approval and creates his own codes, where prep culture meets personal statement without losing its bite.

Some suits wear the man. With Jidenna, the man rewrites the suit. West African prints meet Southern gentility. Harlem swagger clashes softly with cultural intellectual cool. Nothing he wears feels off the rack, even if it could be. There is weight in every decision, yet nothing looks heavy.

Jidenna doesn’t use tailoring to chase tradition. He curves tradition toward something freer. High collars don’t stiffen him. Patterned blazers don’t overpower him. His clothes move the way his music does, often rooted in Black history, but fluid and flirtatious. A silk tie becomes less about the knot and more about how lightly he holds it. Crisp cuffs read less about rules and more about ritual. Jidenna wears Dandyism like inheritance, stretching far beyond the red carpet.

Lakeith Stanfield’s style moves between worlds without effort. He might appear in a sharply tailored double-breasted suit, nodding to classic Hollywood, or in lace stockings for Replica Man, pushing past familiar expectations. His take on Dandyism lives in that space between extremes. It is never rigid and never predictable.

His choices carry presence without feeling calculated. Fedoras, loose scarves, and shifting palettes create looks that feel relaxed yet deliberate. Stanfield avoids the stiffness often tied to traditional menswear. His tailoring feels lived-in, shaped by ease, offering a version of Dandyism that stays understated yet distinct.

Undeniably, Billy Porter makes no quiet entrances. His fashion speaks before he does, commanding rooms and rewriting red carpets. Voluminous gowns, sleek suits, and intricate textures all coexist in his wardrobe without hierarchy. To him, elegance is expansive. It flows breaks rules others still follow.

More importantly, his approach to Dandyism is rooted in visibility and refusal. There are no apologies stitched into his seams. Porter embraces fluid silhouettes and ornate detailing not as ornament, but as a force. Capes and skirts do more than shimmer, setting him apart on red carpets as he confronts strict ideas of masculinity, queerness, and Black identity head-on.

Porter never leaves his looks to chance. His style honors history while refusing to be stuck in it. From ballroom to Broadway and Harlem to Hollywood, each look is a statement. He wears fashion to claim space, challenge rules, and tell the world exactly who he is with pride.