Christiaan van Molhoop
Man in a zoot suit, 1940s
Members of the House of Xtravaganza in a promotional still for Paris is Burning, 1990
Alt + Shift + Ego by Omar Victor Diop, 2013
I Am Not Your Negro by Bisa Butler, 2019 © Bisa Butler
Johnny Depp
The Met Gala has just announced its theme for 2025: Black dandyism.
On the first Monday in May 2025, we can expect a cavalcade of socialites and fashionistas in outfits inspired by 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style'. According to Vogue, the theme is inspired by Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. The accompanying exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum Of Art will explore the “style of Black men in the context of dandyism, from the 18th century through to the present day.”
From the emergence of Black dandies in 18th century Europe, to 20th century zoot suits, Harlem’s ballrooms, and modern creatives like Quil Lemons, the legacy of Black dandyism is an inspiring tale of self-expression and subculture in the face of oppression. We can’t wait to see how invitees will interpret this historic phenomena.
Billy Porter dressed as a Sun God at the 2019 Met Gala... Slaying as per usual
When Did Dandyism Emerge?
In the 18th century, the dandy style became prominent in the Macaroni subculture. Young wealthy British men wore extravagant fashion, elaborate wigs, and excessive accessories- and became fashion plate caricatures. The Macaronis pushed the boundaries of style and were the original trendsetters of the dandy look.
A century later, the writer and aesthete Oscar Wilde (known for his sharp wit, impeccable style, and love of luxury), made fashion choices as bold and unique as his literary works. One of his trademark accessories was a green carnation- which some thought signified queer desire, or aesthetic dandyism.
Richard Cosway in The Macaroni Painter or Billy Dimple by Robert Dighton, 1772
While Macaronis and Wilde took cues from the writings and styles of Charles Baudelaire and Beau Brummel, it's important to note that Black dandyism was just as progressive and prominent in the 18th century. No, white dandies should not be thought of as a figurehead of the movement.
Indeed, Black dandies at the time used their style to confront stereotypes of race, class, gender, and nationality. Sadly, there is a stark absence of Black representation in Victorian Britain, and documentation of these brave individuals is rare.
Today, British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare (b. 1962) uses neo-Victorian dandy stereotypes to illustrate the Black man experiences in Western European societies. Through his photographic suite Dorian Gray (2001), Shonibare refers to Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray (1890), but substitutes its protagonist with a disfigured Black protagonist.
As the series progresses, readers soon notice that there exists no real picture of 'Dorian Gray' but only illustrations of other white protagonists. It's through themes of isolation and Otherness that the Black Dorian Gray evolves into a critique on the little Black representation in Victorian art.
Diary Of A Victorian Dandy: 14.00 Hours by Yinka Shonibare, 1998
Despite the rarity of Black dandyism documentation in the 18th and 19th centuries, relics such as the minstrel song Dandy Jim, From Caroline (by
Through its prejudicial lyrics, we can observe how dandy Jim's sharp dressing, self-assurance, and eccentricities was dramatically offensive to racist white folk, who preferred members of Black communities to remain indistinctive and homogenous.
Dandy Jim, From Caroline sheet music cover by the Virginia Minstrels, 1844
How did Black dandyism change during the 20th century?
Like their forebears, Black dandies in the 20th century used style as a catalyst to reject racial stereotyping seen in mass media and popular culture. Dress became a strategy for negotiating the complexities of Black male identity.
During and after the war in the 1940s, Black dandyism became a point of contention once again in LA, when the material-heavy zoot suit was accused of being unpatriotic. Originating in the urban Black scene, the suit typically featured bright-coloured fabric, long suit coats that often reached the knees, wide shoulders, and gathered or tapered trousers.
Men wearing zoot suits, 1940s
This triangular silhouette was a statement about creating a new wave of music and dress, and indicated a desire to express oneself against the boring and sombre slum lifestyle. Almost two centuries later, society saw the flamboyance of the zoot suit travel to England, where Teddy Boys also adopted a Neo-Victorian look.
Racial contentions towards Black dandyism continued, and largely forced it to evolve on the fringes of society. Some may view the balls of Harlem as a manifestation of dandy flamboyance and activism. In the early 1970s, Black and Latino gay, trans and queer people developed a thriving subculture of house balls.
House of Xtravaganza Legendary Voguers, Luis, Danny, Jose, and David Ian Xtravaganza,
at Tracks, New York, 1989. Image: © Chantal Regnault
These were raucous nights of costume contests and the birthplace of vogueing (no, Madonna did not invent it). This world of drag pageantry can trace its origins as far back as the late 1800s – think of Harlem’s Hamilton Lodge No. 710's regular drag balls during the post-Civil War era.
Also in the late 20th century, British artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien was creating his 1920s-inspired Looking for Langston series (1989), which explored the desires of gay men during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance. Meanwhile, in New York, Cameroonian-born photographer Samuel Fosso became renowned for self-portraits portraying a multitude of identities through tribal and 'dandy-esque' dress.
70’s Lifestyle by Samuel Fosso,
Since the ‘70s, Fosso has been creating powerful images which blend traditional African attire with modern fashion. Collaborating with Vogue at the turn of the century, his imagery has been exhibited at retrospectives hosted by major institutions like the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris.
Black Dandyism Today
Perhaps one of the most famous and influential dandy depictions is Thomas Gainsborough’s The Blue Boy (1770). It features a white boy wearing a 17th century costume in homage to the painter Anthony van Dyck.
Readers may recognise the outfit from Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained; a film about antebellum America and revenge against slavery. The painter Kehinde Wiley has also named Gainsborough’s The Blue Boy as an inspiration behind his A Portrait Of A Young Gentleman (2021) painting, bringing us full circle back to 18th century dandyism.
The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough, 1770 & A Portrait Of A Young Gentleman
by Kehinde Wiley, 2021 painting and book (2022)
Other creative practitioners and advocates for Black dandyism include Quil Lemons, Bisa Butler and Omar Victor Diop. For his part, the Nigerian photographer Lakin Ogunbanwa creates boldly flamboyant portraits inspired by his local community in Lagos. These photographs diversify the West's legacy of typecasting Black male models as hyper masculine or editorial props into "nuanced and layered” editorials.
He first attracted international attention in 2016 with his poignant Are We Good Enough series, which included several headshots of men wearing a range of ethnic hats. Turned away from the camera, the subjects forced the viewer to rely on the adornments to indicate their identity.
Are We Good Enough series by Lakin Ogunbanwa, 2016
This stylistic symbolism consistently underscores much of his work; challenging preconceptions and making the viewer question “how they would want to be seen, received or engaged with as a Black man.”
Residing in Johannesburg, Jamal Nxedlana is another photographer who uses vibrant clothing and backgrounds to illuminate his subjects’ character. Having previously worked for brands like Adidas, he prefers capturing local subcultures rather than the monolithic archetype typically portrayed in commercial projects.
“The Black male archetype of today is a stereotype, and gender-based photography is extremely limiting,” says the photographer, who typically snaps subjects with ambiguous sexual orientations. His 2019 editorial of the performing duo and queer figureheads FAKA was published in Aperture's fluid issue Orlando, named after Virginia Wolf's titular novel and curated by Tilda Swinton.
Desire Marea of the FAKA duo by Jamal Nxedlana, 2019
The tensely effeminate stills were reprised in Antwaun Sargent's book and touring exhibition The New Black Vanguard; placing the image maker alongside expressive photographers such as Tyler Mitchell, who are also promoting Black fluidity as a fashionable ideal.
