Last week’s Met Gala continued a winning streak for the arts and entertainment world this year.
Similar to the Grammys in February, this year’s Met Gala was the best it’s been in several years.
To be exact, the Met Gala hasn’t thrilled since the 2018 Heavenly Bodies theme where
Chadwick Boseman quietly declared himself the fashion god of all time dripped in a creme
custom Atelier Versace robe and matching pants adorned with gold and crimson crosses and
embellishments (Rest in Power, King. You are sorely missed).
Other winners that night were Ariana Grande – literally wearing the sistine chapel printed onto a
Vera Wang dress and adorned with a big creme bow weaved into her infamous ponytail hair
piece, Rihanna dressed as a modern pope and Sza was also dressed in a Versace fit and
adorning a gold star crown reminiscent of the head piece worn by the Virgin Mary, as depicted
on glass candles.
This year, however, Black people were not just invited guests but the focal point of the nights’
fashion. “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” is this year’s exhibit on display and it’s a tribute to
what folks are calling Black Dandyism. A “dandy” is an old pejorative term that describes a
softer kind of man, one that takes extra care in his physical appearance, pampers himself and
enjoys refined language and hobbies.
From the 90s to early 2009s, they were called ”metrosexuals.” These days, we might call then
“the sensitive artist” or a “loverboy.” The art of dandyism was about purchasing or creating
exquisitely tailored and designed suits and menswear that set you apart – a GQ man, if you will.
A James Bond type without all the gun fights. Black dandyism, then, is the way African
American men and women in particular “put that stuff on.”
It’s the deacon/ess, the church mothers, pimps, the pretty boys and so on who step out and flex
with fashion. Everybody knows one or perhaps you are the one. While dressing well is
something folks of all cultures in every era of humanity have done to the means that they were
able. Black American Dandyism is rooted in the African American tragedy of slavery, where
functioning and fashionable clothes were permissible exclusively on Sundays, so that Slave
Masters could take their “property” to Church to make them learn the “word of God” and show
off their capital to other white men who might want to make a purchase.
When Africans began to “earn” their freedom out of slavery, new clothes was among their first
purchases. . Making a statement through fashion carried the message that said “I, too, am
worthy of dignity and I always was.” There’s a reason the practice of wearing “your Sunday
best” has continued well beyond the days of being enslaved – Black Africans have always had to
fight for dignity in America, never seen as people created equally in the image of God. Even
when titans like Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X wore their dandy best to give speeches
and talk with world leaders, that didn’t stop White Americans from beating, hosing and inciting
attack dogs on them. For many alive today, dandyism aka “Drippin” is about making sure people
see you in a world where everyone who isn’t Black has an opinion about who you are and what
you’re worth.
This year’s Met Gala also centered on men’s style for the first time – a controversial choice as
fashion has been one of few avenues where women have been allowed structural leadership in
the form of running prestigious publications – Anna Wintour, has been Editor-in-Chief of Vogue
since 1988 (longer than I’ve been alive!), and in forging their own identity, women use fashion
as a subtle form of defiance.
Nonetheless, men’s style has evolved and become more a focal point in pop culture, particularly
since athletes like Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Marshawn Lynch began turning game
days and press conferences into avenues of self expression through clothes. Gone are the
days where men of a certain caliber and tax bracket can “slum it” in basic graphic tees and
shorts. The call to raise the standard has been answered so the onus was really on the men to
show the eff out on May 5th.
While some definitely understood the assignment, others left a lot to be desired, donning basic
black suits that could have been plucked off the Macy’s rack (looking at you, Usher). Even more
mind boggling is how many celebrities chose their best looks for the Met Gala afterparties.
I guess it wouldn’t be entertainment if it wasn’t a lil chaotic.
Here’s my very subjective list of the best dressed at this year’s Met Gala and the worst.
At the top of the list is “Miss Queen” Ava Duvernay in Prada because it is an exact replica of
what her great-gradmother Annie Fisher was photographed in 106 years ago. Given the theme
of collective endurance and our history of overcoming the worst, she has to take the crown. My
other fave looks from the ladies were Teyana Taylor in Ruth E. Carter (costume designer of
Disney’s Black Panther), Janelle Monae in Thom Browne x Paul Tazewell, Chappell Roan in
Paul Tazewell, Sora Choi in custom Swarovski, Sabrina Carpenter and Doechii in Louis Vuitton,
Cardi B in Burberry and GiGi Hadid in Mui Mui.
And for the fellas, Lakeith Stanfield wearing Ferragamo, Dwayne Wade in Prada, Omar Sy in
Ozwald Boateng, Miles Chamley-Watson, Brian Tyree Henry, Lewis Hamilton and of course,
Andre 3000 won the night for me.
The misses of the night were shocking as the typical fashion icons completely dropped the ball
this year including Coleman Domingo, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae and Halle Berry.
This year was a feat to be topped but here’s hoping we’re just as exhilarated next May.
