Superfine at The Met | New York: 10 May to 26 October 2025

Superfine at The Met: A Sharp, Stylish Celebration of Black Tailoring

A new kind of glamour has taken centre stage at The Met (The Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art). With the debut of Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, the museum’s 2025 Costume Institute exhibition cuts straight through the noise of fashion’s endless cycles- and delivers something elegantly defiant.

Following the recent Met Gala, the Superfine exhibition is now officially open to all visitors.

This year’s Met Gala embraced the theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”, marking the first time since 2003 that the focus was solely on menswear, and the Met Gala’s first theme devoted entirely to Black designers.

The highly anticipated dress code, “Tailored for You,” was inspired by the Costume Institute’s striking exhibition, exploring the elegance, confidence, and cultural legacy of Black dandyism through the art of precision tailoring.

It shines a spotlight on over 70 looks, each hand-picked for its precision, craftsmanship, and cultural symbolism.

Superfine is not simply an exhibit of clothes. It’s a confident walk through style history, shaped by creativity, culture, and power, an unmissable display of how Black style connoisseurs have used tailoring to express pride, identity, and artistry.

What is Black Dandyism?

Black dandyism is a cultural and fashion movement where Black individuals adopt and reinterpret the traditionally European dandy aesthetic, characterised by refined, tailored clothing and meticulous grooming, as a means of self-expression, resistance, and identity formation.

Emerging prominently in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly during the Harlem Renaissance, Black dandyism allowed Black individuals to assert autonomy and challenge societal limitations imposed by racial discrimination.

By embracing elegant attire and sophisticated style, Black dandies subverted stereotypes and redefined notions of Black masculinity and identity.

Beyond mere fashion, Black dandyism serves as a powerful political statement. It embodies a strategic use of style to confront and navigate societal structures, offering resistance against systemic oppression.

This movement continues to evolve, influencing contemporary fashion and cultural expressions.

Honouring André Leon Talley: A Fashion Legend Remembered

It’s impossible to step into Superfine: Tailoring Black Style without thinking of the late, great André Leon Talley. A towering figure in both stature and spirit, Talley was more than just a style icon—he was a trailblazer who forever changed how Black creativity was seen and celebrated in fashion’s highest circles.

This year’s Met Gala paid tribute to Talley’s enduring influence, with the Superfine theme drawing inspiration from his deep love of exquisite tailoring, operatic drama, and unapologetic self-expression.

From his sweeping capes to his encyclopaedic knowledge of couture, Talley embodied the elegance and intellect that this exhibition seeks to honour.

As a former editor-at-large at Vogue, Talley championed designers of colour and never shied away from centring Black stories in a space that too often excluded them.

His presence opened doors, and his legacy lives on in the confident silhouettes and bold narratives stitched throughout the galleries.

Superfine is not just an exhibition of clothes; it is a living tribute to individuals like Talley who made fashion more inclusive, more layered, and infinitely more stylish.

Black Style: The Backbone of Fashion

Black style has long been the backbone of global fashion, setting trends, subverting expectations, and injecting culture into every hemline and cuff.

Yet, its contributions have rarely received the recognition they deserve. Superfine brings that truth to the fore, showcasing tailoring not as borrowed inspiration but as innovation born from resilience and pride.

From Harlem Renaissance swagger to contemporary couture, Black communities have redefined how tailoring is worn, interpreted, and celebrated.

This exhibition doesn’t just display garments, it reframes the narrative, placing Black designers, wearers, and visionaries at the heart of fashion’s story where they’ve always belonged.

It’s a moment not just of reflection, but of rightful recognition—and a much-needed celebration of brilliance that has always been part of the fabric of style.

What Makes Tailoring “Superfine”?

The word “superfine” refers to the smooth, tight weave of premium wool suiting fabric, a favourite of 19th-century tailors.

From Savile Row sharpness to Harlem flair, the show highlights the ingenuity behind Black tailoring from the 18th century to now, and it traces the evolution of Black tailoring beyond trends, focusing instead on agency and aesthetic freedom.

However, the exhibition stretches its meaning to describe the precision, elegance, and unapologetic flair of Black style through tailoring.

To dress superfine means to be deliberate. To show up with intention and to craft your presence with care.

Tailoring is about ownership. It’s about shape, yes—but it’s also about showing the world how you want to be seen.

Why Superfine Matters Now

Tailoring is often overlooked in today’s fashion world, where stretch fabrics and oversized streetwear dominate. Yet Superfine shows that structure can speak volumes. Every sharply pressed lapel and perfectly fitted sleeve tells a deeper story of resistance, elegance, and legacy.

For centuries, Black individuals have reshaped Western dress codes – often under pressure and prejudice – transforming suits into armour, uniforms into status symbols, and formalwear into personal protest. This show elegantly tracks that transformation.

It’s timely, too. Superfine reminds us that polish and presence aren’t outdated in an age of hyper-casual style. They’re revolutionary.

A Walk Through the Exhibition

Split across thematic galleries, the exhibit moves through eras, ideas, and identities. Each room feels like a distinct chapter, styled with intent and intimacy.

Liberation Through Line and Form

The opening gallery is an ode to 19th-century tailoring. Here, we see the earliest known examples of Black tailors’ work – many formerly enslaved, who became self-taught artisans. These garments, often produced under extraordinary constraints, hold echoes of aspiration and dignity.

• A civil war-era frock coat worn by a free Black preacher
• Handmade jackets passed down through families as heirlooms
• Reproductions of tailoring books used by Black apprentices

Harlem to Hollywood: The Style Icons

Mid-century elegance steps in with jazz-era suits, zoot suits, and cinematic style. The Harlem Renaissance receives its due, with mannequins styled in broad shoulders, nipped waists, and two-tone shoes.

• A replica of Cab Calloway’s white zoot suit
• Costumes worn by Diahann Carroll and Sidney Poitier
• A 1960s look sewn by a now-legendary South London tailor for the Windrush generation

The Personal is Political

Tailoring as a tool for protest and pride shines in this section. Civil Rights leaders wore suits as a symbol of professionalism and respectability—an unspoken challenge to racist assumptions.

• Malcolm X’s glasses and signature narrow-lapelled suit
• The Black Panthers’ leather coats and berets, styled for maximum visual unity
• Archival film reels and spoken-word overlays give voice to the wearers

Future Fit: Black Designers Redefining Precision

Here’s where tailoring takes flight. From avant-garde cuts to gender-neutral silhouettes, this part feels alive with invention. The focus turns to today’s designers who reinterpret what a suit can be—and who it’s for.

• Wales Bonner: blending British tailoring with Afro-Caribbean motifs
• Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss: sharp lines with loud, layered messages
• Thebe Magugu: South African structure with feminine fluidity
• A special showcase from Dior Men’s guest designer Martine Rose

The gallery ends with a digital wall of AI-generated future tailoring concepts submitted by Black design students globally, encouraging visitors to see the suit not as history, but as possibility.

Street Style in the Spotlight

Beyond the museum walls, Superfine has sparked a fashion movement of its own. Vogue’s coverage of the exhibition’s opening revealed guests styled to perfection – tailored, fearless, and personal.

• Crisp white tailoring with afro-futurist jewellery
• Vibrant wax-print blazers paired with sharp trousers
• Monochrome suiting with unexpected pops of neon accessories

The message? Tailoring goes beyond tradition—it’s a form of self-expression, confidence, and creative flair.

A Quiet, Stylish Revolution

Superfine: Tailoring Black Style doesn’t shout. It doesn’t need to. With its carefully curated garments and deeply considered context, the exhibition invites us to see Black style not as a side note to fashion history, but as its sharpest thread.

It makes one thing clear: style, when worn with purpose, can be a form of self-love, resistance, and beauty.