“Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” is the theme of the Costume Institute exhibition to be celebrated next week at the 2025 Met Gala. Fittingly—pun seriously intended—the theme of fashion’s favorite party is “Tailored for You,” encouraging guests to give menswear and tailoring their own idiosyncratic twists. It’s personality, after all, that’s key to dandyism, the ineffable quality that curators Andrew Bolton and Monica Miller have chosen to examine as a core tenet of this year’s show.
For most sartorially-inclined folks, the word “dandy” conjures images of men who loved fashion so much they became some of its most recognizable exponents: André Leon-Talley and Prince, among them. What’s most exciting and forward-looking about this year’s Met is that it will both underscore the crucial legacy of dandyism within the history of Black identity while expanding its definition to exist in today’s context. Today’s dandies are as likely to be found in skinny jeans or a pair of platform heels as they are wearing a bespoke suit. The true dandy comes from within.
Ahead of the 2025 Met Gala on Monday, we’ve asked some of your favorite fashion figures, among them those who dress dandies and are dandies in their own right, what makes the modern man of style and what it takes to become one.
Willy Chavarria
A dandy is someone who presents a captivating external fashion identity which supersedes any perception that could otherwise be interpreted as “less than.” It takes an embrace of one’s own charisma and confidence. A dandy amplifies the character they wish to present publicly so that they are seen as the finest in the room.
Ruben Toledo
What makes a dandy is their innate ability to create an atmosphere of voluptuous exactitude—a willingness to step out of the picture frame and be the walking breathing art piece, to become both the object and the subject at the same time. This can manifest as minimal and silently provocative or loud and jarringly intrusive and all shades in between. It takes courage to become the art object, the conversation piece, but more than anything, it takes care for yourself and for your audience and the occasion. Dandy-ism is an excellent public performance.
Discipline and freedom is what it takes to become a dandy. The discipline and exactitude to focus and care about details to achieve an effect, and the freedom to play with abandon to invent with improvisation and charm, but also the courage to consistently share your inner joy with the public.
Raul Lopez, Luar
Flamboyance is what makes the modern dandy. To me, “dandy” is about style more than fashion. It’s how they put themselves together—the effort and intention behind the entire look.
Daniel Lee
The modern dandy has swagger and presence in life and style. They give “leading character energy.”
Charles Jeffrey
For me, a dandy is someone who takes true delight in looking after every part of themselves—their hair, their skin, their nails, their shirt, their tie pin, their waistcoat, their belt, their shoes. Everything is considered, everything is in harmony, but there’s also a bombastic spirit to it—a push toward something intentional, spirited, and full of humor. A dandy takes pride in being on display. In a world where so many people look the same, a dandy breaks away from that with attention to detail, and a commitment to quality—not necessarily expense, but real care and craft.
It’s steeped in tailoring, great fabrications, and a sense of elevation. Accessories are key: a piece of jewelry, a necktie, a flower corsage, a plume—the small additions that transform a look into a full expression. It’s that layering of meaning, detail, and flair that makes the dandy truly captivating.
IB Kamara
What makes the modern dandy is, for me, confidence. To have self-belief and confidence in your own style is a reflection that you are being your authentic self. So in this way, being a dandy is an expression of being proudly yourself.
