A Superfine Farewell: As It Comes to a Close, Look Back at the 2025 Met Costume Exhibition
Historically important, meticulously detailed, and culturally relevant are just some of the adjectives describing this year’s outgoing Costume Institute exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s spring fashion showcase opened on May 10 and will close on October 26.
Monica L. Miller, professor and chair of Africana Studies at Columbia University’s Barnard College, was guest curator, alongside the museum’s curatorial team that’s led by curator in charge, Andrew Bolton. The exhibit is only the second men’s-oriented exhibit at the Met. Inspired by Miller’s 2009 “Dandyism” book, it honored over 300 years of Black style, culture, and aesthetic expression. “I feel a lot of gratitude and wonder! Gratitude for the opportunity and to all of the people at The Costume Institute, The Met, and so many others who worked on Superfine with rigor, care, and excitement,” Miller shares with Vogue.
From street style to vibrant suiting, Superfine contained artefacts, clothing, and relics dating from the era of Black enslavement to the present day. Featured Black designers included CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists Everard Best and Téla D’Amore of Who Decides War. “So much of what we do is rooted in storytelling—exploring history and identity through craftsmanship,” Best and D’Amore shares. “Seeing those ideas translated into an exhibition setting, standing alongside some of fashion’s most iconic work, feels like an affirmation of the emotional and cultural weight we aim to bring to each piece.”
Ghanaian-American designer Samuel Boakye, founder and creative director of the Kwasi Paul label, echoes this: “It’s a feeling that’s hard to put into words. To see people from all over the world connecting with your work, admiring the craft—it’s surreal. I never really saw this coming.”
The exhibit’s cultural significance was evident in the record-breaking fundraising at this year’s Met Gala. The museum confirms that the Met Gala raised $31 million—marking the 2025 event as the largest fundraiser in its 77-year history. The gala was co-chaired by Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, A$AP Rocky, and Anna Wintour, with honorary chair Lebron James. Its theme, “Tailored for You,” featured a fitting dress code.
Throughout the year, the Met hosted several community events: a conversation in April on the sartorial excellence and influence of Harlem; a press preview in May, a Met expert talk in September, and the College Design Competition Awards Ceremony earlier this month.
“I am still astonished at how many people have visited—some making special trips from across the U.S. and the world,” says Miller. “I’ve received countless messages from people telling me how moved they were by the exhibition and how they felt seen.”
If you’re already feeling nostalgic about “Superfine”’s impact, immerse yourself in its enduring legacy below and relive the moments that made the exhibition unforgettable.
Photo: Zach Hilty/BFA.com1/13October 9 2024, The Met announced the incoming arrival of “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” The announcement was supported by an event hosted by the Costume Institute’s curator in charge Andrew Bolton, guest curator Monica L. Miller, 2025 Met Gala co-chairs Pharrell Williams and Lewis Hamilton, and The Met’s director and CEO Max Hollein.
Photo: Argenis Apolinario2/13April 8 2025: An exhibition preview conversation was held at The Apollo Stages at The Victoria Theater. Focused on Harlem’s historical contributions to dandyism, the panel featured Dandy Wellington, Lana Turner, and Jonathan McCrory, and was moderated by Monica L. Miller.
