It’s the first Monday in May, which means the Met Gala—the annual fundraising event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute—is officially upon us. This year’s theme, “Tailored For You,” is based on the forthcoming exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which examines the emergence of the Black dandy and their impact in and on culture throughout history. Dandyism is a way of being that is laser-focused on aesthetics as it pertains to self-presentation, expression, curation, and how those things contribute to how he or she moves about the world.
The concept of dandyism permeates culture today, but not always in the most traditional spirit of the word. In popular culture, many of our most visible fashion figures call on stylists to help lead them to their truest forms of self-expression. In regards to dandyism, a stylist can identify and provide its core tenants to their client, but it’s the spirit of the wearer that takes it beyond “just clothes.”
“When you wear clothes, you’re showing your perspective and you’re giving people a message of who you are,” says Mobolaji Dawodu, stylist and GQ’s fashion director at large. Dawodu’s perspective doesn’t rely on trends, but still feels observant of the changes and the shifts happening in culture. He’s put Pharrell Williams in crew-cuffed caps, bathed Trevor Noah in green suede, and uses an eclectic array of prints and vibrant colors in editorials that support his own interpretation of the modern-day dandy. “What you wear is your armor. That’s why clothing is so important,” he says. “Dandyism is, more than anything, presentation, and everything that makes you feel special, that makes you feel seen, and that makes you look and feel fly.”
For celebrity stylist Jason Bolden, dandyism is a lifestyle above all. “It’s a classic, curated personal lifestyle that you get to sing out loud with,” he says. He maintains a sleek aesthetic on his clients like Dwyane Wade and Michael B. Jordan while still pushing the envelope. At a recent premiere for Jordan’s latest film Sinners, Bolden outfitted Jordan in a navy-and-red pinstriped Dolce & Gabbana suit with an inverted collar and ultra-wide trousers. The details managed to subvert the tenets of classic tailoring without sacrificing elegance.
To Bolden, dandyism isn’t marked by “a fabrication or a textile, or a shape or a fit.” Instead, he says, “it’s in the scope of it all—you look at someone like James Baldwin to a Sydney Poitier to a Duke Ellington. You can even go all the way to the current moments of an Andre 3000. I think the manifestation today is more about personal style and point of view.”
Michael B. Jordan attends the European Premiere of ‘Sinners’ at Cineworld Leicester Square in London, 2025, dressed by Jason Bolden.Anadolu/Getty Images
Matthew Henson, who styles major stars like The Weeknd and A$AP Rocky, says, “I think one of the most important aspects to consider for the gala specifically, it draws off of a part of the obvious fact that dandyism is a big part of the historical fabric of style, men’s style, black style, style and fashion in general.” Rocky (who serves as one of the co-chairs of this year’s gala, along with Pharrell Williams, Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, and Anna Wintour) is the quintessential modern-day dandy, whose elegant style is injected with an edginess influenced by his Harlem upbringing.
“I think it’s really important to take some of those elements as inspiration to do something new and something modern because I feel like we all know and understand what it looks like from a historical context,” Henson continues. “It’s really beautiful and we should be celebrating that, but I do think what’s really important is to keep the legacy of dandyism going, advancing it, making it modern, and using all of the context to do something new and fresh.”
A$AP Rocky outside of Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on in Los Angeles, 2025, dressed by Michael Henson.DUTCH/Bauer-Griffin
No stranger to sharp suiting that pushes the boundaries, the celebrity stylist and founder of Aliétte, Jason Rembert has embraced suiting with a perspective of renewal rather than re-inventing the wheel. At the American Black Film Festival Honors in February, Rembert dressed Nickel Boys actor Ethan Herisse in a sharp Balmain suit blanketed with cosmic white embroidery. “I think the modern dandy is authentic, rebellious, and full of pride,” Rembert says. “We’ve seen it translate from the super refined and elegant button-up feel, to the hip-hop world.”