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Black dandies have shown sharp tailoring, resistance and attitude for over a century.
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The Black dandy: More than a century of sharp tailoring, resistance and attitude

An evolution of Black men’s style and tailoring, which the Met Gala will celebrate Monday.

Since the Harlem Renaissance in the early 20th century, dandyism has been integral to the fabric of Black life. And as styles have evolved over the decades, so too has the culture, setting fashion trends that span the world.

At the Met Gala on Monday, the styles that have influenced culture at large, and Black culture specifically, will be celebrated on fashion’s biggest night.

The following is a collection of some of the ways Black men have used tweed, suiting, tailoring and fine details to present themselves to the world.

A young man wearing a formal suit and top hat circa 1890.
A young man wearing a formal suit and top hat circa 1890.Hulton Archive / Getty Images
Bill Robinson, the American tap-dancer and entertainer renowned for his stairway dance, sharing a joke with a friend at the Trocadero cafe circa 1927.
Bill Robinson, the American tap dancer and entertainer renowned for his stairway dance, sharing a joke with a friend at the Trocadero Café in Paris circa 1927.General Photographic Agency / Getty Images
Singer Roland Hayes Returning to New York City
Tenor Roland Hayes, from Boston, arriving in New York City in 1937 aboard the S.S. Normandie.Bettmann / Bettmann Archive
An man adjusting his friend's tie in Kansas City circa 1940.
An man adjusting his friend’s tie in Kansas City circa 1940.Three Lions / Getty Images
The crowd watching the orchestra at the Savoy Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois in 1941.
The crowd watching the orchestra at the Savoy Ballroom in Chicago in 1941.Russell Lee / Corbis via Getty Images
Teen boys dressed in zoot suits circa 1943.
Teen boys dressed in zoot suits circa 1943.Bettmann Archive / Getty Images
Low angle view of a man wearing a Zoot suit with a watch chain hanging from the waist, his hands in his pockets circa 1945.
A model in a zoot suit and watch chain circa 1945.Graphic House / Getty Images
A couple on the top of the Empire State Building, on an observation deck, viewed from above, the skyline of New York visible in the background, the man wearing a trench coat and formal hat, the woman wearing a shirt and holding a fur coat,
A couple at the top of the Empire State Building in 1946.JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado / Getty Images
Swing At The Savoy
Swing dancing at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem in 1947.Archive Photos / Getty Images
Zoot Suits
John Hazel, 21, Harold Wilmot, 32, and John Richards, 22, arriving in the U.K. from Jamaica aboard the Empire Windrush circa 1948.Douglas Miller / Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Sammy Davis Jr. showing clips of his film "Robin and His Hood Men" in 1964.
Sammy Davis Jr. showing clips of his film “Robin and His Hood Men” in 1964.Mirrorpix via Getty Images
Eugene Record (L) and Marshall Thompson (R) of American soul group The Chi-Lites in 1969.
Eugene Record, left, and Marshall Thompson of the American soul group The Chi-Lites in 1969.Don Paulsen / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
Model Amina photographed for Vogue in a velvet blazer and black satin pants by Yves Saint Laurent in 1972.
Model Amina photographed for Vogue wearing Yves Saint Laurent in 1972.Berry Berenson / Conde Nast via Getty Images
Stephen Burrows Spring 1973 RTW, New York
Fashion designer Willi Smith at the 1973 Stephen Burrows Resort show in New York.Fairchild Archive / Penske Media via Getty Images
A well-dressed elderly man, wearing a white double breasted suit, bow tie, hat, and white leather shoes, smiles as he walks along an unidentified Harlem street, New York, late twentieth century.
An unidentified man in Harlem circa 1975.Anthony Barboza / Getty Images
Young men in Chicago circa 1975, at left, and 1973.
Young men in Chicago circa 1975, at left, and 1973.Robert Natkin / Getty Images
Grace Jones Performance
Singer and model Grace Jones performs in New York in 1981.Sonia Moskowitz / Getty Images
André Leon Talley in New York circa 1986, after attending the Calvin Klein fall fashion show.
André Leon Talley in New York circa 1986 after attending the Calvin Klein fall fashion show.Thomas Iannaccone / Getty Images
Director Spike Lee poses for a photo at the New York Film Critics Awards on January 14, 1990 at Sardi's restaurant in New York City, New York.
Director Spike Lee poses for a photo at the 1990 New York Film Critics Awards at Sardi’s restaurant in New York.Catherine McGann / Getty Images
Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur attend 13th Annual MTV Video Music Awards on September 4, 1996.
Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards.Ron Galella, Ltd. / Ron Galella Collection via Getty
André 3000 arrives at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on August 28, 2003 in New York City.
André 3000 of Outkast arrives at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City.Evan Agostini / Getty Images
Members of “La Sape” movement, an acronym for Societe des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elegantes (the Society for the Advancement of Elegant People), in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. On the left, “sapeurs” in 2008 and on the right, Patience Moutala, coordinator of the Red Devils group in 2014.
Members of “La Sape” movement, an acronym for Societe des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elegantes (the Society for the Advancement of Elegant People), in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. On the left, “sapeurs” in 2008 and on the right, Patience Moutala, coordinator of the Red Devils group in 2014.
Janelle Monae during Paris Fashion Week in 2019.
Janelle Monae during Paris Fashion Week in 2019.Claudio Lavenia / Getty Images
Michael B. Jordan promoting his new film "Sinners" in New York on April 2, 2025.
Michael B. Jordan promoting his new film, “Sinners,” in New York on April 2.The Hapa Blonde / GC Images