Well, That's Dandy
A crash course in dandyism!
Janelle Monae is still my personal hero, and I'm always learning more from them. At some big ol' event or another they continued their tendency to draw upon different inspirations for their outfits: the working-class background of her parents, transcending gender, Black style, and Afro-futurism.
Perfect for dandyism.
I want to deconstruct respectability politics around suiting and around how Black people can show up in the world. I wanted to show that we get to decide who we are.
-- Janelle Monae, to The New York Times
This was something I've always had respect for, but surface knowledge of. So for today's principle of Elimu I did some reading up on it. And for the new year I have another book to put on my To Read pile: Slaves to Fashion by Monica Miller.
Before, I thought it was metrosexual but, you know, Black (read: without all that ick, whitefolk-late-to-the-party-as-always vibe, and heavily diluted from its source). But as we should know by now, it's always a little deeper than that. Black men dressed nice to resist being pigeonholed and stereotyped. It is defiance. It is "fuck your norms, I'll wear the beautiful and flamboyant things and be fly about it."
After Emancipation, dandyism was prominent in the Harlem Renaissance and during the Zoot Suit Riots. But it is just this year that it seemed to be finally getting its accolades for its impact on the fashion scene.
For the first time in its history, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York showcased Black fashion and style. “[Superfine: Tailoring Black Style]” explored Black dandyism, an idea, aesthetic, and potent strategy with a complex history and profound legacy of influence on contemporary fashion. (Culture Type article)
And, yeah, we gotta tie this into queerness, too; you know the drill: drag, self-expression, gender presentation. There was Gladys Bentley and Stormé DeLarverie. And of course, the queers killed it at that gala.
More Links
- Black Dandyism Explained
- Black Dandyism takes the spotlight at the 2025 Met Gala
- Delving into the Essence of Black Dandyism
- History of Dandyism (dry Britannica Encyclopedia version)
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