Superfine: Tailoring Black Style

Superfine: Tailoring Black Style is a comprehensive hardcover examination of Black dandyism across three centuries of cultural history. This meticulously curated volume traces menswear's evolution from its origins as servant uniforms through the Harlem Renaissance and civil rights era to contemporary hip-hop and street fashion.

Organized around core dandyist principles—presence, distinction, disguise, and respectability—the book features contributions from prominent voices including Dandy Wellington, Amy Sherald, and André 3000.

Stunning photography by Tyler Mitchell showcases both historical garments worn by Frederick Douglass, Muhammad Ali, and André Leon Talley alongside pieces by modern designers like Virgil Abloh and Grace Wales Bonner.

Scholar Monica L. Miller's insightful text reveals how Black dandyism has consistently functioned as a powerful vehicle for creative expression and political agency through the deliberate art of dress.

Exhibition: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
May 10-October 26, 2025

Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press

Author Biography

Monica L. Miller is the Guest Curator of Superfine: Tailoring Black Style and professor and chair of Africana Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University, New York. Andrew Bolton is Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.