Frederick Douglass was the most photographed man in America during the 19th century, more than even Abraham Lincoln. He took advantage of this and always dressed well as a way to protest against the idea that Black Americans were less sophisticated than Whites. He quickly became a chief symbol of Black Dandyism, a cultural movement that used elegant clothing as a form of resistance against the racism of the time.
Dandyism itself originated in 18th-century Britain, led by a man named Beau Brummell. The style shifted away from the traditional flamboyancy of the elite at that time, who wore perfectly oiled and curled hair and impossibly tight breeches. Dandyism focused on a simple, but refined masculinity, with perfectly tailored suits and straight lines.
Then, during the Harlem Renaissance in 1920s America, Black Dandyism came into the spotlight. The style emerged as a way for Blacks to showcase their pride in their heritage, in a society that often denied them any dignity. It was a blend of traditional European fashion with African aesthetic influences. The finely cut suits often had vibrant colors and patterns, sometimes going as bold as leopard print. Traditional Black Dandyism was also paired with luxurious jewelry such as watches and canes. The jackets had long tails and velvet vests. In the Congo, followers of the movement—there called La Sape—defined it as “beauty as a way of existing.”
But Black Dandyism wasn’t just beauty; it was speech. Take the Zoot Suit—an intentionally oversized, draping suit with a long coat, strongly shaped shoulders, often paired with a fedora. It was a symbol of swagger and self-pride, popular not just with Black Americans, but also with Americans of Mexican and Filipino descent. In 1943, a group of Mexican, Black, and Filipino teenagers were brutally attacked In downtown LA, because their Zoot Suits distinguished them as defiant of the Jim Crow laws that blatantly limited their rights. White servicemen attacked them, ripping their suits off, violently beating them, and throwing them to the ground. The attack led to three days of riots. One reporter wrote, “Zoot-suits smoldered in the ashes of street bonfires where they had been tossed by grimly methodical tank forces of service men.” The attackers were not arrested. Instead the victims were taken by the police under the charge of disturbing the peace.
This year, Teyana Taylor paid a tribute to this event, and to all Black Dandyism, at the 2025 MET Gala. The theme was Superfine, Tailoring Black Style. Teyana Taylor’s rose-red, velvet zoot suit was adorned with feathers and diamonds, and paired with a red cane. Underneath her prominent feathered top hat was an equally red durag. The cape was embroidered with the phrase “Rose in Harlem”. The historical aspects of the suit, like the exaggerated shoulders and pinstripe pattern, all paid homage to the spirit of Black Dandyism, and to the victims of those who had paved the way for it.
Black Dandyism has always been more than a style, more than its parts. Diana Ross exemplified this in a Met Gala outfit that strayed from the traditional masculinity of Black Dandyism, featuring an 18-foot white flowing shawl, embroidered with the names of her children and grandchildren. She wore a floor-length silver dress and a wide-brimmed feathered hat, paired with statement diamonds. Her decision not to copy the specific elements of traditional Black Dandyism spoke to the fact that Dandy is more than just a style; it is about personal expression and empowerment. Her cape, a tribute to her family, exemplified the generations of Black Americans who were able to live better lives than their predecessors. In the early the 20th century, Black Dandyism signified a kind of dignity not yet given to Black people. You wore a zoot suit and you felt like you were someone – the kind of person who could walk into the Met Gala.
The Fashion Clause 