To understand whether the 2024 Met Gala could function as a form of reparation through its dandy-inspired aesthetic, we must examine the moments when the Gala transcended costume and became commentary.
Billy Porter, 2019 – “Camp: Notes on Fashion”
Arguably one of the most unforgettable entries in Met Gala history, Billy Porter arrived carried by six shirtless men, dressed as a sun god in a gold, Egyptian-inspired ensemble by The Blonds. This was camp—but also a reclamation. Porter, a Black queer man, turned spectacle into sovereignty. His entrance not only honored theatricality, but referenced African royalty, queer performance, and dandy bravado in a single breath.
Lupita Nyong’o, 2019 – A Disco Dandy Remix
That same year, Lupita Nyong’o channeled Afrofuturism in a dazzling Versace gown paired with a gravity-defying Afro and gold combs. Her look fused disco-era Black glamour with high fashion and sociopolitical symbolism, a visual ode to Black beauty and resistance. In the language of dandyism, this was power tailoring—reimagined through a queer-feminine lens.
André Leon Talley, A Legacy of Dandyism
Though not a single moment, Talley’s presence at the Gala over the years was a living example of dandyism as defiance. Towering in size and spirit, his regal capes and kaftans were both homage and rebellion. He wasn’t dressing for the fashion establishment—he was the establishment, even when it refused to see him. Talley’s style legacy looms large, and any dandy-themed event that fails to name him directly would be missing its heart.
But what about the times fashion’s grandest night missed the mark?
Katy Perry, 2017 – “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons”
Despite the theme being centered around a living, avant-garde designer from Japan, many attendees defaulted to Western glamor. Perry’s gothic red Maison Margiela look by John Galliano was dramatic, yes, but spoke more to spectacle than to the revolutionary deconstructionism that Kawakubo pioneered. The global East—often a wellspring of fashion inspiration—was relegated to the margins at its own celebration.
When Streetwear Was Appropriated, Not Appreciated
Streetwear, often born from Black and Latinx communities, has only recently earned legitimacy in high fashion circles. At Met Galas past, we’ve seen versions of “urban chic” executed without representation behind the seams—famous faces in hoodies and sneakers, styled by luxury houses, but without credit to the cultures that created those aesthetics.
Looking Ahead
If the Met’s interpretation of dandyism this year acknowledges not just Beau Brummell but the Sapeurs of Brazzaville, not just Wilde but Prince and Talley—then we inch toward something that resembles respect. If the gala elevates queer, Black, Indigenous, and diasporic voices as more than muses—as architects—then the fashion world may finally be listening.
Because true fashion isn’t just about what you wear. It’s about who gets to wear it, why, and how loudly they get to be seen.
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