Enfnts Terribles

Tracing the Political Power of Black Dandyism

This year’s exhibition takes deep inspiration from Monica L. Miller’s seminal 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, which frames fashion not simply as aesthetics, but as a layered, political language—one that has served Black communities for centuries. In her work, Miller outlines the emergence of the Black Dandy in the 18th century and how this figure has evolved into today’s sharpest dressers and cultural icons.

Fashion as Power and Protest

At the heart of “Superfine” is the notion that fashion has long functioned as a site of resistance, subversion, and identity formation for Black individuals, from enslavement to modern-day celebrity. The show explores how both enslaved and free Black people have historically navigated the politics of dress, using style to challenge oppressive systems, signal autonomy, and redefine narratives of beauty and power.

Dandyism, often misread as vanity or excess, is recast here as a revolutionary act. The term “dandy” once conjured the image of a man meticulously dressed to assert social prestige. In the context of Black history, however, it becomes a vehicle for subversion: a means for the oppressed to reclaim power through tailoring, polish, and poise.

The exhibition will chart how enslaved Black men were once “dandified” by their enslavers to be displayed as status symbols. But over time, Black communities reclaimed dandyism as a self-fashioned aesthetic, a way to assert presence, intellect, and creative mastery in societies that sought to deny them agency.