Superfine: Tailoring Black Style at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Description of the exhibition by The Met:
Superfine: Tailoring Black Style explores the importance of style to the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora, particularly in the United States and Europe. Through a presentation of garments and accessories, paintings, photographs, decorative arts, and more, from the 18th century to today, the exhibition interprets the concept of dandyism as both an aesthetic and a strategy that allowed for new social and political possibilities. Superfine is organized into 12 sections, each representing a characteristic that defines the style, such as Champion, Respectability, Heritage, Beauty, and Cosmopolitanism. Together, these characteristics demonstrate how one’s self-presentation is a mode of distinction and resistance—within a society impacted by race, gender, class, and sexuality.
The exhibition is on at The Met in Gallery 999 from May 10 until October 26, 2025. The “Superfine” title is set in a modified Playground, with subtitles and body text in Wulkan (some all-caps titles using the alternate S from Stylistic Set 1) and ABC Monument Grotesk.
