My Afternoon at Superfine: Tailoring Black Style — A Quietly Powerful Tribute

With summer flying by and so much of the city always in motion, I finally carved out an afternoon to visit the Superfine exhibit at The Met—and I’m so glad I did. The show, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, isn’t up for much longer, and walking through it felt like a moment I didn’t want to miss. It’s one thing to scroll past images of beautiful garments online, but it’s something else entirely to stand just feet away from pieces that hold centuries of history, power, and pride.

The exhibit is a deep dive into Black menswear—both historical and contemporary—and how tailoring has been used not just for style, but as a tool for identity, resistance, and storytelling. One of the first pieces I saw was a coat that once belonged to Frederick Douglass, displayed alongside a delicately embroidered shirt and an elegant cane. The craftsmanship alone was remarkable, but knowing who wore it—and why—made it feel almost sacred. That set the tone for the rest of the exhibition: this wasn’t just about fashion, it was about presence, dignity, and agency.

Each room is themed—Ownership, Cool, Respectability, Heritage—and what’s fascinating is how they trace the evolution of style as a kind of language. A zoot suit worn in Harlem in the 1940s, a Black Panther uniform, a Prince blouse, a Dapper Dan bomber—they each told their own story, yet all of them were woven together by one idea: that clothing can be armor, art, rebellion, or celebration, depending on how it’s worn and by whom.

The curation, led by Monica L. Miller and designed by artist Torkwase Dyson, was stunning. Stark black walls, sharp lines, and spotlighting gave every piece its own moment. The mood was both futuristic and deeply rooted in the past. Dyson’s layout created these intimate viewing spaces where you didn’t just look at the clothes—you stood in dialogue with them.

What really stayed with me was the way the exhibit refused to flatten Black style into one aesthetic. Instead, it embraced complexity: the Southern roots, the diaspora, the club kids, the boardrooms, the streets, the avant-garde. It reminded me that fashion—especially Black fashion—isn’t a trend. It’s a living archive of creativity and resilience.

With the exhibition closing soon (it wraps in October), I’m incredibly grateful I made it in time. I left The Met feeling inspired, moved, and honestly, a little more grounded in what clothing can mean—not just in the fashion world, but in the stories we carry and the ways we choose to show up. Superfine isn’t just about what we wear; it’s about how we declare who we are.

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