It was a day of fun and fashion in the Big Apple.
Wilkes’ Multicultural Student Coalition (MSC) hosted a student trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Sept. 27. Students had the opportunity to see the Met Costume Institute’s ongoing exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”
This exhibition was the theme of the May 2025 Met Gala, an annual fundraising event for the museum. Readers may remember that photos of Zendaya in a white suit at the Met Gala went viral last May.
“Superfine” takes its inspiration from the 2009 book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity,” by Monica Miller. According to the Met’s website, a dandy is a person (generally male) who “studies above everything else to dress elegantly and fashionably.”
The exhibition explores the history of Black dandies from the eighteenth century to the present day.
In the Civil War era, successful free Black men used elegant clothing to signal their wealth and social status. At the turn of the century, Black public intellectuals such as W.E.B DuBois wore tailored suits and carefully groomed their hair to command respect and dignity.
Civil Rights leaders of the 1960s marched in three-piece suits and stylish dresses. The Harlem Renaissance ‘zoot suit’ and the Black Panthers’ berets and leather jackets are two more examples of Black stylistic innovations in the face of racism and stereotypes.
Fashion trends in Black communities also have a broader cultural impact. For example, since the 1980s, hip-hop artists have influenced American youth culture, and Black designers from around the world continue to help define what is ‘cool’ and fashionable.
“Superfine” chronicles this style evolution with multi-media exhibits, including clothing, video and artwork. Students spent several hours exploring this and other exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The second half of the daytrip was spent at the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The American Dream is the largest mall on the East Coast. In addition to hundreds of shops and restaurants, the mall also has a Nickelodeon theme park and a Dreamworks indoor water park. Other attractions include a Ferris Wheel, an ice-skating rink and an aquarium.
