Superfine: Tailoring Black Style – A Legacy of Elegance and Identity

Harlem’s fashion legacy takes center stage as experts discuss tailoring, Black dandyism, and identity at The Apollo Stages. 

Few cultural movements have shaped global style like Black dandyism—an aesthetic of defiance, distinction, and dignity. As The Met prepares to unveil Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, this exhibition preview conversation at The Apollo Stages provided an immersive exploration of Harlem’s pivotal role in Black sartorial history.

A distinguished panel provided rich historical context  into the legacy of tailoring within the Black diaspora. Featuring Monica L. Miller (Guest Curator and Africana Studies Chair, Barnard College), Jonathan McCrory (National Black Theatre), Lana Turner (historian and fashion icon), and Dandy Wellington (bandleader and style activist), the discussion illuminated how fashion has been wielded as a tool of empowerment and rebellion.

Beyond fabric and form, tailoring has long been a means of cultural storytelling—marking milestones, signaling resistance, and asserting identity. Harlem, the birthplace of countless artistic and political movements, served as the perfect venue for this dialogue. As Superfine: Tailoring Black Style opens this May, and The Met Gala celebrates suiting with “Tailored for You,” this conversation is a timely tribute to those who have stitched history into every seam.