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Black America Web
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
The Birth Of The Black Dandy: How 250 Years Of Black Fashion Inspired The 2025 Met Gala
Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE Portrait of a Man, c. 1855. National Gallery of Art Fashion is one of the most powerful tools we have for understanding ourselves and the world around us. Nowhere is this clearer than in the story of Black American tailoring and the legacy of the Black dandy. Inspired by scholar Monica L. Miller's groundbreaking book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity , the theme of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute spring 2025 show is Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. The exhibition charts the evolution of the Black dandy from the 18th century to today. The story it tells is about more than suits. It's about power, pride, resistance and joy. Each year, the Met Gala takes its dress code from the institute's spring exhibition. This year's is 'Tailored for You.' So who is the Black dandy, why are they so important to fashion today, and what can we expect to see on the red carpet? 'Black dandy' is a modern term. Figures like American abolitionist Frederick Douglass (1818–95) or Haitian revolutionary leader Toussaint Louverture (1743–1803) would not have called themselves dandies, but they used style with similar effect: as a tool of resistance, self-fashioning and cultural pride. Toussaint Louverture was a leader during the widespread uprisings of enslaved people in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) in 1791. This image was drawn in 1802. The Metropolitan Museum of Art French poet Charles Baudelaire (1821–67) first wrote about dandies in 1863, describing them as individuals who elevate style to a form of personal and aesthetic resistance. Baudelaire's dandy was not just stylish but symbolic. He was an emblem of modernity itself: a time marked by fluid identities, liminal spaces and the collapse of clear boundaries between gender, authenticity and social order. Dandyism among Black men took root in the 18th and 19th centuries in both the United States and the Caribbean. Tailoring became a way to reclaim dignity under enslavement and colonialism. Dandies take the clothing of an oppressor – aristocratic, colonial, segregationist or otherwise – and turn it into a weapon of elegance. Through meticulous style and refinement, dandies make a silent yet striking claim to moral superiority. Frederick Douglass was born into slavery, and freed in 1838. This photograph shows him in 1855. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Douglass famously appeared in immaculate Victorian suits when campaigning for abolition, consciously dressing in the same style as those who denied his freedom. Louverture used perfectly tailored French military uniforms during the Haitian Revolution against French colonial rule. In the 1920s, Harlem dandies wore fine tailoring and flamboyant colours, rejecting the idea that poverty or discrimination should dictate presentation. In perfectly tied cravats, polished shoes and sharply tailored coats, Black dandies refashion power on their own terms. Dandies also challenge the narrow rules of masculinity. Conventional menswear often demands restraint, toughness and invisibility. Dandies dare to embrace beauty, self-adornment and performance. This masculinity can be expressive, creative and even flamboyant. The luxurious silk suits and carefully groomed appearance of American Jazz pioneer Duke Ellington (1899–1974) projected glamour rather than austerity. The elegantly tailored overcoats and scarves of American poet Langston Hughes (1901–67) suggested a masculinity deeply entwined with creativity and softness. Figures in Harlem's ballrooms and jazz clubs blurred gender boundaries decades before mainstream conversations about gender fluidity emerged. A street scene in Harlem, New York City, photographed in 1943. Library of Congress In a world where Black self-presentation has long been scrutinised and politicised, tailored clothing asserted visibility, authority and artistry. Dandies transformed fashion into a political declaration of dignity, resistance and creative power. Black American tailoring practices blossomed most visibly in the zoot suits of the Harlem Renaissance, though they also had strong roots in New Orleans, Chicago and the Caribbean. As seen in the Sunday Best of the Civil Rights era, Black tailoring walked the line between resistance and celebration: beautiful but with clear political intent. In the 1970s, the Black dandy became more flamboyant, wearing tight, colourful clothes with bold accessories. He transformed traditional suits with exaggerated shapes, bright patterns and plaids inspired by African heritage. Artists popular with a white audience like Sammy Davis Jr. (1925–90), Miles Davis (1926–91) and James Brown (1933–2006) embraced the aesthetic, contributing to its widespread acceptance. Sammy Davis Jr with his first European gold record, 1976. Nationaal Archief, CC BY Meanwhile, a super stylish contingent of Black men in the Congo, La Sapeur, refined their look so spectacularly they would become the benchmark of the Black dandy for generations to come. The 1990s saw a new era of Black dandyism emerge through luxury sportswear and hip-hop aesthetics. Designer Dapper Dan (1944–) revolutionised fashion by remixing luxury logos into bold, custom streetwear, creating a distinctive Black aesthetic that bridged hip-hop culture and high fashion. Musician André 3000 (1975–) redefined menswear by blending Southern Black style with bold color, vintage tailoring and theatrical flair. Today, the tradition thrives in the style of influencer Wisdom Kaye, the elegance of LeBron James, and the risk-taking of Lewis Hamilton. Tailored for You invites guests to interpret the dandy's legacy in personal, bold and boundary-pushing ways. Whether conforming to tradition, subverting expectations or creating something entirely new, this theme is a celebration of the freedom to dress – and be – on your own terms. The Black dandy is a figure of defiance and desire, of ambiguity and brilliance, of resistance and beauty. Dandyism blurs boundaries between masculinity and femininity, artifice and authenticity, conformity and rebellion. It unsettles fixed identities and reflects broader tensions within modern life. The poet and activist Countee Cullen, as depicted by Winold Reiss around 1925. National Portrait Gallery Black dandies have shocked, amused, offended, delighted and inspired society since their inception. In the sharp defiance of Douglass' Victorian suits, the flamboyant spectacle of Harlem ballrooms, and the logo-laced rebellion of Dapper Dan's streetwear, the Black dandy has continually forced the world to reckon with the politics of presence, pride and performance. Despite being overlooked by mainstream fashion history, they've shaped the way we see elegance, masculinity and self-expression. This Met Gala and the accompanying exhibition are not just a celebration – they are a long-overdue recognition. Toby Slade, Associate Professor of Fashion, University of Technology Sydney and Dijanna Mulhearn, PhD Candidate, School of Design. Author of Red Carpet Oscars, University of Technology Sydney This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. SEE ALSO: Simone Biles Gave Back-To-Back Fashion Moments & Big Wifey Vibes At The Kentucky Derby The History Of Black Cowboy Fashion SEE ALSO The Birth Of The Black Dandy: How 250 Years Of Black Fashion Inspired The 2025 Met Gala was originally published on
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
L'Ouverture Elementary opened in 1912. Here's why Wichita district plans to close it
Editor's note: Before voters decide on a $450 million school bond issue on Feb. 25, The Eagle is profiling many of the schools affected. Read more profiles and find continuing coverage of the bond issue election here. The history of L'Ouverture Elementary School is the history of racial segregation in Wichita. In 1911, citing overcrowding in schools, the Wichita school district held a special election to issue $60,000 in bonds for two new schools for Black students only. By a 3-to-1 margin, Wichita voters approved the bond. The schools in the district had previously been open to all students. L'Ouverture, named after Toussaint Louverture, a Haitian general who led the Haitian Revolution, opened in fall 1912 at 13th and Mosley as a 'manual training center' for Black students, according to news reports at the time. The school board banned Black students from attending any of the district's other public schools, saying the bond issue gave the district authority to separate students by race. L'Ouverture was open to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. A new L'Ouverture that consisted of 17 classrooms, a library, health room and other facilities was built at 1539 N. Ohio in 1951. It was open to students kindergarten to sixth grade. In 1952, the school board voted to eliminate the all-Black designation at L'Ouverture. But, in reality, the school was attended only by Black students until 1970, when the federal government sued the Wichita school district to force it to integrate schools, past news reports say. That's 16 years after the Supreme Court ruled racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. In 1971, the Wichita school district instituted mass busing following a complaint from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, sending Black children to schools outside of their segregated neighborhoods and white children to L'Ouverture and other schools that had previously been all-Black. In 2008, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional to assign students to schools based on race, the Wichita school board ended its 37-year-old racial busing program. L'Ouverture's attendance immediately spiked, adding nearly 100 students in the 2008-2009 school year, as Black students from the neighborhood who had previously been bused across town decided to attend the science and technology magnet adjacent to McAdams Park, The Eagle reported. Address: 1539 N. Ohio Ave. Size: 44,493 square feet of building space on 3.833 acres. Built: 1951, expanded in 2006 with money from the 2000 bond issue. Enrollment: 234, with 95.3% economically disadvantaged, 27.4% English Language Learners (students who are not fluent in English language) and 15.4% students with disabilities. Racial demographics: 47% African American, 37% Hispanic, 9% American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian or white, 7.3% multiracial. Consultants targeted L'Ouverture for closure based on enrollment trends and its proximity to new or rebuilt schools. It reached a peak enrollment of 658 in the 1953-1954 school year, according to the school district's 'A History of Wichita Public School Buildings' compiled by Nina Davis in 1978 and updated by Sara Lomax in 1996. Although the end of busing for integration resulted in an enrollment spike, it appears the COVID pandemic dealt a major blow to enrollment. L'Ouverture's enrollment dropped from more than 350 students in 2019 to about 250 by 2021. This school year, enrollment is 232. The school was expanded through a 2000 bond issue that upgraded and replaced infrastructure, added five classrooms, built a new FEMA shelter multipurpose room and kitchen, renovated a student support area, built a new library, built a new parking lot, and converted the old library to student support and classrooms. The district was unable to provide a detailed cost breakdown of how much money went to L'Ouverture. The expansion helped add enough space for three classrooms for each grade, but a dip in enrollment means there are not enough students to justify splitting each grade level into three separate groups. The school offers two sections for each grade level now. A 2024 feasibility study found L'Ouverture had one of the lowest enrollments (234) and building utilization rates (58%) in the district but its building is in better condition than 20 out of the district's 54 elementary schools (0.62 FCI). The school could be closed by the end of the decade, according to a timeline in the district's master plan that's guiding the bond issue. It is expected to coincide with the completion of a tear-down and rebuild of Irving, which is expected to be completed in 2029. While Irving is being rebuilt, students from that school will be reassigned to other schools for at least one school year. L'Ouverture could take on some of those students before it's closed, district officials said. L'Ouverture is a neighborhood magnet school, meaning it accepts students from within its neighborhood boundaries and applicants from outside the boundaries through a 'magnet lottery.' Students from L'Ouverture would be reassigned to Irving, Mueller and Spaght, according to the facilities master plan approved by the Wichita school board in 2024. The school district plans to rebuild Irving if the 2025 bond issue passes. Mueller and Spaght were built in 2012 using money from the 2008 bond issue. Luke Newman, facilities director of Wichita Public Schools, indicated that the district plans to close L'Ouverture — and three other elementary schools — whether the bond passes or not. 'The master plan is the master plan, and we have to move forward with it, with or without a bond,' Newman said. 'And so what will happen is we'll still need to move forward with the building retirements, but we would just have to do it without the rebuilds on the other side of it.'
