From tailored jackets and silk ties to playful fedoras and pocket squares, Black dandyism isn’t just a campy style—it has served as a powerful political act throughout history.

Black style will have its moment as the biggest night in fashion gets underway. Celebrities are gearing up for Monday’s Met Gala that will launch the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute exhibit,

The guest curator of a new Met exhibition on Black style offers an annotated early look at a Dapper Dan jacket, André Leon Talley’s luggage and more.