NEW YORK (AP) â Michael Henry Adams had by the early 1970s: As bell bottoms and afros became the trend and the look of film figures like John Shaft and âSuper Flyâ became style prototypes, the teenager felt unrepresented.
But a previous trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for its âHarlem On My Mindâ exhibit, had already begun to lay down his fashion foundation.
âWhen I saw those photographs of elegant Harlemites promenading up and down Seventh Avenue and Lennox Avenue ... the raccoon coats and fox coats, and spangled gowns, and bowler hats ... I thought, âOh! There is another way for me to be authentically Black,ââ recalled the New York-based cultural and architectural historian, now 69, of the fashionable splendor.
The style Adams would embrace And dandyism was at the heart of where many of the world's most famous and influential tastemakers to kick off the Met's âSuperfine: Tailoring Black Styleâ exhibit. But Black dandyism isn't limited to expensive couture â it's displayed daily.
âItâs everywhere in the Black community, the notion of what a dandy is,â explained Adams, who was photographed for the âSuperfineâ catalog. âThe ingeniousness and ingenuity and creativity of Black people, so far as fashion was concerned, itâs always been with us.â
As the â the Costume Institute's first to exclusively display Black designers â opens to the public Saturday, here are tips from dandies on embracing the style in everyday life.
Tip 1: Start with confidence
Dandies say the first begins on the inside.
âFashionâs a sense of personality. Two guys can go to the same store and get the same outfit and look totally different,â said Guy Wood, 62, the stylish co-owner of Harlem Haberdashery. Inspired by family members and dapper Harlem neighbors, he developed a knack for style early. âItâs confidence ... you walk in the room, and all the heads turn.â
Michael Andrew, a 42-year-old Atlanta-based style consultant, first delved into dandyism after being inspired by Fonzworth Bentley, most recognized as Sean âDiddyâ Combs' often-photographed assistant and umbrella holder in the early 2000s. Bentley's colorful outfits and tailored outfits separated himself from the hip-hop era's prevalent baggy look.
âA lot of guys think that being a dandy is about being over the top,â said Andrew, who was photographed for Rose Callahan's 2013 book "I Am Dandy: The Return of the Elegant Gentleman.â âFor me, dandyism is the highest form of taste with self-expression.â
Tip 2: Opt for the statement pieces
The foundation of dandyism rests upon tenets such as bold colors and fine tailoring, but thereâs no singular way to achieve the look. Each dandy creates their own unique style, often centered on specific elements. For Wood, who refers to crafting looks as making gumbo, it
âWearing a suit, you just feel important,â said Wood, who often pairs them with brogue shoes of various bright colors. âWe love well-tailored.â
James McFarland, an 80-year-old master tailor, says a dandyâs affinity for tailoring is easy to understand: âItâs very simple: weâre a visual world. When you wear something thatâs fine tailored and itâs fitting you well, people look at that.â
Known as âGentleman Jim,â McFarland was tutored by Orie Walls, the go-to Harlem-based tailor of the 1960s. McFarland says they crafted suits for nearly every famous Black male celebrity of the time, from Duke Ellington to Jackie Robinson to Muhammad Ali â as well as some of the era's most infamous characters, like gangsters Frank Lucas and Bumpy Johnson. He says wearing a suit âmakes you feel better. You ever heard the term styling and profiling?â
While Adams, the historian, is drawn to bow ties, buck shoes and straw hats, Andrew says the beauty of dandyism is making it your own.
âTexture is the must-have when you start talking about dandyism â textures and patterns. The great point here is that dandies always have their thing. And so, for me, hats are my thing,â Andrew said, adding that small accessories, like stylish wool or cashmere socks and pocket squares, can easily elevate a look. âNow, itâs starting to become glasses. ⊠Every dandy has the opportunity to utilize something.â
Tip 3: Creativity is worth more than cash
Wood says to becoming a dandy â not a high income.
âThatâs a cheat code,â said Wood. âIt is being creative ⊠most of us donât have a lot of money. You might go in your momâs closet and (think), âOh, that scarf is fly.â You tie it around your neck and lay it over your shoulder. You just canât be scared.â
Adams says while style and inspiration can go hand-in-hand, individuality should always be paramount.
âPeople should find their truth and aspire to look like themselves,â he said, noting he shops at a variety of stores, from the high-end to like Marshalls and K&G Fashion. âPart of the thing that made me rebel against looking like âSuper Flyâ or âShaftâ is I didnât want to look like everybody else.â
Jacques Agbobly, a designer whose clothes are featured in the Met exhibit, agrees.
âThere are people who would really just think itâs about the suit that youâre wearing and the top hat ⊠but for me, and I think thatâs what this exhibition does really fondly, is really putting together a group of amazing clothing that really redefines what dandyism is,â he said. For the Togo-born designer, âtaking up space is a sort of open-ended thing in a way,â whether it's achieved through colors, silhouettes or fabric choices.
Tip 4: Avoid the crisis of casualness
A general consensus among dandies is that society has embraced casualness, shunning the of the past.
McFarland, the tailor, says his profession isnât as admired or used in U.S. as it was years ago. He teaches fine tailoring as he has for decades, and is planning to start a podcast to discuss the craft and his adventures styling celebrities of his era.
âWhen I grew up, I wanted to look like the people in the neighborhood,â he said, explaining his mother couldnât afford the clothes he wanted, leading him to tailoring. âEverybody, male and female, was dressed up.â
Andrew hopes that same believing appearance and pride work together.
âI would challenge or would encourage all of us, especially as Black people, to remember our history, to remember that we used to throw on our Sundayâs best,â he said. âWe wanted to show up as the best versions of ourselves.â
The which will run through October, is sure to introduce visitors to the most elevated forms of Black dandyism. But for Wood and fellow daily dandies, itâs just business as usual.
âThe fact that the Met realizes that is a beautiful thing,â he said with a sly smile. âBut weâve been doing this forever and we really not paying attention to it. We just do it because we love it.â
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This story has been corrected to report that the âHarlem On My Mindâ exhibit was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, not the Museum of Modern Art.
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Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.
Gary Gerard Hamilton, The Associated Press
