When Dr. Monica L. Miller completed her thesis on Black Dandyism as a graduate student at Harvard, it set forth a chain of events that would go on to influence fashion on a grand scale. Thanks to Dr. Miller, we witnessed the Blackest Met Gala yet. The research for her thesis evolved into two books: Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity (2009) and the upcoming Superfine: Tailoring Black Style (2025), which became the blueprint for this year’s Met Gala. The biggest fashion event of the year was themed “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” and raised $31 million for the Costume Institute. And even more important, put Black dandyism on display for the world to see.
Dr. Miller’s passion for learning and teaching is admirable. Currently, she is the Professor of Africana Studies and Chair of the Africana Studies Department. Her educational career is an example of how fashion, arts, entertainment, and education can intersect. As the guest curator for this year’s Met Gala, she was instrumental in contextualizing the theme while carrying the torch for authors, educators, and fashion history enthusiasts.
She continues to encourage other students to follow in her footsteps. She told host Lala Anthony during a Vogue livestream. “I’ve never had such a big classroom,” referring to the growing interest in studies. She continues to spread her knowledge of Black history, educating everyone she encounters, from the students in her class to Vogue host La La Anthony. “Thank you for educating me,” the actress told Dr. Miller during the same stream.
Learning From Dr. Monica L. Miller
The Met Gala is about more than dressing up, it helps fund the Costume Institute, which then helps provide educational resources for brilliant minds like Dr. Miller. Education can be a vehicle to achieving greatness.
Dr. Miller’s work spotlighted Black Dandyism during a time when civil liberties are being violated and an administration hell bent on smothering the cultural identity. Art imitates life, and like the Black Dandies using fashion to reclaim their identities, we’re standing strong as a collective. A teenage fan of The White Lotus whose never heard of Dapper Dan will understand how he expanded the idea of luxury at his Harlem atelier thanks to this exhibition. A privileged person may discover a Black designer like Brandon Blackwood, Chuks Collins, or Hanifa because she one day turned a brush with a cliff note into an indelible body of work.
As media literacy is at an all-time low and pathways to higher learning are under attack, we should remember people like Dr. Monica L. Miller, who quietly inspire us to think harder and reach higher.
We Can Thank Dr. Monica L. Miller For 2025’s Met Gala Theme was originally published on hellobeautiful.com