Marlene Dietrich, 1930, wears a top hat and velvet tuxedo in a publicity shot for the movie Morocco.
It’s impossible to read fashion’s tea leaves and predict what’s coming in the next 6 months, let alone the next 6 hours, but I have some forecasts. We are about to see a renewed interest in dandified tailoring.
Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2023 Couture designed by Haider Ackermann, Photo Courtesy Jean Paul Gaultier
There are several reasons for my conjecture: Haider Ackermann will debut as creative director for Tom Ford in 2025, and Sarah Burton will introduce her vision for Givenchy. Both esteemed designers are known for their sharp tailoring skills.
Adding fuel to the fire is the announcement of the upcoming exhibition at the Met’s Costume Institute, titled “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” This highly anticipated exhibition will delve into the historical and cultural emergence of the Black Dandy, tracing the figure from 18th-century depictions to modern-day representations.
“Dandies excite us because they cannot be categorized and hint at our desired freedom. They play with masculinity and femininity; they fashion their own physical image, which is always startling; they are mysterious and elusive. They also appeal to the narcissism of each sex: to a woman, they are psychologically female; to a man, they are male.” – Waqas Ahmed, renowned Pakistani Journalist.
This exhibition will be a discourse on race, but there will be an emphasis on tailoring, the undisputed backbone of dandyism. A dandy is a man who is unduly devoted to style, neatness, and fashion in dress and appearance.
The dandy shows excessive concern about one’s clothes and appearance and is fanatically obsessed with his dedication to a rigorously controlled and almost ascetically elegant appearance.
The meticulous self-consciousness integral to dandyism stands in stark contrast to recent runway trends. These have been characterized by a deliberate disarray, as seen in the work of Miuccia Prada, who leads the charge with Prada and Miu Miu.
Sora Choi wears Thom Browne to the 2023 Met Gala, red carpet-fashionawards.com
FYI, Is it any surprise that Thom Browne, Bolton’s partner in life and a major influence on his work at the Costume Institute, perpetually celebrates the male and female dandy with his impeccably tailored finery?
Amy Fine Collins wears Thom Browne Couture to the 2024 Met Gala
When I conjured up images of the 2025 Met Gala red carpet, I thought of many of Browne’s distinctive looks from past and present red carpets, including the Met Gala.
The exhibition, ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,’ running from May 10 to October 26, 2025, will focus on Black Men and Black designers. As the saying goes, ‘What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.’ Fashion is a powerful tool for challenging stereotypes and monolithic notions across race, age, and gender.
“In the 20s, Chanel’s great first period, many women wore masculine styles like tailored suits. That was particularly associated with lesbianism but also with fashion, the idea of this sort of civilization without sexes and this new kind of androgynous woman” – Dr. Valerie Steele
Marlene Dietrich photo by @Corbis
Female dandies (“quaintrelles” in French) like Coco Chanel, considered to be the first female dandy, and Marlene Dietrich are, non-conformists who break conventions and represent forbidden freedom. By borrowing fashion tropes from men’s dresses, they access a kind of masculine power.
Dietrich aboard the ocean liner Europa in 1933. Photo by Paul Cwojdzinski for Deutsche Kinemathek, via Marlene Dietrich Collection
With the most visible statement—style and fashion—these women stood against conformity in society and redefined femininity that was designed and enforced on women by the patriarchal world. Dietrich’s bold choice of masculine suits and trousers was not just a fashion statement but a powerful tool for challenging stereotypes and societal norms.
Tilda Swinton channels Dietrich in Chanel Couture 2018 At the Berlinale International Film Festival’s opening ceremony
Female or male, Dandyism is not only about the aesthetic of clothing, eccentric self-created persona, or decadent lifestyle; these are the visual manifestations of their attitude; it’s about an independent mind that breaks the rules and pushes the boundaries.
Janelle Monae wears custom Christian Siriano to the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, vanityfair.com
Among my favorite contemporary “quaintrelles” are Janelle Monae, Diane Keaton, Tilda Swinton, and Amy Fine Collins. Recently, Anya Taylor-Joy got into the act. These women prove that the dandified look is ideally suited (pardon the pun) for a sophisticated grown-up woman.
Sapeuse Clementine sits on a neighbor’s sofa in her Next London suit and Chaps tie. Photo by Tariq Zaid
I’ve long been enthralled with and moved by the Congolese Sapeurs, the dandyish men of the Congo, and their female counterparts, the Sapeuses, who raise getting dressed to an art form although they live in abject poverty. The Sapeuse look is deliberately subversive; the female dandies often use their sartorial flair to set an example of strong womanhood.
(Just a note: I was surprised that The Museum at FIT does not touch upon this theme within their current exhibition, “Africa’s Fashion Diaspora.” I assume Andrew Bolton will give the Sapes their due.)
Anya Taylor Joy wears Thom Browne Fall 2024 cropped sport coat in hunting tartan jacquard over a quilted oxford shirt
It is human nature to be attracted to those who are more fluid and ambiguous than us, who create their own persona. There’s no question that a borrowed-from-the-boys style that allows women to keep their feminine flair can be powerful and sexy. There is something unequivocally captivating, seductive, and alluring about the female dandy that goes beyond an obvious in-your-face objectification.
In her article critiquing the sex-charged lingerie show, “The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Returns. It Shouldn’t”, October 17, Vanessa Friedman noted, “There are as many fantasies and definitions of sexy as there are people in the world and many of them (maybe most of them) don’t involve wings.”
No kidding. Some fantasies involve strong shoulders and perfectly cut trousers. In summing up the allure of the female dandy, Marlene Dietrich once said, “I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men. Her attire isn’t meant to please others, only herself.
Now, that is sexy!
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