It was a rainy night, but nothing could dampen the joyful atmosphere of the Met gala “red carpet,” which was blue and patterned with flowers for the evening. This year’s exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” explores the history of Black style and particularly Black dandyism based on the work of Barnard professor Monica L. Miller who collaborated on the show with Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton.

The thematic dress code was “Tailored for you,” which encompassed both the traditional craftsmanship of menswear and the beauty of personal style. For Pamela Anderson, Tory created a high-necked gown in ice blue silk mesh lushly embroidered with twisted silver sequins and scattered crystals. It was tailored from the inside out using traditional menswear techniques, with hand-sculpted boning, an exaggerated hip, a handmade corset, and a molded floating neckline.

“Pamela has an otherworldly beauty and presence, and I wanted to create something truly tailored to who she is: dazzling, unapologetic, and multifaceted,” Tory explained. “The silhouette honors traditional tailoring while the sequins and crystals are twisted, scattered, and imperfect, subverting classic ideas about femininity and adornment.”

The custom look worn by filmmaker Janicza Bravo, was designed in collaboration with multidisciplinary artist Rashid Johnson, referencing three pieces in his current Guggenheim retrospective, Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers. On the silk-cotton jacket, the high-relief black soap faces of “Untitled, Anxious Audience” (2019) were rendered in micro-sequins, threadwork, and caviar beading. The peplum of a double-layered skirt interprets “Body and Soul” (2021) from Johnson’s “Bruise Paintings” series, its frenetic brushstrokes and deep shades of blue crafted in jagged embroideries, flocked velvet, overlapping sequins, and painted foil. The rowboat motif on her ivory silk-cotton skirt was lifted from “Heartbreaker” (2022) in Rashid’s “Seascape” series. Rashid’s unique process of scraping and removing paint from the canvas was reflected in modern and hand-done techniques: semi-transparent paillettes, classic embroidery, and 3-D silicone embossing.

For the silhouettes, Tory and Janicza were inspired by Belle da Costa Greene, the Black librarian who built the Morgan Library’s collection of rare books, manuscripts, and art in the early 20th century. Greene used fashion to claim, express, and protect her identity — the essence of
dandyism through a feminine lens. “[da Costa Greene] dressed impeccably and refused to let anyone else write her story — a female ‘dandy’ before her time,” said Tory.

Tory herself wore a custom gown in ivory filament lace hand-painted with layers of gesso. A jet beaded overlay was inspired by 1930s Art Deco beadwork. And her evening bag in pinstriped wool interpreted Rashid’s “Anxious Audience” motif in tangled ribbon, jet beads, crystals, and embroidery.

“Working with Rashid was an incredible honor,” said Tory. “His work confronts history, identity, and race with sensitivity and courage, and he holds up a mirror — sometimes literally — to humanity. To interpret his work was one of the most inspiring and daunting challenges of my career.”