Announcement

HNOC Loan Heads to the Met for Exhibition about Black Fashion

May 6, 2025

“Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” as previewed by the theme of this year’s Met Gala, will feature a livery coat once worn by a young enslaved man.

The theme of yesterday’s Met Gala, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” explored the importance of sartorial style to the formation of Black identities. This theme coincides with the Costume Institute’s upcoming spring exhibition at the Met of the same name, which will present a cultural and historical examination of Black style from the 18th century to the present through an exploration of the concept of dandyism.

A livery coat once worn by a young man enslaved by Dr. William Newton Mercer—a wealthy doctor with plantations in Mississippi and a residence in New Orleans—is currently on loan from HNOC’s holdings to the exhibition in New York. Two such coats are preserved in HNOC’s collections. Ordered from New York–based haberdasher Brooks Brothers, the silk and wool garments are fastened with silver buttons adorned with the same falcon crest used on Mercer’s family china.

Livery coat, between 1857 and 1865, by Brooks Brothers. HNOC, 2013.0115.1

“The coats are important because they are rare examples of clothing known to have been worn by enslaved people,” said HNOC’s Lydia Blackmore. “They are extremely powerful objects. Standing in front of them, seeing their small size and their wear from history, makes you think of the people who wore them.”

Read more about the history of dandyism, and the coat featured in the exhibition, in this story from History.comOpens in new tab.