The 2025 Met Gala’s theme, “Tailored For You,” complements the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, which delves into the rich history of Black dandyism taking direct inspiration from Monica L. Miller’s seminal book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. This isn’t just about bespoke tailoring,it’s about sartorial rebellion, flamboyant finesse, and redefined masculinity and femininity through fashion.

To match the visual opulence of this historic theme, fragrance becomes the invisible accessory, the final flourish to an already transcendent look. Below, we present 10 curated fragrances with the spirit of Dandyism and Diasporic elegance in every note.

1. Penhaligon’s – The Dandy

Category: Masculine leaning, but exquisitely unisex

Why It Fits: Quite literally named after the archetype, The Dandy channels tobacco lounges and gilded lapels. With leather, whiskey, and smoky incense, it’s velvet-smooth, mischievous, and rich with narrative. A scent for the man (or woman) in the double-breasted brocade.

2. Guerlain – Pêche Mirage

Category: Feminine

Why It Fits: Guerlain’s latest peach scent is not light and innocent, it’s mysterious, draped in leather and wrapped in amber. Just as Miller’s Dandy resists expectation, this peach is about contrast: lush and shadowy, decadent and refined.

3. Maison Crivelli – Iris Malikhan

Category: Unisex

Why It Fits: An iris set ablaze. Cool powder meets desert heat. Iris Malikhan is the embodiment of tailored suiting worn with wild poetry. The saffron, leather, and iris notes conjure an artist in velvet—thoughtful, disobedient, and magnetic.

4. Creed – Eladaria

Category: Feminine

Why It Fits: Eladaria is rose reimagined; fresh, radiant, aristocratic. It whispers of silk-lined gloves, black womanhood adorned with diamonds and intellect. Ideal for the woman who enters the room like a soliloquy.

5. Tom Ford – Beau de Jour

Category: Masculine

Why It Fits: The cleanest fougère for the sharpest suit. Lavender, patchouli, and mossy sensuality, Beau de Jour is timeless elegance with a subtle smirk. Think ascots, canes, and mirrored sunglasses.

6. Maison Francis Kurkdjian – Grand Soir

Category: Unisex

Why It Fits: If the Met Gala had a signature scent, Grand Soir might be it. Warm amber and benzoin melt into a golden aura. It captures the “soirée” spirit of a Black dandy in a midnight silk tuxedo.

7. Boadicea the Victorious – Complex

Category: Unisex

Why It Fits: Spicy, oud-y, and herbal in all the right ways. This scent is opulent but never obvious, perfect for those embracing avant-garde suiting, gilded armor, or surreal tailoring.

8. Diptyque – Fleur de Peau

Category: Unisex

Why It Fits: Musky and intimate, Fleur de Peau is for those bringing vulnerability to the red carpet. Think sheer gloves, bare shoulders, or chiffon layering,this scent hugs like skin.

9. Byredo – Accord Oud

Category: Unisex

Why It Fits: Oud, saffron, and leather mingle to form a scent that nods to traditional opulence while staying rebelliously modern. Dandies who pair Ankara print with Savile Row tailoring? This is for them.

Dandyism, as Monica L. Miller writes, is not about flamboyance for its own sake, it’s about identity, resistance, style as language, and joy as reclamation. These ten scents are love letters to legacy, whether you’re wearing crushed velvet or sequined silk. May your fragrance be as unforgettable as your entrance.