Before the Met Gala Gave Us Fashion, Fonzworth Bentley Gave Us Dandyism

Before the Met Gala became the apex of couture expression — a cathedral of fashion where celebs channel the divine through silk, sequins, and surrealism — there was a moment in time when one man dared to step out of the norm. Long before hip-hop embraced high fashion, before Pharrell wore pearls or Tyler donned Thom Browne, there stood Fonzworth Bentley: the soft-spoken Southern gentleman who brought Black dandyism to the front lines of culture.

As celebrity style contributor O’Neal McKnight reminds us, “When everybody else was wearing throwback jerseys and Jordan 1s, there was a guy by the name of Bentley that entered the hip-hop scene, fell from the sky in OutKast's video, wearing suspenders, bowties, and holding an umbrella.”

Indeed, the early 2000s were dominated by oversized silhouettes and streetwear staples. Hip-hop style was all bravado and baggy fits. Yet Fonzworth Bentley — born Derek Watkins — arrived as if plucked from a Harlem Renaissance daydream. With a parasol in one hand and a pocket square in the other, he reminded us that elegance was not only possible, but powerful.

He wasn’t merely styling for attention. He was crafting a visual manifesto — one that said being Black and being refined were not mutually exclusive. That you could strut with sophistication. That you could own a room without shouting. Dressed in tuxedo jackets and spectator shoes, Bentley turned the streets into runways and redefined what it meant to “dress like a man.”

When we look at the Met Gala today — particularly through the lens of Black men confidently embracing avant-garde suiting, and embellished tailoring details — it’s important to remember who walked so they could fly. Before fashion houses threw open their doors to hip-hop royalty, Fonzworth Bentley stood alone in the doorway, dressed for dinner and undeterred by doubt.

In O’Neal’s words: “The true definition of dandy is Fonzworth Bentley. As we talk about and recap the Met Gala sheet and the dandy, there was only one guy at one point dressing like this in hip-hop — before it was cool to be prep. It was Fonzworth Bentley.”

So as we scroll through Met Gala recaps, marveling at the capes, crowns, and couture, let’s not forget the man who, two decades ago, came dressed not just to impress — but to inspire. The Met Gala may be the theater, but Fonzworth Bentley was the overture.

Give him his flowers. He’s been dressed for this moment all along.

Check out "C.O.L.O.U.R.S." Bentley ft. Pimp C and Lil Wayne

C.O.L.O.U.R.S." Bentley ft. Pimp C and Lil Wayne