The Met Gala theme and dress code are inspired by the 2009 book "Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity."

"The range is phenomenal," says guest curator Monica L. Miller, a Barnard College professor whose book, "Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity," is a foundation for the show. The professor of Africana studies said this was a way to showcase Black history in an unexpected way.