Month: April 2025

Voters across parts of England will be heading to the polls on Thursday, May 1, to cast their ballots in local elections. These are seen as the first significant test for political parties since last year’s U.K. general election, which saw the Labour Party, under leader Sir Keir Starmer, return to power.

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The May 1 elections apply to some councils and authorities in England, with over a 1,600 seats being contested.

Whilst the Labour and Conservative parties have traditionally been England’s main political bodies, right-wing politician Nigel Farage has been driving forward his Reform UK party in hopes of potentially challenging the usual British political order.

In last year’s general election, Reform UK won five constituencies and received 14.3% of the popular vote. Farage is a long-standing supporter of President Donald Trump, with the two expressing similar viewpoints, and Reform UK’s popularity has steadily grown since last summer.

A core policy of the Reform UK party is its plan to “freeze immigration.” Farage focused heavily on immigration during the 2016 E.U. referendum, of which he was a key figurehead. For the last decade or so, Farage has argued that immigration puts a strain on the National Health Service (NHS) and has claimed there’s a threat to “British values.“

These talking points were key focuses of the party’s election campaign last year, not too dissimilar to Trump, who has put tackling immigration at the heart of his second term in office.

Farage has been a vocal advocate of Trump and his policies for many years. The U.K. lawmaker met with the President after the U.S. election in 2016, described him as “the most resilient and brave person” he had ever met at a 2020 election rally, and called Trump an “inspiration” during a Reform UK rally in February.

It appears Farage has been taking inspiration from the President’s rally style, too. On March 28, Reform UK hosted what they described as their ‘biggest event yet’. The rally drew comparisons to Trump’s MAGA rallies for its bright lights, pumped-up crowd, and references to immigration.

Since then, Farage has toured the U.K. targeting areas voting in local elections with expected strong support for Reform UK. The right-wing party is projected to perform well, and the results will likely provide an insight into how popular their ideas really are amongst the British public.

Despite his alignment with Trump’s methods and ideas, Farage has clashed with another of the President’s advocates, Elon Musk.

In January, via a social media post, Musk called for a new leader for the Reform UK party, saying Farage “doesn’t have what it takes.” In an interview published on April 29, Farage called Musk a “hero,” but added that he won’t be “bullied” by the billionaire when deciding on the direction his party should take.

According to YouGov polls, voting intention on April 28 showed that 26% of voters would choose Reform UK if there was an election to be held the next day. This was ahead of the current Labour government at 23%.

Trump’s presence is being felt across other branches of the local elections, also. The May 1 elections include six mayoral contests, one of which is in the town of Doncaster, in the North of England. Conservative candidate Nick Fletcher has titled his campaign “Make Doncaster Great Again,” taking inspiration from Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) slogan.

In an online manifesto, Fletcher listed the values that he shares with Trump, including securing borders and addressing illegal immigration, shifting away from DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies, and advocating for pro-life initiatives.

The red carpet styles at the 2025 Met Gala on Monday are always works of art in and of themselves.

This year, the stars walking the red carpet will pay homage to an exhibit theme with a deep history. “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” is a cultural and historical examination of Black style over 300 years through the concept of Dandyism, telling a story through garments, accessories, paintings, photographs, and decorative arts. Just as Black Dandyism is about bright, bold, showy designs, expect the same kinds of designs on the red carpet.

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Here’s what to know about Black Dandyism, the theme for the 2025 Met Gala.

Read more: The 2025 Met Gala Theme Honors Black Dandyism. We’re Already Missing the Point

What is Black Dandyism?

A Black Dandy sees fashion as a way of life. The culture of Dandyism can be traced to the the 1700s, when during the Atlantic slave trade, there was “a trend of fashionably dressed or dandyfied servants,” Superfine’s co-curator Monica L. Miller, author of Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, says on the museum’s website.

Black Dandyism came out of an effort to gain basic respect in a racist and prejudiced society through fashion and self-expression. says Peter K. Andersson, author of The Dandy: A People’s History of Sartorial Splendour, via email. “White Dandies have been ostracized and derided as well in various ways, but for Black Dandies, the Dandyism has almost always been accompanied by the added dimension of cruel racism, special treatment and discrimination,” he says.

Andersson cites scholar Zine Magubane, who described the loud outfits of Black Dandyism in the 19th century as a refusal of “the posture of silence” demanded of Black people by white supremacists.

Black Dandyism in culture

Zoot suits—long suit jackets with shoulder pads worn over baggy dress pants—became popular among Black men, jazz musicians, and activists and grew into a symbol of resistance.

Originating in Harlem, N.Y. in the 1930s, “it is considered the first uniquely American suit,” Clarissa Esguerra, a curator of costume and textiles at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, told the Los Angeles Times. Other minority groups started sporting zoot suits, and the bold designs made Chicanos a target of racial violence in 1940s Los Angeles, when fabric was being rationed during World War II.

Black Dandyism is not just an American phenomenon.

Around the same time the style of zoot suits grew in popularity, groups of young South African men known as tsotsis became known in Apartheid-era Johannesburg for sporting narrow bottomed trousers and imitating the styles of American movie stars. South African Black Dandies known as swenkas faced off in fashion competitions.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Black Dandies known as Sapeurs strut their stuff in parades, dating back to the 1970s when the children of Congolese families went to study in Paris and brought back the latest fashions, scholar Daouda Coulibaly writes on The Conversation.

Read more: Everything You Need to Know About the 2025 Met Gala

Black Dandyism today

As Vogue noted, Black Dandies in the 19th century and early 20th century sported bespoke tailoring as a way to show that they fit in, asserting their dignity. Black Dandies in the 21st century sport bold colors and prints to show that they are not only surviving, but also thriving. Essence cites André 3000’s green button down shirt with white suspenders in the 2003 “Hey Ya!” music video as “the accouterments of an outstandingly dressed Black man, a Dandy, to be sure.”

According to the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) modern-day Dandy “icons” in entertainment include this year’s Met Gala co-chairs A$AP Rocky, Pharrell, Colman Domingo, and committee member André 3000.

For A$AP Rocky, Dandyism means enjoying pearls, kilts, barrettes, furs, and Saint Laurent suits. Pharrell stands out for the way he blends street wear with luxury fashion, so much so that Louis Vuitton named him a creative director.

And with Oscar nominee Colman Domingo’s 2024 Met Gala look—boasting a long white cape and flowy black dress pants—the actor “redefined Hollywood’s approach to menswear,” according to the CFDA. On Monday, as celebrities arrive on the 2025 Met Gala red carpet, we’ll see just how they interpret that redefinition.