The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has organized its first fashion-focused exhibition, titled Sunday Best: The Power & The Glory of Black Style, which shines a spotlight on Black style and the role of fashion in the migration, activism and self-determination of Black diasporic communities, from the 1880s to the present.

“Sunday Best” is a concept that emerged from the violent history of the slave trade. Enslaved people in America were given only a small allotment of coarse cloth to make their own garments. Many reserved their best clothing for Sunday: a day for rest, worship and communal gathering. The exhibition is divided into themes such as “Origins,” “Migration,” “Church,” “Liberation,” and “Call & Response.”

The exhibition opens with historical garments: a tailcoat and top hat worn by Frederick Douglass and a modern recreation of his wife, Anna Murray’s wedding dress. The Douglasses were a couple of prominent abolitionists and civil rights advocates in the late 1800s. Notably, this is only the second time the suit has been displayed publicly, following the Met’s exhibition on Black dandyism, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. Douglass’s clothing challenged prevailing stereotypes of African Americans as enslaved or destitute.

The term “Sunday Best” is closely associated with the tradition of dressing well to attend church on Sunday and for special occasions. This is why the first room features a bold and colourful display of suits, dresses and hats, paired with photography, showing how church wear has evolved while remaining rooted in history.

As visitors explore the galleries, they encounter more unique pieces. One room features ephemera and clothing on loan from Toronto’s very own Linda V. Carter, one of Canada’s first Black supermodels in the 1960s. The display tells the story of Carter’s family migration from Barbados and St. Kitts to Toronto and the role fashion played in their establishment in the country. Notably, Carter’s father, George E. Carter, was the first Canadian-born Black judge in Ontario.

Another room is dedicated to Jackie Shane, an African American trans icon who changed the face of Toronto’s local music scene in the early 1960s. Her colourful sequinned dresses and bedazzled jackets and pantsuits are on view for the very first time.

Another highlight is the room dedicated to the muse of the entire exhibition, the truly iconic fashion journalist André Leon Talley. Born in the Jim Crow South, he rose to the highest ranks of the fashion world, eventually becoming Creative Director and Editor-at-Large of American Vogue. ALT, as he was known in the fashion community, always found ways to represent and diversify fashion. On view are one of his iconic caftans by Ralph Rucci and custom-made Manolo Blahnik slippers.

The final room is an explosion of colour, craftsmanship, and haute couture that encapsulates and celebrates Sunday best and the glory of Black style, all rooted in the Canadian fashion scene. This is a definite must-see exhibition for all fashion lovers!

Sunday Best: The Power & The Glory of Black Style is organized in partnership with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where the exhibition will travel after its run in Toronto. It is on view at the AGO until February 28, 2027.

All images courtesy of AGO. Feature image credit: Jamel Shabazz, Church Ladies, NYC ., 2004. Digital C-print. Courtesy of Jamel Shabazz. © Jamel Shabazz.