Dr. Jennifer D. Dobbs' Talks Montgomery A Fine & Dandy Affair
Dr. Jennifer D. Dobbs’ A Fine & Dandy Affair™ Brings Glamour To Montgomery On The Road To Essence Fest
- Dandyism is a mindset that allows self-expression through impeccable style, regardless of gender, age or status.
- The event was created to raise visibility of Montgomery's arts and culture community and showcase local businesses.
- The Essence partnership helps scale the event and makes Montgomery an official stop on the Road to Essence Festival of Culture.
The mere mention of Montgomery, Alabama makes you stand up straight. It is a place that represents strength, change, and resilience. As the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, it is rich in the history of our people and therefore deserves all the things. This year, Dr. Jennifer D. Dobbs Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of Montgomery, set out to create an event that brought a dose of dazzle to the beloved city. And thus, A Fine & Dandy Affair™ was born. What started as a gathering turned into an affair hosted by actress, model and TV personality Eva Marcille and headlined with a performance by R&B crooner, songwriter and actor Lloyd. Dr. Dobbs credits Essence with helping take the event up several notches. Thanks to their resources A Fine & Dandy Affair™ became a pathway on the Road to ESSENCE Festival of Culture®
We caught up with Dr. Dobbs ahead of the upcoming A Fine & Dandy Affair™ to talk about the event, the partnership with Essence and the Dandyism dress code.
A Fine & Dandy Affair
A Fine & Dandy Affair™ grew from a conversation with Mayor Steven L. Reed when Dr. Dobbs asked him about his vision for the cultural affairs department. One of his responses was to “raise the visibility of our arts and culture community.” Dr. Dobbs’ proverbial wheels started turning and she came up with the idea for an event that took shape, one that encouraged the deserving people of Montgomery to dress up and celebrate themselves.
“I thought at first, we’ll have a sort of gala event. And then I thought, we can’t have just an event to get dressed up for sake of having a good time. There has to be impact, there has to be meaning. How do we incorporate Montgomery into this? And then a light bulb went off. We need to focus on involving as many businesses and vendors, creatives, and influencers as possible. And so the idea came to mind: Isn’t there a catering program that can create art out of food? Doesn’t one of our colleges have a fashion department where we can involve the next generation of Dandy in this? We have so many good restaurants, you know, let’s have them be a part. Um, and, and so I thought this isn’t a gala – this is an affair, right?”
For Dr. Dobbs, the term affair has an “elevated touch.” It had such a ring to it, she trademarked the event’s name.
The Dress Code Is Dandy
Dr. Jennifer D. Dobbs appeared on our Zoom call in a Kelly green jeweled-tone silk blouse with a tie that was adorned with a “Queen” pin. It was clear she considers herself a Dandy. In her former life, she wanted to be a men’s clothier, so she knows the importance of mixing and matching fabrics, patterns and colors.
According to Dr. Dobbs, Dandyism is a mindset. Dandyism’s roots date back to the 18th century. “Dandyism originally started with the aristocracy,” she stated. The sartorial style of dress shined as the 2025 Met Gala theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” With Montgomery’s Black history, it only made sense for Black folk to put on the best Dandy display.
“I have always been enamored with the male dress,” she explained. “Women, we have so many options to mix and match, but men have a sort of standard suit, right? It’s two-piece or three-piece. But I always liked how they are challenged to create their individuality with something as simple as a handkerchief or a brooch or their belt or the color of their socks. And how that is an expression of them and sometimes what they stand for. So really the inspiration behind it was men’s clothing. And knowing too, in the 1950s and sixties, and really in the beginning with the 18th century, Dandyism originally started with the aristocracy. It has slowly evolved to being something that even the everyman can participate in. And so that’s what I thought would be a uniter is Dandyism, because it has a history, it has a modern interpretation, and not a lot of people are doing it [as an event theme]. There are a lot of us who know about it, but the world really was introduced to Dandyism via the Met Gala last year.”
Last year’s Dandy-inspired Met Gala challenged celebrities and Hollywood elite to dig into their fashion bags to interpret the theme. “Listen, anybody can be a Dandy.” She added, “Dandyism means impeccably coiffed. That means you are very thoughtful about your appearance and the message it gives. This is my opinion, but Dandyism can express individuality, politics, rebellion, art, business. It’s a state of mind. So you have to have that state of mind. Because whoever is a Dandy, they have to know and understand that God made them and He’s perfect. So they’re perfectly made, right, no matter who they are, and how they dress can be a reflection of that.”
Road To Essence Fest
Once A Fine & Dandy Affair™ caught its stride, Montgomery’s City Council President and well-known consultants in the City of Montgomery connected Dr. Dobbs to the Essence team.
“And once we met, it was instant Love. We have the same energy, we have the same passion, we have the same want to highlight us [Montgomery]. To use their tag, we love us. It was very serendipitous meeting. I was talking through some things and then told them about A Fine & Dandy Affair™, and I said, yes, this is going to be the inaugural year, and this is my vision for it, and this is how I see it in the future. And they were blown away. They said, oh my gosh, that is brilliant. We wish we had thought of that. And I said uh huh, it’s trademarked,” she said with a laugh.
“We decided…let’s partner on that because it was exciting to them to be able to come in the ground floor with us on this effort. I have a vision to scale it and of course, they want to help set the foundation in order for it to be scaled, and they want to be a part of this journey. On top of it, they said, you know what? We need to talk to Coca-Cola to see if Montgomery can be an official part of on the road to Essence Fest. And sure enough, that news came through and we were ecstatic. It’s a big deal. You know why? Because we are the only city this year that is a newbie to the National Series. So all eyes on us and Montgomery is deserving of that. Partnering with Essence, a very respected, time-honored institution, is such an honor and a blessing; it’s exciting. They come with so many ideas and resources that Montgomery may not have had access to. And so this is a very win-win celebration of partnership and of us.”
A Fine & Dandy Affair occurs May 16, 2026, as part of the official Road to ESSENCE Festival of Culture®. Visit mgmfineanddandy.com for more information.
Dr. Jennifer D. Dobbs’ A Fine & Dandy Affair™ Brings Glamour To Montgomery On The Road To Essence Fest was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
