Will the Real Style Icons Please Stand Up!

With plenty of photos to feast your eyes on, “Black Style” by Carol Tulloch documents the full spectrum of black fashion and its influences. Every facet of the African Diaspora is explored. Think beyond American soil to West Africa, Jamaica, Britain and Brazil. Don’t expect to see Naomi or Tyra gracing these pages with glossy photo shoots, the appeal of this book is that real people are glorified for their unique and innate sense of style. From weddings to carnivals, clubs to tribal rituals this is one for your personal library. I have it but I waited until the price had dropped. Be advised that this cover (right) is only available in the U.K. The U.S. book cover isn’t nearly as stylish. :(
Photos from inside the book.

The Way We Wore…

For all the students gearing up for Spring Break, pick up a copy of “The Way We Wore” for your long journey home. Published by Glitteratii and penned by ‘Black Style Now’ curator Michael McCollom, the book takes a retrospective look back at individual black style from the 1940s onwards. The book features photos from the authors own family and famous friends such as Oprah, Naomi Campbell, Tracy Reese, Tyra Banks, Iman and Kimora lee, among others. The majority of pictures however, are of unknowns, all with a flawless sense of style. I flipped threw a copy in Barnes & Noble and it’s quite amusing, kinda like looking through an old photo album that belongs to your parents. Fun times!

Black Style Now… and Then

Since it is Black History Month, I thought we should take a minute to honor pioneers in the African-American fashion scene. This video footage is taken from the “Black Style Now” exhibit, which is still on in New York by the way but ends on February 19th. Listen to celebrities, designers and fashion icons talk about what ‘Black Style’ means to them and how African-American culture has influenced all facets of the fashion world. Also visit www.blackstylenow.com to learn more about the exhibit and to view exclusive pictures of the launch event.

Black Style Now...

Below I wrote a little piece about the 'Black British Style' exhibition which was held in London last year, well if you live on the east coast you can prepare to visit the 'Black Style Now' exhibition that will be held at The Museum of the City of New York from September 8th, 2006 to February 19th, 2007. The exhibit focuses specifically on black style in New York City. According to their website...

"It's street style and it's high fashion. Explore in this exhibition how hip-hop has made black style big business, claiming a huge market of consumers who have been eager to buy the latest in Black Style Now."

Learn more @ www.blackstylenow.com or visit the venue to buy tickets (Musuem web site)

Address:
The Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street
New York, 10029

Black British Style...

I just got through looking browsing this great book about Black British Style. It's called 'Seen: Black UK Style' by Jack Cunningham and Steve Lazarides. The book mainly consists of photographs taken on the 'urban scene,' that is the street, clubs, neighborhoods and the infamous Notting Hill Carnival. I remember a friend telling me about an exhibition she went to at London's Victoria Albert Musuem called 'Black Style.' It basically chronicled the evolution of African and Jamaican immigrant's style over the last 40 years and their fusion/assimulation into Western culture. It also highlighted the importance fashion plays in cultural and political environments. The musuem released it's own book called 'Black Style' by Carol Tulloch (2005). You can still view the exhibition's web site, so if you want to see 'how we do' over in the U.K. check it out!