Black Models Celebrated As Runway Revolutionaries
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Designer Roy Halston Frowick, known best by his middle name only, with model Pat Cleveland at a party following the Coty Awards in 1972. Halston frequently used Cleveland to showcase his fluid, body-hugging designs.
It was the fashion equivalent of a first-class prize fight — the Thrilla in Manila, only with high heels, not boxing gloves. In one corner, the titans of French haute couture: the houses of
Yves St. Laurent, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Emanuel Ungaro and Pierre Cardin. Designers known for being elegant, traditional, proper. And in the other corner, some of America's best and brightest: Anne Klein, Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Halston and a swiftly rising star, Stephen Burrows.
The audience at the Palace of Versailles that November of 1973 was star-studded, too: plenty of American socialites, one of the richest women in France, and the former Grace Kelly, now Princess Grace of Monaco. But as important as those ladies were, the event was transformed by the presence of several African-American models. According to Harold Koda, curator in charge of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, at the evening's end, fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert, who'd dreamed up the event, described it this way: "It was as if, on this cold night, all the windows of Versailles had been blown open."
Bethann Hardison (left) with Daniela Morera and designer Stephen Burrows. After she stopped modeling, Hardison went on to found her own agency. After two successful decades, she sold it and started the Black Girls' Coalition, an advocacy and support organization for black models, with Iman.
Around 200 people will gather Monday at the Costume Institute to celebrate these black models whose work that night made American fashion a contender on the world stage.
Koda says many people he interviewed who were at Versailles said the event nearly 40 years ago was special. "And what made the presentation of the Americans so riveting, magical and overwhelmed the presentation of the French was the presence of African-American models," he says.
Sandi Bass began her European modeling career the same year as the Versailles event, and remembers how excited she was to hear about black models triumphing in the cradle of the French fashion establishment.
"There was a certain kind of walk that we had at the time, and I'm just going to say it was pretty much the 'black girls' walk,'" she says. "We were free, we were spirited, we would smile. ... It was like a little trot down the runway." Bass, who worked for Givenchy for several years, says that after Versailles, a number of French designers turned to black girls as models and as inspiration. Many of the models served as both muse and sounding boards to the designers with whom they worked closely; the old don't-speak-unless-the-coutourier-addresses-you protocol was swept aside, Bass says. "We had no holds barred, the personalities just flourished and opened, and this created an excitement for the designers as well as the audience," she says.
Fashion historian Barbara Summers enjoyed a 17-year career with Ford, one of America's top modeling agencies. She says the models at Versailles caught the world's attention, in part because of their numbers. There had been black models before, but they were considered exotic rarities. "At Versailles they had never seen so many flagrantly beautiful black women at one time, so that was a revolution," she says. The turning-heads kind of revolution, not the chopping-heads kind. Summers says the Versailles audience was used to the chilly remoteness of the models who showcased European couture. "Black girls changed all that; they plugged fashion into what was happening now and that meant R&B, rock 'n' roll, dancing, music, popular culture," she says. "They brought the electricity of popular culture into fashion."
Koda says Versailles came at the moment the world was changing: It was getting younger, there was lots of social upheaval and people were ready for change.
Summers believes the black models who presented at Versailles were pioneers in overturning an outmoded aesthetic.
"They weren't planning on being revolutionaries, but they happened to be at the right place at the right time," she says. "And for a revolution to take place at Versailles, let me tell you, for these little black girls to be running around, kicking up a fuss, showing off, it had to be absolutely thrilling."
Many of the models served as both muse and sounding boards to the designers with whom they worked closely; the old don't-speak-unless-the-coutourier-addresses-you protocol has been swept aside, Bass says. "We had no holds barred, the personalities just flourished and opened, and this created an excitement for the designers as well as the audience," she says.
Fashion’s Tribute to the Greats: NYC Celebrates the BLACK Models of Versailles 1973
On Monday, January 24, 2011, New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art was brooding with fashion alum for the tribute to the Models of Versailles 1973. Hosted by esteemed designer Oscar de la Renta and fashion great Stephen Burrows, the event brought out the likes of Diane von Furstenberg, Anna Sui, June Ambrose, Estelle, Sam Fine, Veronica Webb, Bethann Hardison, Michaela Angela Davis, Cicely Tyson and a bevy of others. Pat Cleveland, Billie Blair and Norma Jean Darden were just some of the models that were honored. The models of Versailles 1973 altered society's perception of American fashion's presentation almost 40 years ago.
Click here to see more photos of the event:
Karl Lagerfeld is the King of Collaborations. Every brand wants to tap into his creative genius as it is a stamp of chic approval for him to endorse your product. Latest on Lagerfeld’s plate is a collaboration with Coca-Cola. They have called on him for the new Coca-Cola Light aluminum bottle which features an illustration of the designer and his signature. The box set is completely exclusive, in true Lagerfeld fashion, and the black and white color palette remind us of another iconic brand that he has become so famous for designing: Chanel. A bottle opener also comes with the set, so that all your future parties can be done in style. Definitely a collector’s item.
The Coca-Cola Karl Lagerfeld Box Set is available on pre-order at Colette. Buy yours now.
Willi Smith has been called “the most successful African-American fashion designers in fashion history.” At the peak of his success in 1986, his company Williwear Ltd. sold $25 million worth of clothing.
Willi Smith designed with natural fabrics, a relaxed, comfortable fit, colorful and eye-catching material, with a reasonable price tag. Smith's style has been described as "street couture," a designation with which Smith quibbled. While acknowledging that he was acutely aware of what was being worn on the streets of America, he emphasized that he was not designing "for young people who like to look alike," but rather for people who wanted "real clothes" with a sense of designer fashion. His oversized clothing anticipated the casual styles and attitudes of the following decades: baggy trousers and shorts, slouchy sweaters and generously proportioned shirts.
At the young age of 39, Smith died unexpectedly after contracting pneumonia while on a trip to India, apparently as a result of AIDS. It is suspected that Smith, himself, didn't know he had the disease although those around him knew he was fragile in the end days. Several young designers worked and apprenticed with Willi; Anthony Mark Hankins, James Mischka (partner in Badgley-Mischka design house) and John Bartlett, who took over the design when Smith died, and remained till 1990.
Patrick Kelly known as “The Prince of Paris” was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on September 24 around 1954. Kelly kept the exact year of his birth a secret. As he stated in a 1986 Time magazine article, "I never tell my age because I hope I'll always be the new kid on the block." He came from a working-class African American family. His mother had a master's degree and worked as a home economics teacher. His father worked as a fishmonger, insurance agent, and cab driver. At some point in his childhood his father left home and he was raised primarily by his mother and grandmother, who worked as a cook for an upper-class white family. His keen interest in fashion showed even as a child. His earliest recollection of this passion was when he was about six years old. One day his grandmother brought home a fashion magazine and Kelly noticed that there were not pictures of black women in it. His grandmother explained that fashion designers did not have time for black women and Kelly was determined to change that notion.
Then his friend Pat Cleveland suggested that he move again, this time to Paris. Kelly laughed at the idea because he knew he could not afford the trip. However, when a one-way ticket to Paris was mailed to Kelly anonymously in 1979, he seized the opportunity and moved to the fashion capital of the world. Looking back on this important move, Kelly told Time magazine in 1986, "I can't say I wouldn't have made it in New York because I didn't stay to find out." Kelly had much better luck in Paris than he did in New York. He was quickly hired as a costume designer for a nightclub called Le Palace and continued to sell his own creations on the street. He even sold homemade fried chicken dinners to make ends meet. His hard work and perseverance paid off for him. People began to recognize Kelly's designs and soon there they were in demand.
Kelly's popularity stemmed from his fun, colorful, and exotic style. As the Washington Post described him in 1988, "Patrick Kelly has a witty way with fashion." Kelly's earliest influence was his grandmother. Since she had limited resources, she would replace lost buttons on his clothing with whatever she could find and she would often add her own touch to spruce up the clothing a bit. Large, colorful buttons later became a trademark of Kelly's designs, but his creativity did not stop there. He decorated dresses with colorful bows, embroidered lips and hearts, and even billiard balls.
In an interview with Essence magazine, Kelly noted his surprise regarding the controversy. He said, "Recently somebody Black told me they were harassed about wearing the Black baby-doll pin. And I thought, you can wear a machine gun or a camouflage war outfit and people think it's so chic, but you put a little Back baby pin on and people attack you." These pins became a trademark for Kelly and he gave them away to everyone he met. It was estimated that he gave away 800-1,000 pins a month.
Kelly's carefree style and southern heritage were apparent in his own image as well. He was most often seen dressed in a pair of oversized denim overalls. He often sported a baseball cap and his favorite means of transportation was a skateboard. He had a fun-loving and extroverted personality. For example, he would start his fashion shows by entering the stage dressed in his overalls and spray-painting a large read heart on the backdrop of the runway. Parisians loved Kelly's persona as much as they loved his designs. Despite his humble beginnings and simple personal style, Kelly was a sharp businessman and a skilled marketer. He understood the importance of publicity in the fashion industry.
Eyelash Guru Ja'Maal Buster's new line makes going glam easy - and affordable
Enter Ja’Maal’s new line of affordable at-home lashes, ideal for regular girls who like a little touch of glam. “Each lash in my line has a name, has a meaning,” he explains, pointing out favorites like the Trophy Wife, the Gold Digger and the Little Black Lash. Each fits a certain style and personality, from flirtatious to outrageous and everything in between. The best part? They’re only $10 per pair, and with Ja’Maal’s Placement Tool (only $10 as well), application is also a breeze. So, between making the rich and famous even more fabulous and developing his own line of lashes, we had to wonder whether our old friend Ja’Maal missed Big D (‘cause we sure do miss him). The answer? “I do miss Dallas. That’s where I got my start…my stories from there are very close to my heart.”
