MUSEUMS AND EVENTS: Seeing black

The blinged-out sneakers, chiffon gowns and Rasta-striped separates on display in “Black Style Now,” an exhibit on the evolution of African-American fashion opening Saturday 9 at the Museum of the City of New York, could make you wonder what exactly defines black style. If you ask cocurator Michael Henry Adams, the common thread linking Cab Calloway’s zoot suits to Kimora Lee Simmons’s ice-laden Hello Kitty pendant is a sense of drama. “It’s people coming up with not necessarily the most luxurious or exquisite solution, but a solution that will definitely get them noticed,” says Adams, author of 2002’s Harlem Lost and Found.

While “Black Style Now” highlights the transformative effect of hip-hop culture on

the mainstream, it also nods to the many arbiters of African-American aesthetics who flourished long before suburban white kids were turning their baseball caps sideways

and quoting “My Adidas.” For example, a display on designer Ann Lowe, who created maternity outfits for Jackie Kennedy, reminds us that black-owned labels didn’t start with Phat Farm.

Covering much of the museum’s first floor, the exhibit traces the origins of modern black design with an emphasis on work since the 1970s, when downtown clubs provided a heady backdrop for numerous designers. Stephen Burrows’s chain-mail halter top—first worn by supermodels Pat Cleveland and Jerry Hall—is still in circulation. Works by contemporary designers like Tracy Reese and Edward Wilkerson will also be on display, but much attention will go to the personal effects of big-name stars.

“A lot of black style has to do with one’s personal bravado,” says designer and cocurator Michael McCollom. A strapless fuchsia Marc Jacobs gown worn by Lil’ Kim illustrates the undeniable impact of MTV (without the music-video network, how could the rapper or her wardrobe have landed so dramatically on the pop-culture map?).

“In the past, designers weren’t nearly so important in popularizing a style as rap personalities were,” Adams explains. “The tremendous irony is that now, every African-American celebrity there is has come out with a clothing line of their own. Whether it’s the Williams sisters, Beyoncé or Lenny Kravitz, they all want to merchandise the mystique of black style.”

“Black Style Now” runs Saturday 9–February 19 at the Museum of the City of New York (212-534-1672, mcny.org).

More in MUSEUMS AND EVENTS:
Seeing black | Q&A: Chris Ware | Gold play | Save the dates: festivals