Essence USA – August 2019

T

here are moments in fashion that change

the course of history. Le Grand Divertisse-

ment at the Chateau de Versailles was one

of them. Captured vividly in Deborah Riley Draper’s

2012 documentary, Versailles ’73: American

Runway Revolution, the 1973 fashion show pit-

ted French and American designers against

one another to raise funds for the dilapidated

palace. A then-unprecedented troupe of stunning

Black models—including Bethann Hardison, Pat

Cleveland and Alva Chinn—sashayed, twirled and

strutted the Americans to victory, ushering in a

new era of visibility for models of color.

Nearly a half-century later, Pierpaolo Piccioli’s

Valentino spring 2019 haute couture show conjured a

similar soul-stirring display of fashion as art, with

Black models at the forefront who quite literally

brought the audience to tears. The 65-look collec-

tion, with Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw

Your Face” as a sound track, featured more than 30

models of color, including veterans Liya Kebede, Alek

Wek and Naomi Campbell, who closed the show.

There’s something to be said for how unex-

pected a moment like this is, even in today’s

diversity-focused climate. This makes it all the

more poetic that our inaugural Best in Black

Fashion Awards remains committed to celebrat-

ing our creators of color for 2019 and beyond. »

And now, a round of applause for

the nominees and the honorees!

BY MARIELLE BOBO

Valentino’s spring

2019 couture col-

lection featured

more than 30

models of color,

including Alek

Wek, Liya Kebede,

Naomi Campbell

and Adut Akech.

BEST IN

BLACK

FASHION

Awards

DI

MI

TR

IO

S^ K

AM

BO

UR

IS

/G

ET

TY

IM

AG

ES

.

ESSENCE.COM I 119 I SEPTEMBER 2019