"My BOUNTY is as boundless as the sea
My LOVE as deep;
The more I give to thee,
The more I have;
For both are INFINITE."
(Shakespearean Juliet)
LIFE is not a show, and men -including women- oare not spectators.
We are called to action, while God is watching from above.
The image of Him is what we know we are; and the image of Heaven is what we crave to replicate, here on Earth.
God conveys to the mind, the image of SPLENDOUR, which MAN ever seeks to emulate.
Now FASHION -especially in blacks- is a clear-cut statement -of imitation- of God's SPLENDOUR.
And the more we create, the more we S.H.I.N.E!
This Black History Month in 2015, as we celebrate the achievements of the Negro in America, we also remember the African-American Women who blazed the trail for the present-day fashion culture.
#1. ELIZABETH KECKLY:
She is famous for the inaugural gown she designed for Mary Lincoln, wife of former U.S president Abraham Lincoln.
The dress is presently on display at the Smithsonian Institute.
Her other clientele included the wives of Robert E. Lee, Stephen Douglas and Jefferson Davis.
#2. ZELDA WYNN VALDES:
She opened her own shop for her "sexy hip-hugging dresses" on Broadway, New York (1948).
She was commissioned by Hugh Hefner to design the original "PLAYBOY BUNNY" dresses.
Her clientele included Ella Fitzgerald, Dorothy Dandridge, Mariam Anderson, Josephine Baker and Gladys Knight.
She was a founding member of the National Association of Fashion and Accessory Designers, a body for blacks.
#3. ANN LOWE:
She made the wedding gown of former First Lady, Onassis Kennedy, wife of JFK; the event turned out to be one of the most photographed in U.S history.
She had earlier attended a design school in New York, and proceeded to opening her own outfit on Madison Avenue.
Amongst her clientele were the households of Vanderbilt, Rockefeller and Roosevelt.
Others were Henri Bendel and Neiman Marcus.
#4. TRACY REESE:
Under an eponymous label, she sewed brightly-coloured costumes with elaborate graphic patterns.
She dealt on a variety of fashion ware which she sold to retailers like Bloomingdale's, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.
She's patronized by Michelle Obama and other societal matrons in America.
#5. MONIF CLARKE:
Herself on the big side, she's famed for her "Plus Size" and "Full Figure" designs, for both formal and evening dresses.
MONIF C FASHIONS was commissioned in 2005, to inspire a luxurious lifestyle with great sex-appeal.
Essence Magazine has dubbed her one of the "Leaders of the New School".
#6. LAURA SMALLS:
Apart from dealing with big-time retail stores like Henri Bendel and Bloomingdale's, she has also caught the eye of First Lady Michelle Obama.
She's one of the 'sensational' new school.
"When I dare to be powerful-
To use my strength
In the service of my VISION;
Then it becomes less and less important
Whether I am afraid."
(Andre Lord)
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