HOW TO SLAY

A new book from @rizzolibooks#howtoslay is on my slay-dar right now. (from my ig feed)

Another must have You say? 
Yes Indeed. 

Written by Constance C.R. White How to Slay: Inspiration from the Queens and Kings of Black Style looks at the last three decades of Black style influencers and their inspirations. Photographer Itaysha Johnson's cover photo and the two below are the most stunning of the moment photographs in the book—author, photographer, model and stylist interpret classic styles and cultural references with ease, not to mention CHIC.

Model Gaye McDonald wears an American Classic—the peacoat.

Another glorious photograph by Itaysha Jordan echoes the hairstyle Bantu knots of the tribe in southern Africa.

White insists How To Slay is meant to be fun, informative. 

It is that, along with being a visual feast of Style in page after page.

Among her many topics, Ms White considers the Afro, a hairstyle synonymous with 70's Black Culture, and its context as a symbol of protest during the decade.

While women then felt the style interfered with their job prospects, today women are wearing the Afro with great frequency. Think gorgeous actress, Lupito Nyongo and her closely cropped head, but for my taste—the bigger the better, as author White writes, "The Afro is so cool and singular." 

One of my favourite singers Nina Simone is recognized in the book and I can think of no women of that decade that personifies authentic black Chic. 
Yes, this book is full of Black Chic—but just CHIC will do in the case of How To Slay. Other divas of the 70's like Diana Ross make appearances, along with today's trailblazers in style Alicia Keyes, Janell Monae, and Eryka Badu, three of the most individually stylish women today.

Actress Pam Grier, star of Foxy Brown, was the epitome of everything modern in 70's Black style. It's fantastic to see all of these women, and lest we forget the men, assembled within the pages of this book. 

I for one, as is obvious from my own book, love to see a book that assembles everything on its subject with killer photographs and commentary. White pulls it together—the divas, the color, the attitudes, the textiles & patterns, the influencers, all aspects of Black Style. 
That 60's term & movement, "BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL" comes to mind within every page of HOW TO SLAY.  It remains so today, and definitively so in HOW TO SLAY.

graying with grace?

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it might be a record of sorts. the recent post in the New York TImes Why Can't Middle Age Women Have Long Hair by Dominique Browning- found 1256 comments stringing just beyond her last words 'The short of it is that long hair means there is always, at least, hope.'  She started something.

This seems to be a habit with the writer- she is likely the most beloved editor of the woefully defunct House and Garden magazine, author of countless exceptional books and now a blog, entitled Slow Love Life- also the title of her latest book. That her list of credits is enviable-apparently, a lot of people are on the fence about her hair.

It is Long.
It is Gray.
It seems it is the combination that really flies in the face of what is proper for old-I say that with love-however- more mature sounds more-well, loving, so let's go with that.

The article caught my attention and as I finished its first reading my comment- To Self: That sounds about right, I will get there. At 55, the author has taken the plunge and let it fly -loud and proud. At 51, I'm not there yet-though my hair stays at about shoulder length for the last twenty years, in varying shades of brown, blonde, & yes-I swear, purple once. The purple-fained as RED, was not- RED-it was purple. So what is it like at the moment- RED, not purple- and it is just right- at the moment.


Yes, the maintenance is going to be hell- mind numbing. I finally found something like my idyllic childhood color. A distinct gray streak either side of the part has emerged overnight after about 1 month. I find myself pulling at the part pressing down-How much gray is there really?  My Loved Ones swear they can't see a thing. Hum?  After sending a photograph of the stunning Ines de la Fressange- as she recently appeared on the Chanel runway- to my longtime friend and stylist, we conferred in front of a full length mirror. In more or less these words she said:
You want to go red.
I: of course not.
:that has a great deal of red in it. At this point she could see I was backing down-
but this time-to my surprise, I didn't.  Everyone that has noticed the RED, or I have prodded to notice says they like it- No- I think they Love it.

Dominque Browning thinks-rather knows-Men love long hair. They think it's sexy. (her words) She sites fictional literature and myth as her sources for this knowledge, and I am sure she is working from first hand experience as well. Now here we do part ways- I don't think this is quite accurate. Perhaps collectively MEN prefer it-it is fantasy. If their reality includes a well loved woman with a darling pixie cut- they would, or should, adamantly disagree. Since my own experience is lackluster- for few MEN In My PAST  have offered a firm opinion-more the - I like it however you like it. Hum? Maybe that was a lie. Anyway- they are no longer PRESENT. Those MEN I do count on for reassurance- two older brothers and a nephew, offered their unique and for each-not surprising- comments.

Right after I went RED, I had dinner with one of my brothers. Standing beside him- I wait for  the shock, the awe. He looks at me- then catches a glimpse of our mother, who just had her hair cut about an inch- and says, "Oh, look- Mom's had her hair done." (exact words) I was flabbergasted! Really. I Mean Flabbergasted.
I:"Kev! I can not believe you are standing right next to ME and my hair is RED & you didn't notice, how can that be possible, I can't believe it?" (all in one string of exclamations- just like that).
He: "Oh, You , did. It looks good." Just as he always has, in his smiling laughing kind of way. It is charming and diverting. We giggled like we did when we were best buddies.

Next brother- Paul, my oldest sibling , I just went right in for it:
"I dyed my hair, It's RED." 
He: "I see that."
Lastly, from my 22 year old nephew, JT, born with sagacity in full, and Bless Him, He loves me just as Aunt Gaye-immediately He said:
"Yes, that's mostly how I remember your hair being." Of course- He is right. It was like saying welcome home, Aunt Gaye.

So how do you get to the point of putting chemical dyes on your head, scalp- permeating ? My niece, Liz at 27 has beautiful blonde hair - always has. This summer when she breezed into our family mountain gathering, her hair was noticeably more blonde.
Her question to her Gran and Me-"If you didn't know me, would you think it was natural?" Both, mother and I laughed, and then we all three laughed wildly. Her father-ever the diplomat,Paul, said when asked if he noticed, replied, "Why Yes, I didn't know if it was appropriate to comment on the change?" That is LOVE. I declare-these are the people that would not care if your hair was green- they LOVE you, so they LOVE your HAIR.

One of my favorite blogs to visit is Catherine's The Blushing Hostess Entertains, writes in Don't Bend  
'be fearless. Cut if you want to, but not because social more's flattened your resolve to maintain it. And not because someone else prefers it another way. Do it because you want to see someone you recognize in the mirror. And because she is beautiful that way.' I agree with this lovely young woman. What I do struggle with it the maintenance, and it will only get worse. It IS Getting Worse. So will it stay long. My father's four aunts and grandmother all maintained very long hair throughout most of their lives. Shocked as a child, one day I found my MaMa out on a bench brushing the longest, grayest hair I had ever seen. Draping just along the ground, she always wore it in a neat coil-this machination performed by one of her four daughters-who always seemed to be just waiting to be called for the task. As my mother says:
"the Women of your father's family prefer long hair - I don't know why, but I guess you do too." Hum?
These same women have married often or never married-so I'm not sure if the Long Hair Gene really exists but it does seem to be Trend rather than Trait. That it will go Gray sooner rather than later is becoming obvious- my grandmother was prematurely gray-white as a matter of fact- and that was most becoming.
IF ONLY. That is likely to be my fate. I have no cause to believe my hair will ever co-operate with my desires as it is yet to do so.

I'm half way there. Fearless? OF that I can not be sure, however, it is nice to have something important to think about, to think of throwing caution to the wind.

MODEL HEADS

Emmy Lou Harris

 Kristen McMenamy

model ,age 46

also on the cover of ITALIAN VOGUE

Carmen Dell'Orifice

see this Little Augury Post on COVERS Would VOGUE DARE? - HERE

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heaven sent

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Dieric the Elder Bouts,his Virgin and Child 1465

the Spring 2011 ALEXANDER MCQUEEN COLLECTION

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images from Vogue.com

Dieric the Elder Bouts image from It's About Time



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DV: RE HAIR

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THE CONDE NAST PUBLICATIONS Inc.

                   MISS MARABELLA

To               BARON DE GUNZBURG    From MRS. VREELAND   August 7,1970

                   MRS SIMPSON

Copy to        MRS SCHIFF

                   MRS. MELLEN

                   MRS DI MONTEZEMOLO

                   MRS. HOVEY

                   MISS DONOVAN

                   MRS. INGERSOLL

                   MISS MC KENNA

                   MRS. BUTLER

                   MISS WINKELHORN

                   MISS HAYS

                   MR. DUHE

                   MRS, BLACKMON

                   MRS. GROSS

                   MISS CANNE

                   MRS. FRANKEL

                

                   The hair is Paris it total hair,  long, straight, thick and 

                   down or in a chignon raised well off the neck.

                   There is no fuss about hair. It looks healthy, strong and totally 

                   feminine,

                   No fuss from a hairdresser looks right, it is too tacky for words.

                   I have told you that there are many short, short haircuts.  Also 

                   Garbo has her hair cut like a little boy and she is too beautiful

                   for words with long sideburns.

your Phrase to remember: "too tacky for words"

 another VISIONAIRE 37 memo

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like this

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You will like this

IF

You liked this.

seeing this
prompted this
from here
"Obviously inspired by the famous 1960s Vogue photograph of Veruschka similarly haloed in blonde Dynel braid"

thank you again.


( Veruschka in dynel rope coiled Ara Gallant, photographed Franco Rubartelli)- image from DIANA VREELAND by Eleanor Dwight

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a bed of hair

Her face was in a bed of hair,
Like flowers in a plot --
Her hand was whiter than the sperm
That feeds the sacred light.
Her tongue more tender than the tune
That totters in the leaves --
Who hears may be incredulous,

Who witnesses, believes. 

Emily Dickinson

Incredible hair by Marisol Suarez

photograph by Katrin Backes 

HERE 
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