The Unsung Icons of Black Women’s Fashion
NINA SIMONE
The pianist with the spellbinding voice, moving messages and Civil Rights background was as much a blessing to the music world as she was to the fashion one. The “high priestess” wore both afros and cornrows in her day and also defined the cosmetics that black women used in the ‘60s by embracing makeup that was reminiscent of Cleopatra and the Egyptians. Thick liner that wrapped around the eyes and gave her a sense of quiet attitude when she tickled the ivories. Simone embodied the Nubian look exuding an aura and courage rarely seen by newer generations. Like Pat Evans and many black women at the time, it was believed that Simone wore her hair in wrapped cornrows and a diverse number of ethnically inspiring ways as a protest to mainstream Western standards. But just like her music, I believe it was probably just her being her: effortless elegance at its best.
