Iconic Style: Black History Month Edition

Black History month is one of my favorite times to blog. Having the opportunity to write about what excites me most combined with black culture excites me. Iconic Style, will spotlight women who have made a worldwide statement through their style. This month we will feature black women from popular TV sitcoms from the late 80's through early 90's. The women featured gave us more than style, they each had some type of je ne sais quoi. Stay tuned to hear all about how these women positively impacted television.

Hilary Banks

I was so excited when Will Smith got his own TV sitcom in the early 90's. I watched it faithfully singing every word of the intro song, I'm humming it right now. As the show got started we were all mesmerized by this beautiful girl with curly hair who looked flawless every week. What I loved about Hilary's style is she was always so polished, she was on point literally from head to toe with her amazing hats. Hilary was known for her airhead ways, snobbiness and for being self-centered. But there is a silver lining in everyone, right? .

Besides her awesome style, here are things we can learn from Hilary:

1.  Confidence is key. Hilary was obsessed with her physical appearance, but she also believed in herself. Although Hilary was a bit of an airhead, she believed in her abilities so much that she became a weather girl who went on to have her own TV show. She was the true essence of fake it til you make it.

2. Get some standards. This girl would tell any boy to "get lost" in a heartbeat. If you were not what she was looking for she wouldn't deal with you. Can't be mad at her for that.

3. Integrity is important. Being truthful and honest was a way of life for Hilary. Her sincerity came so natural, she would have had to try hard to be fake. Now she may not have always come off as being nice, but she was honest.

4. Family is important. Hilary and Will had two completely different backgrounds, but they both got along so well. Hilary was dedicated to her family, she never left them hanging.

5. Have style. First impressions are everything and Hilary always made sure that she would not be caught looking a mess. When you have personal style, you always look good even on a day off.

My interpretation of Hilary!

Stay tuned for our next Iconic Style series next Thursday. The stylish woman I am spotlighting was the ultimate Southern Bell and always carried herself as such. Can you guess who she is?

Be Blessed! Be Free! Be Fashionable!

Chris

Fun Fashion Friday

It's 'Fun Fashion Friday'! In these posts I will bring you the playful side of fashion. Fashion doesn't always have to be so serious. I am a big fan of really funky, fun pieces. I admit to loving my fun or bizarre items more than the classic ones; even if some of my friends hate and make fun of them. After all, fashion is about self expression and SHOULD BE fun.



DENISE HUXTABLE PART 2 

It's been a  while since I posted a Fun Fashion Friday, so I decided I would post one every week of Black History Month to go with Christina's Iconic Style posts. Yesterday Christina talked about the iconic style of Denise Huxtable, played by Lisa Bonet of the Cosby Show. I wanted to challenge myself to find a few items with her likeness or that screamed Denise Huxtable style. A lot of the items are vintage and retro but I decided to add a few modern touches to each look as well.This is what I came up with! Please enjoy! Shop if you want!


The Rebellious Denise Huxtable Tee 

Wear a Denise style moment snatched right from a scene in The Cosby Show!
This tee is by Pop ATL. The light pink tee reads Rebellious which seems like such an appropriate description for Lisa Bonet and the character she played. She was rebellious in her style and politics. That's why we love her.


Shop this tee
  

Denise Huxtable Style Finds

It's time for my favorite part of this post! This is where I show you looks that scream Denise Huxtable. Since I love to support the communities I belong to, I am featuring items from etsy sellers. Other than a thrift store, there is no better place than etsy to find cool vintage pieces and unique items. I searched the site for oversized heavy sweaters, headwraps, hats and other items the character was known for. Feel free to shop the items or use the items as inspiration to create your own Denise inspired look.

Denise loved layering as Christina mentioned yesterday. My favorite part of her look was always the accessories. I loved the hats and her use of scarves and jewelry. In my first Denise inspired look, I layered an oversized unisex cardigan over a denim button up shirt.The cool jewelry piece is versatile and can be worn as a brooch or pendant on a necklace.I could see Denise wearing this brooch in the middle of the collar of the denim shirt for a bolo tie effect.The printed palazzo pants are comfy and roomy, much like many of the pieces she wore on both shows. I don't remember ever seeing Denise in heels, so these t-strap Dr. Martens felt so appropriate for the look. I would swap them out for a pair of combat boots as well.

 

Shop The Look 

Fedora  

Denim Shirt

Oversized Cardigan

Palazzo Pants 

Brooch 

Dr. Martens 

Denise Huxtable was all about layering, she wore several shirts over each other, even doubling collars sometimes. This look is a layered but a little cleaner than some of her looks. She wore a lot of oversized blazers, today we call this the boyfriend blazer. This look is a white button up with a vest and blazer combination. I could see Denise wearing the shirt tucked into the high-waisted jeans with both the vest and jacket worn open. She would pair the look with a pair of fun flat boots.Sometimes she was super matchy and sometimes she went a little wild. For this look I wanted to match the green bowler hat to the vest and earrings.

Shop The Look

Vest

Pants

Bowler Hat

Blazer

Boots

Earrings

Shirt

The Final Look is more of a Spring Look since the season is not far away. There is a look Denise wore on the Cosby Show that I really loved. I included a bonus photo of it at the end of the post. It was a mint green top that just looked like a slouchy button up in the front but when she turned around, there was a cool cut out in the back. Some would call this top business in the front and party in the back. I found something similar being sold on etsy. It inspired the rest of the look which became a romantic bohemian fusion look.

Shop The Look

Faux Leather Kufi Hat

Upcycled  Pearl Infinity Scarf

Blouse

Harem Pants

Sallay Earrings

Cut-Out Oxfords

Denise Huxtable Wrap Up

I draw inspiration from Denise Huxtable's character in my style often but instead of sharing an inspired look, I want to share this tee I bought from Accidental Genius Clothing.  I wore it on a Kris's Closet post last September while on a trip to the Loveland Castle with my sister.The Denise Huxtable tee I am wearing is no longer available but the brand always has great tees so I want to give him and his team a shout out. I will be sharing new merchandise from this company later in the month.

Shop this brand

Thank you for checking out my first 2016 Black History Edition of Fun Fashion Friday! Look for a new one featuring another fabulous tv character icon next week!

Be blessed! Be free! Be fashionable!

Kris,