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.

Lisa Turtle

Saved by the Bell was another one of my favorite childhood TV shows. When the show went off air in 1993 I was in the 8th grade. It was so exciting to see a diverse group of teenagers in high school, it gave me insight on how high school life would be different from middle school. This crew was so cool because they were all different you had your popular cheerleader, the jock, the nerd, the athlete and the fashionista. Of course my eyes were always on Lisa Turtle, for 1 she was the only African American in the lead cast, and 2 she was fashionable. Lisa was known for her love of shopping, being a chatterbox and for always having the latest gossip. While Lisa may have been more into designer labels than anything, there are a few things that we all can take from Lisa.


1. True friendships last. Lisa and most of the crew had been friends since grade school, and then you see them going to college and still being in touch with each other. There's nothing like friends who have known you since day 1.


2. Keep your dating options open.  Now granted Lisa was the only African American at Bayside, she was completely open to dating the boys around her. If her mind was made up on only dating African American boys, she would have been left....single. Of course she was only in high school, but some of us as adults should broaden our horizons when it comes to interracial dating.

3. Have a heart. Screech wooed Lisa for years to no avail. Lisa usually turned him down with insults and jokes. But by senior year she develops a soft spot for him, even attending the Senior prom with Screech on her arm.

4. Perfect your selfie. Lisa was no stranger to knowing her "good side" when taking pictures. We all have to have that one pose and side that will look flawless every time.

5. Be current on the latest fashion trends. It was no secret that Lisa LOVED fashion, and she knew what was in and out. No wonder why she wanted to be a fashion designer, she was a natural.  Take a look at some of Lisa's most popular ensembles.

The inspiration I drew from Lisa looked like this.

Thank you so much for following us in this series. We really enjoyed bringing you fashion and life lessons.

Be Blessed! Be Free! Be Fashionable!

Chris

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.

Whitley Gilbert

When "A Different World" first aired I was about 7 years old, that would put me in 2nd grade. When the series ended I was around 13 years old in the 8th grade. WOW!!, That's a long time to impact a child's life from first entering into school and then leaving middle school. As a student, I always knew I was going to college there were no other options for me, I attribute this to watching "A Different World" and seeing young people that looked like me in college. For me, watching this show was the only way I saw black people in college, that's pretty groundbreaking. Each character on the show had major personality, and I connected with them in some way, or aspired to have some part of them.  You had your girl next door types, the older students, the girl from the hood, the airheads, the southern belle, and more.

As a little girl growing up in Ohio, I was very engaged in TV, I learned so much just from being  absorbed in television characters. My ideal southern belle came from shows like Designing Women and The Golden Girls (Blanche). But, "A Different World' showed me my first image of an African -American Southern Belle, Ms. Whitley Gilbert. Recently I have been watching episodes of "A Different World", thanks to Netflix. The last episode I watched was when Rudy came to visit Denise at college, and she fell in love with Whitley, even mimicking her actions. I just know that would have been me, if I had the opportunity to meet Whitley. Who wouldn't love all of the lace, the sleep masks, the country accent and all of her stories? There are so many things we can learn from Whitley, here are a few:

1. Stand up for what you believe in.  Season 1 you see an opinionated, snobby and prissy Whitley. Everyone knew that Whitley was saving her purity and that she wasn't having sex with anyone, one episode DWayne was caught sneaking out of her window, and it was assumed that the two were intimate. But Whitley stood up for her beliefs making it very clear that she had never been intimate with anyone and encouraging DWayne to tell the truth.

2. Live according to your own rules. Whitley was infamous for her sayings, they may not have always been true, but they were funny, and some hit home.

" You know what they say about sarcasm, it leads to high blood pressure." 

" I would like a man who is educated, enterprising, and ambitious....that type of man is never poor"

3. As you change, your plans change.  When Whitley first entered Hillman her goal was to land a husband, but that changed when she realized her love for art history and elected to stay a fifth year to take business courses. The husband came later.

4. True love will always be there.  After graduation Whitley and DWayne  were engaged, Whitley broke it off after finding out that DWayne went on a date with another woman, but the two soon reunited, and DWayne later declared his love for Whitley while she was at the altar with another man. They lived happily ever after.

5. Dress to the nines.  Whitley's Southern upbringing contributed to her sophisticated style. Even as a 20-something, she was stylish in everything including pajamas. She was sure to  have her pearls, a luxurious scarf, and a power suit.

My look inspired by Whitley!

Stay tuned for our last Iconic Style post next week. The girl I am featuring was the epitome of 80's fashion, with her poufy skirts and curly hair. Can you guess who she is?

Be Blessed! Be Free! Be Fashionable!

Chris

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

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.

 

 

Denise Huxtable

 

 

Every Thursday night at 8pm my sisters and I would gather around the TV waiting for The Cosby Show to come on. Watching each episode was like the first time, I was giddy and filled with excitement, eagerly waiting to see what sassy things Rudy would say, what Theo was getting in trouble for, what interesting thing Vanessa was doing, and how Denise was going to rebel this time. At the time I was closer to Rudy's age, therefore I related to her and she was my favorite character. Denise was like the ideal big sister, she was cool, adventurous, rebellious, she went to college and her style was crazy. Now that I am older I remember her role much more clearly and realized the impact she made, writing this series allowed me to reflect on her character.
 

Things we can learn from Denise:
 

1. Live outside the box. Walking to the beat of her own drum was the true essence of this Cosby kid. She did exactly what made her happy, she didn't get everyone's approval, but she wasn't expecting it.
 

2. Learn lessons firsthand. Denise was rebellious, she experienced everything on her own. As the second oldest she went through a lot of trial and error, but we learn the best from our own mistakes, right?
 

3. Find yourself. When being asked why she was leaving Hillman, Denise responded by saying..."And who am I? An industrious young woman who wants to examine life without...pressure!" Enough said.
 

4. Stand for what you believe in. No matter how silly Denise may have sounded justifying her actions or lack thereof she was confident and bold when giving her answers to the many questions. She believed in herself so much that her quirky responses rolled off of her tongue naturally.
 

5. Wear what you like. Denise's style was free-spirited, bohemian,and eccentric much like her personality. Denise made her life choices just like she made her fashion choices, based upon what she liked, not based upon other people's opinions.

Over the weekend, Kristin and I went to free Sunday's at the museum. We ate lunch, looked at wonderful exhibits and then mimosas for me and beer for Kristin. Because I was already so inspired by Denise I decided to draw some style inspiration from her for the trip to the museum. This is what I wore.

Stay tuned for our next Iconic Style series next Thursday. The stylish woman I am spotlighting loved her hats and her curly hair. Can you guess who she is?

Be Blessed! Be Free! Be Fashionable!

Chris