These Are Hands Down the Best Dressed Black Politicians
Queen Latifah’s Best Hair Looks Through the Years
The Black Man Behind The Quarter-Zip Movement Explains the Deeper Purpose Behind It All
Do You Know Zelda Wynn Valdes, The Black Designer Who Helped Shape The Legendary Playboy Look?
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BNYFW: Nigerian Label Maki Oh Made This Fashion Week #BlackGirlMagical
We really didn’t think last week could get any better—or blacker—as we prepared ourselves for the hype-worthy phenomenon that is Black Panther while also stalking New York Fashion Week 2018 to see what—and who—our best and brightest were sending down the runways in their Fall/Winter collections. So imagine our surprise that one of the most…
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Digging the Dora Milaje? Then Love the Dahomey Women Warriors
It is all Black Panther everything all Presidents Day weekend here at The Root.(That’s no coincidence, by the way. Wakanda forever!) At this point, all of our staff has seen the film—some of us, multiple times. That said, we realize that not all of you have, so gird your loins, because we’re about to talk…
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Don’t Play With Our Emotions: Black Panther and Queer Representation
It’s been a while since I was so excited for a movie that I saw it twice in its opening week. While waiting to prepurchase tickets for Black Panther, I developed an unhealthy obsession with Fandango, and my wallet wept when the Funko POP! figures were released. I was excited to go to Wakanda, y’all,…
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Legacy, Legacy, Legacy: What Best Befits a Civil Rights Icon?
As we wrap up the biannual phenomenon known as New York Fashion Week, we find ourselves overwhelmed by the amount of new fashion and trends we saw on the runways, forecasting what is to come in Fall/Winter 2018. But since we here at The Glow Up sit at the intersection of Fashion Week and Black…
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Heavy Metal: How Jeweler Douriean Armored and Adorned Black Panther
“It’s surreal. I still don’t think I’ve fully processed or fully understand what impact this movie is going to have on people’s lives. So I’m excited.” —Douriean Jewelry designer and metalsmith Douriean Fletcher—who designs and retails simply as Douriean—is having the kind of breakthrough moment most artists can’t even begin to dream of. Handpicked by…
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A Read on Our Style: Constance C.R. White Presents How to Slay
Constance C.R. White’s new book, How to Slay: Inspiration From the Kings & Queens of Black Style, is well worth the read. White, an award-winning journalist who has served as editor of the New York Times Style section, Elle, Essence and, most recently, Zinc magazine, has now set her sights on documenting something unquantifiable and…
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#BNYFW: Inside Fashion Designer Samantha Black’s Bey-Line to Success
What happens when a young designer wakes up to find Beyoncé wearing her clothes? Samantha Black, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based designer of ready-to-wear line Sammy B., can tell you: “My phone was blowing up.” Why? While Black was asleep, dreaming up sexy leisurewear worthy of Queen Bey to wear on her private jet, Instagram caught fire.…
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Gucci, Forever 21 and the Case of the Green and Red Stripes
Gucci and Forever 21 are at odds in a legal war over use of the Italian fashion house’s recognizable green-red-and-green and blue-red-and-blue striping designs on clothing the fast-fashion retailer is offering for sale in its stores and on its website. According to the Fashion Law blog, Forever 21—which is no stranger to accusations of being…
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From Wannabes to Wakanda: Ruth E. Carter Costumes Our Cultural Consciousness
Ruth E. Carter’s résumé reads like a list of iconic favorites from contemporary black cinema. In the 30 years since her first film, Spike Lee’s 1988 hit, School Daze, the Oscar- and Emmy-nominated costume designer has amassed more than 60 film and television credits, including I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988); Do the Right Thing (1989);…
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Call Me by My Name: Danai Gurira Writes About the Importance of Identity for Glamour Magazine
Fun fact: There was about a decade of my life where I didn’t like to be called by my given name. After an early childhood of correcting anyone who dared mispronounce it, I spent most of grammar school feeling burdened by a name seemingly so difficult, no one could be bothered to learn to say…