The New Black Vanguard

By Abby

Entering the Cleveland Museum of Art on Friday, May 6th, felt a bit surreal. That evening the art was not framed behind glass, but, rather, walking, talking, and dancing to the music flooding out of the DJ’s booth. That evening was the grand opening of an exhibit that melds photography, art and fashion: The New Black Vanguard.

The exhibit features images from prominent and emerging Black photographers. These photographers often work with Black models, stylists and designers. While this exhibit has been featured in other cities, Cleveland made it special by adding live models. The models gracefully displayed the creations of three stylists from the show: Jermaine Daley, Daniel Obasi, and Arielle Bobb-Willis, each of whom created a unique look to emphasize the importance of stylists in fashion photography.

Many of the guests really stole the show though, in my opinion. Below are just a few of the many amazing people who came out to support this incredible compilation of combined talents that represents The New Black Vanguard.

The Black Vanguard photography exhibit is at the Cleveland Museum of Art through Sept. 11, 2022. Don’t miss it.

Mid-winter shimmer and shine

By Elle

My granddaughters who are between 3 and 5 years old love Shimmer and Shine, two spunky cartoon genies, one of whom has a particular penchant for glitter.  (That’s Shimmer, and she’s my favorite.)

Those two genies came to mind a few weeks back when I pulled out my fiber shawl, by MZ Beads, to wear to the art museum . I love how the metallic fibers shimmer in the light and give my spirit a lift during these mid-winter days.

What I wore today: Fringe-y Funk

By Abby 

Whimsical Abby

With so many grey January days upon us, I decided to add a bit of color and whimsy to my look. I was headed to the art museum with the family, and since we’re a funky bunch, I didn’t stand out too much.

The centerpiece of my look was a knit hat, by Steve Madden, that boasts a rainbow of colors, metallic threads and long fringe-y strands of yarn that nicely co-mingle with my long braids. Elle originally bought the hat for my daughter. Lucky for me I have the same size head as a four-year-old, so I’ve been wearing it all winter, and she’s been going bare-headed (just kidding).

To bring out the metallic notes in the hat, I wore my new diffuser pendant necklace, filled with jasmine oil. (At Christmas, Elle received a diffuser pendant necklace from her beloved; I was immediately jealous and had to have one.  Goddess Blessed in Lakewood came through for me, and I now have one, too. So there.)

A pair of Rugged Outback boots added to my fun, wintry look, and the faux fur means that no animals were hurt so that my feet can stay warm and dry. (I got these for a steal at a nearby Payless shoe store that was going out of business back in June.)

A pair of giant, gold hoops completed my outfit, proof that you can stay cozy during cold weather and maintain a rosy look (and outlook) with lots of color and whimsy. Take that, January!

How to transition your wardrobe from winter to spring

By Elle

Spring is officially here, according to the calendar, but the days, at least in Northeast Ohio, are still chilly — and today was downright frigid. Although we are eager to bust out our spring things and tuck our woolies deep into the closet, a move like that can be dangerously premature. OK, maybe not dangerous, but certainly premature.

Here’s how I put together one outfit to wear on a recent March day:

They laugh alike, they walk alike…

By Abby and Elle
… at times they even talk alike…. And just like Patty Duke and her cousin Cathy (if you’re old enough to remember the Patty Duke Show, you’ll know what we’re talking about), we even, at times, dress alike.

As we mentioned in a previous post, How I’m wearing these classy, colorful cubes, we have been meeting at the Cleveland Museum of Art for the past six Saturdays, so that our little ones can stretch their creative muscles in their respective art classes.

This past weekend we showed up looking twin-like — maybe a little like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, though way better looking and with more fashion sense.

A powerful punch of texture and color

By Elle

One of my colleagues gave me this extraordinary rope scarf for the holidays, and I was immediately smitten. For one, I love the earthy colors, and for two, I love how it gives any outfit a powerful punch of texture and color.