theGrio Style Guide: Grace Jones returns to fashion, Italy’s Black Carpet Awards, and fresh Savage x Fenty
In this week’s Style Guide, we wind down Fashion Month, Angela Bassett reflects on her red carpet style, and Black beauty reigns on March and April magazine covers.
Last Friday in Milan, in the midst of the city’s Fashion Week, Black talent in the Italian fashion industry received their due.
During the first-ever Black Carpet Awards, an event organized by the Afro Fashion Association to highlight and celebrate creative and/or entrepreneurial leaders of change who represent marginalized communities, ten individuals were awarded for their contributions to their respective fields. The event managed to draw an elite crowd, including fashion industry titans like Vogue’s Anna Wintour and Edward Enninful, designer Shayne Oliver, and more.
According to Women’s Wear Daily, half of the winners were selected by a jury led by talent scout and founder of the Afro Fashion Association Michelle Francine Ngonmo, while the other half were selected via online voting and dubbed “People’s Choice.” Winners selected by the jury included film director Fred Kuwornu, singer-songwriter David Blank, Executive director of Festival Divercity Andi Nganso, designer Edward Buchanan, and chef Victoire Gouloubi. The “People’s Choice” winners were TikTok star Khaby Lame and designers Sarah Kamsu, Daphne Di Cinto, Tia Taylor and Nadeesha Uyangoda.
Per WWD, Buchanan, who won the Leader of Change Legacy award, shared his experience of arriving in Italy 27 years ago to helm Bottega Veneta, fresh out of Parsons School of Design — and the racism he was met with from the second he stepped off of the plane.
Ngonmo said the Black Carpet Awards were about celebrating “all stories.”
“Diversity and inclusion are not synonyms and certainly are not abstract concepts … they are an integral part of our daily life,” she said, later adding, “[the aim is to be] altogether, sitting at the same table and joining forces, to discuss the beauty of diversity and how it is a crucial factor for heritage culture and for the economic growth of society.”
Milan Fashion Week continued what has come to be known as Fashion Month, full of buzzy fashion campaigns or viral style moments — not to mention an ongoing awards season. In this week’s Style Guide, we are gobsmacked by Grace Jones’ recent shoot for Wolford’s Spring 2023 collection, musing over Angela Bassett’s red carpet style, feasting our eyes upon the latest Black magazine covers, and more.
At 74, Grace Jones becomes the face of Wolford
Grace Jones is the epitome of the word “legendary.” The Jamaican model, singer, and actress, who has been in the industry since she was just 13 years old, clearly knows a thing or two about longevity. Because of this, the luxury brand Wolford tapped the septuagenarian to be its newest face — and body. The partnership debuted with images from Wolford’s Spring 2023 collection featuring Jones effortlessly looking as though no time has passed since some of her most famous images from the ‘70s and ‘80s.
According to the brand, per People magazine, the 2023 campaign is “celebrating longevity and timeless style with a sharpened brand vision, one that focuses on the go-to wardrobe pieces that are timeless, ageless, and designed with longevity in mind.”
AAFCA hosts its 14th Awards Ceremony
While many award shows are trying to avoid the lack of diversity labels, there’s nothing like an awards show created for us, by us. Founded in 2003, the African American Film Critics Association is on a mission to amplify Black voices in film, arts, and entertainment. While reviewing cinema-at-large, the AAFCA pays particular attention to movies and television highlighting the Black experience, especially those written, produced, or directed by the community.
As previously reported by theGrio, on Wednesday, the AAFCA hosted its 14th AAFCA Awards, where “The Woman King” triumphantly reigned and Will Smith made a return to the spotlight to accept the AAFCA’s Beacon Award. Moments before those iconic wins, stars walked the red carpet; see them all in our gallery below.
Angela Bassett attends the 14th Annual AAFCA Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on March 01, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Meagan Good attends the 14th Annual AAFCA Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on March 01, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
L-R) Viola Davis and Julius Tennon attend the 14th Annual AAFCA Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on March 01, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Danielle Deadwyler attends the 14th Annual AAFCA Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on March 01, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Ryan Coogler attends the 14th Annual AAFCA Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on March 01, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Omarion attends the 14th Annual AAFCA Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on March 01, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Jay Ellis attends the 14th Annual AAFCA Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on March 01, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Jalyn Hall attends the 14th Annual AAFCA Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on March 01, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Vanessa Bell Calloway attends the 14th Annual AAFCA Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on March 01, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Nikyatu Jusu attends the 14th Annual AAFCA Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on March 01, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Nicole Brown attends the 14th Annual AAFCA Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on March 01, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Angela Bassett says she feels most beautiful when ‘all eyes are on [her]’
Unlike many who feel their best in intimate settings, the eternally gorgeous Angela Bassett reveals the red carpet is her confidence cocoon. This week, the award-winning actress shared that the step-and-repeat is where she feels the most beautiful.
“Definitely on the carpets […] You and your team just have put together a lot of effort, a lot of thought, into where you’re going and what the event is,” Bassett told People at the CDGA Awards. “And that’s what you want: to feel your most best because all eyes are on you. So definitely, the carpet is a place where I feel most beautiful.”
This year, “beautiful” doesn’t even begin describe the Oscar-nominated “Wakanda Forever” star’s red carpet looks. Bassett’s fashion has consistently made a statement, from her vibrant yellow Giambattista Valli Couture gown at the SAG awards to her dazzling Pamella Roland look at the Golden Globes.
“I enjoy the process of finding [fashion looks]. It’s almost like music when you have the tuning fork, and you’re trying to find the right note,” the veteran film star shared.
Nordstrom Teams With The Folklore Group to Grow Black-owned Brands
Continuing its commitment to diversifying the fashion marketplace, Nordstrom is partnering with The Folklore Group. This new collaboration will expose Nordstrom’s buyers to fashion, lifestyle, and other emerging market brands founded by people of color through The Folklore Connect platform.
Savage x Fenty forecasts a sexy spring with its March drop
Tired of all of this bizarre end-of-winter weather? Savage x Fenty has what you need to summon spring. New spring-themed styles across the brand’s lingerie and lounge lines have just dropped. According to a release to theGrio, through both new colorways and patterns, the collections play with the dichotomy between the cheerful and bright and the dark and seductive.
The latest drop, available to shop online now, ranges in price from $10.95 to $84.95 if a VIP member, and $14.95 to $109.95 for regular shoppers.
The return of Fenty x Puma is upon us
Skai Jackson becomes the face of Cacharel’s new empowering fragrance
Actress Skai Jackson is rejoicing about becoming the face of Cacharel’s new and empowering fragrance, Yes I Am Bloom Up!. The fragrance has been formulated with fruity and floral notes, putting a springtime spin on the line’s original, more spicy signature scent. Yes I Am Bloom Up has also been packaged in the Yes I Am collection’s iconic lipstick-shaped bottle.
Jackson told People the scent “automatically” puts her in a good mood and also gushed about how much she enjoyed working with the brand.
“I’ve always been a fan of the brand, not for just the products that they put out, but just everything that they stand for. What they do behind the scenes, helping uplift young girls and empowering each other, that’s just everything that I align with in my life. I’m super excited to be a part of the family,” Jackson said.
The new fragrance is currently available at JCPenney online and in-store for $42-$68.
Black creatives covers March and April magazines
This week we were blessed with a plethora of Black faces staring back at us from the newsstands. Tinashe dives deep underwater for Numero Netherlands, Johnathan Majors is blue for The Observer, Kelela divulges what it’s like to be everybody’s secret, Naomi Campbell brings her supermodel talents to the cover of Vogue India, Tracee Ellis Ross poses for CRWNMAG’s Beauty Bible and more.
Kerry Washington covers Marie Claire’s Identity issue. (Photo: Marie Claire)
Justice Smith covers L’Officiel’s March issue. (Photo credit: L’Officiel)
Tracee Ellis Ross covers CRWNMAG’s Beauty Bible. (Photo credit: CRWNMAG)
Tinashe plunges to new depths for the cover of Numero Netherlands magazine. (Photo credit: Numero Netherlands)
Johnathan Majors gets blue for the cover of The Observer. (Photo credit: The Observer)
Kelela covers Harper’s Bazar Australia/New Zealand. (Photo credit: Harper’s Bazar)
Supermodel Naomi Campbell graces the cover of Vogue India. (Photo credit: Vogue India)
Danielle Deadwyler covers W magazine. (Photo credit: W magazine)
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