theGrio Style Guide: The most powerful stylists, Fe Noel for Target, and Law Roach for T.J. Maxx
This week in style, Robin Givhan gets the Fashion Visionary Award, Megan Thee Stallion’s back, and the 2023 Jordan Women's Collective is introduced.
Let’s give it up for celebrity stylists! Stylists are the unsung heroes of both the fashion and entertainment worlds, bringing their unique vision and expertise to transform a simple outfit into a statement-making ensemble. With the ability to mix and match different pieces, fabrics, and colors with precision and ingenuity, they can elevate a celebrity’s red carpet look, launch a new trend, or even launch an entirely new era of fashion.
And the Hollywood Reporter highlighted some of this year’s style powerhouses in their annual “Most Powerful Hollywood Stylist” list. Amongst the 25 stylists highlighted were the masterminds behind some of Black Hollywood’s best red carpet moments of 2022-’23, like Jennifer Austin, who “did the thing” with her longtime client Angela Bassett’s wardrobe. Similarly, the list highlighted Kollin Carter, the stylist responsible for Cardi B’s striking sculptural, royal blue ensemble seen at the 2023 Grammys, among other memorable looks. Wayman Bannerman, Micah McDonald, Jason Bolden, and Law Roach were also recognized for their role as storytellers, using clothes to convey messages and narratives that resonate with their audience.
Megan Thee Stallion turned heads at The Hollywood Reporter’s Power Stylists dinner, wearing a vintage Paco Rabanne two-piece outfit styled by Roach. The Grammy-winning rapper gave a sultry ’70s vibe in the slinky gold satin ensemble, which featured a cinched brassiere with a chained neckline and flared pants with a flirty jeweled cut-out at the waist. Completing the look, Megan draped a white fur over her shoulders and wore a voluminous curly afro. Sharing a full-length picture on Instagram, she struck a confident pose while Roach joined her for a few snaps. This collaboration was widely perceived as one of his final celebrity looks before stepping away from styling.
Law Roach, Maxxinista?
Amongst stylists’ many superpowers is the power to change how we perceive fashion. Though he memorably announced his retirement from celebrity styling a few weeks ago, Roach continues doing just that.
The celebrated Hollywood stylist and image architect has partnered with T.J. Maxx to help “reintroduce the world” to the affordable designer fashion offered by The Runway at T.J. Maxx. Through this partnership, Roach aims to make luxury fashion accessible to everyone. As he told People magazine, he considers the project a full-circle moment.
“One of my very first designer purchases was from T.J. Maxx. When I was a student in New York, me and my best friend went into [the store]. We saw these sweaters, and they were at the right price. I still remember being proud to own a little piece of high fashion,” Roach said. “T.J. Maxx has always been there for us.”
A firm believer that personal style supersedes following trends both in fashion and in life, Roach shocked fans with his retirement announcement. Now he is redirecting his expertise and making everyday shoppers his newest clientele. While he plans to use his time away to enjoy his family and learn more about himself, he continues to dream big.
“”Maybe one day I’ll be the actual face of T.J. Maxx, be in all the commercials, and invite people to be Maxxinistas,” he said. “You never know.”
Fe Noel joins Target’s new Spring Designer Collection
“Make life beautiful” in Fe Noel’s collaboration with Target’s Spring Designer Collection. The limited-time collection features Noel’s designs alongside fellow women-founded brands Agua Bendita and RHODE, showcasing over 100 pieces of warm-weather apparel and accessories priced between $15-$48, with most items under $35. Fe Noel’s designs for Target continue the retail conglomerate’s mission to offer some of the world’s best designers at reasonable prices.
“These are bold, distinctive, women-founded brands inspired by their own roots and cultures, and I know our guests will absolutely love them,” said Target’s executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, Jill Sando.
In her eponymous brand, founder Felisha Noel infuses her designs with the lively energy of her Caribbean heritage and feminine touches. She shares that there are “little touches of Grenada throughout” the collection. Shop the collection on Target.com and select stores starting April 15 while supplies last.
Jordan Brand celebrates a new era of women driving sneaker culture in its 2023 Jordan Women’s Collective
Jordan Brand has announced its 2023 North America Jordan Women’s Collective, comprised of 11 community builders, creatives, and culture shifters from New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The group embodies the brand’s values of community over competition, societal advancement, and evolving the Jumpman to represent a brand also for, with, and by women. Jordan Brand aims to amplify women’s contributions to basketball and sneaker culture through storytelling, unique experiences, and brand integrations while fostering an ecosystem of women supporting women.
“The Jordan Women’s Collective is so exciting to me because we’re able to see Black and Brown women in major cities be able to show how important they are to basketball and sneaker culture in so many different ways. I love that you don’t have to be an athlete to participate and change the culture around sports,” said Jess Sims, Peloton instructor and ESPN College Game-Day host, in a press release. “The Collective is made up of so many different women who bring such unique backgrounds, ideas, and perspectives to the table. Women are such an important driving force towards positive change in the streetwear community, and I’m happy that Jordan continues to champion and support these women to help move the culture forward to become a more inclusive space for everyone.”
The 2023 class will participate in intentional activities and experiences throughout the year and have unprecedented access to Jordan Brand athletes, including Sims, Isabelle Harrison, Sheryl Swoopes, and more.
Pratt to honor Robin Givhan with Fashion Visionary Award
Pratt Institute is gearing up to honor Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion journalist and Washington Post’s Senior Critic-at-Large Robin Givhan during this spring’s Pratt Shows: Fashion, Women’s Wear Daily reports.
The event, slated for May 10, will celebrate Givhan and her status as one of fashion’s essential voices by presenting her with Pratt’s Fashion Visionary Award. Pratt was moved to honor her because of the diverse range she’s brought to fashion criticism, including race, politics, and art.
Glorilla x Tommy Hilfiger
Tommy Jeans has teamed up with London-based luxury streetwear brand Aries for a new collection featuring Memphis rapper GloRilla as one of the faces of the campaign. The collection pays homage to Tommy Hilfiger’s legacy, reappropriating the brand’s iconic logo in the now-classic Aries fashion. The genderless collection draws inspiration from ’90s skate and hip-hop culture and features eye-catching graphics, bold designs, and neon green accents. Derived from post-consumer waste and surplus materials, the sustainable counterpart to the collection, Tommy x Aries: Remade, includes pieces inspired by the individual components of each garment. GloRilla, known for her viral 2022 hit “F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” is revitalizing the legacy of Memphis crunk music — and now Tommy Hilfiger.
“It’s refreshing to me because I love the old-school and being able to bring it to my generation,” Glorilla told Paper Magazine.
The collection is available at select Tommy Jeans stores and on Tommy.com.
KidSuper shows love to art legend Whitfield Lovell in new fashion campaign
Brooklyn-based fashion brand KidSuper is honoring creative legends in its newest collection. For its Spring/Summer 2023 collection, the brand chose acclaimed artist Whitfield Lovell as its campaign model, wearing designs by founder Colm Dillane in his East Village art studio. In addition to rocking the artist-inspired KidSuper collection, Lovell is celebrating the kickoff of his national museum exhibition tour. Inviting viewers to contemplate the larger human quest for equality and the pursuit of a better life that crosses beyond time and geography, the immersive, multisensory exhibit, entitled “Whitfield Lovell: Passages,” is a continuation of Lovell’s focus on lost African American history.
“I see history as being very much alive. One day, 100 years from now, people will be talking about us as history. The way I think about time is very different – I don’t think it really was very long ago that these things happened, it wasn’t that long ago that my grandmother’s grandmother was a slave,” said Lovell in a press release. “The ancient Native American principles say it takes seven generations to overcome a tragedy, so in this context of generations, we can begin to grasp why we are at this point we are living in now.”
The first stop of the tour is the Boca Raton Museum of Art in South Florida, where it will exhibit until May 21.
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