Black Fashion and Style Books- For Us By Us, About Us...

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I love to read and have been reading since I was potty trained. I grew up at a time of Scholastic book fairs and I started off reading the same books girls my age were reading- The BabySitter's Club, Sweet Valley High, Judy Blume and even some Nancy Drew... But at some point around the age of nine or ten, two things happened- I somehow discovered "Pimp" by Iceberg Slim and I snuck and read my mother's copy of "Waiting to Exhale" by Terri McMillan. I wanted to read the Terri McMillan because the cover art featured the abstract black faces with vibrant geometric shapes for clothes and hats. I still don't remember who introduced me to Iceberg, but I spent a lot of time in libraries when I was in elementary so who knows- I probably discovered it myself.

Black Fashion and Style Books
It doesn't matter how I got put on, but once I finished those two books I discovered a whole new love for reading and writing. "Pimp" was written in a pre- hip hop purple prose that I could understand and although I was far removed from the scenarios that happened in the book, all the words and characters seemed to jump out at me, violently grab me and held me hostage into their world. "Waiting to Exhale" was familiar as well- it felt like overhearing gossip at the family reunions or from the children's table during holidays, whispers and codes spoken in hair salons that I was too young to understand but used context clues to figure out.

If Pimp was hip hop, then Waiting to Exhale was a smooth mix of R&B and jazz- which I wasn't ready for but I could appreciate cause of how grown up it all was.  Anyway it opened me up to the "Black World" section as they call our space in libraries and bookstores and now that's all I do in my downtime is read books of all types- chick lit, street lit, bios and autobiographies of my favorite rappers and entertainers, certain self help books, something related to history, books on fashion and style and whatever else has a good cover and catches my eye.  

I love reading about fashion and style and I have read all about high fashion designers, popular wardrobe stylists and such, but I could not find many about Black people and our contributions to the industry which was frustrating as hell. So I came up with this list of Black fashion and style related books for us, by us, about us because I could not find one when I was looking. Some of them are old and outdated, at least one was published just last month, but they are here and I will keep adding more as I discover them. I've read about half of the list and I have my eyes on several that I will include in my book wish list. Which titles have you read?

Icons
​Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of  Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe by Deborah Blumenthal
A.L.T.: A Memoir by Andre Leon Talley
​The Face that Changed it All by Beverly Johnson
Walking with the Muses: Am Memoir by Pat Cleveland
​Threads of Time, The Fabric of History: Profiles of African American Dressmakers and Designers from 1850 to Present by Rosemary Reed Miller
​Skin Deep: Inside the World of Black Fashion Models by Barbara Summers
​Something to Prove A Biography of Ann Lowe America's Forgotten Designer by Julia Faye Dockery Smith

For the Culture
The Birth of Cool: Style Narratives of the African Diaspora by Carol Tulloch
African Catwalk by Per-Anders-Pettersson
​Haute Africa: People. Photography. Fashion by Christophe de Jaegher and Ramona van Gansbeke
​Fashion Illustration Africa by Tapiwa Matsinde
Liberated Threads: Black Women, Style, and the Global Politics of Soul by Tanisha C Ford
Fashion Africa by Jaqueline Shaw
Africa Rising: Fashion, Design and Lifestyle from Africa by Clara Le Fort
New African Fashion by Helen Jennings
Africa is in Style by Berenice Geoffroy-Schneiter

Vintage Style
​The Battle of Versailles by Robin Givhan
The Way We Wore: Black Style Then by Michael McCullom
Vintage Black Glamour Nichelle Gainer
Back in the Days by Jamel Shabazz
​Stylin: African American Expressive Culture, from It's Beginning to the Zoot Suit by Shane White
​Vintage Black Glamour: Gentlemen's Quarters by Nichelle Gainer

Image Makers
How to Slay: Inspiration from the Queens and Kings of Black Style by Constance White
Soul Style: Black Women Redefining the Color of Fashion by Duane Thomas
Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity by Monica L Miller
Lo-Life: An American Classic by Jackson Blount and George "Rack-Lo" Billips
​​​​Black Style by Carol Tulloch
Posing Beauty: African American Images from the 1890s to the Present by Deborah Willis
Shirt Kings: Pioneers of Hip Hop Fashion by Edwin Phade Sacasa and Alan Ket Mariduena
Dandy Lion: The Black Dandy and Street Style by Shantrelle P. Lewis
Free Stylin': How Hip Hop Changed the Fashion Industry (Hip Hop in America) by Elena Romero
Stylenoir: The First How to Guide to Fashion Written with Black Women In Mind by Constance White
The Style Checklist: The Ultimate Wardrobe Essentials for You by Lloyd Boston
Effortless Style by June Ambrose
Everyday Beauty (Double Exposure) by Robin Givhan

Miscellaneous
The End of Fashion: How Marketing Changed the Clothing Business Forever by Teri Agins
Hijacking the Runway by Teri Agins
​​The Perfect Find by Tia Williams
The Accidental Diva by Tia Williams

​So- which books will you put on your reading list? Leave your answers in the comments below!