Friday 23 February 2018

Just Blaq

"The joy of dressing is an art."

- John Galliano

So with the release of the much hyped movie 'Black Panther' I decided to put together an outfit in tribute to the box office hit; yes, prior to actually watching the movie. It was a tough choice between wearing cultural printed cloth or an all black outfit, I went for all black (not to worry, this Spring I'll be featuring a lot of African inspired outfits).

Though at the time of shooting this outfit I had not yet seen the movie, I had my ideas about the kind of outfit that would represent it. When I think of black panther, I think of the Black Power Movement of the 60s and 70s; the fight for equality, during times of injustice and overt racism, not just in America, but globally. In fact, my outfits leans more towards the 'fashion' choices of the Black Panther Party, rather than the black panther movie.

Image: David Fenton/ Getty Images

I decided to use a mixture of textures, but ensured that black leather (albeit faux leather) was prominent, if anything the main feature. I paired this faux leather biker skirt from H&M, with a cold shoulder ribbed top from Boohoo.com. I'd long been wanting to wear this faux leather beret (which I feel is well associated with black panther party) and thought it looked nice with the outfit. I added this cool studded bucket bag from Zara and perspex heel ankle boots from Public Desire, as the perfect finishing touches. The only thing missing, my big gravity-defying afro!

Even though this is not a complete homage to the movie, I'll attempt to create a look again, sticking to the theme... the movie! Though I must say, putting together this outfit and writing this post has enabled me to learn so much more about The Black Power Movement and the Black Panther Party, especially the unjust black people faced during that period. Whilst racism still exist all over the world, although now more covert, I'm glad we are living in better times. Much has improved, but we still have a long way to go.