Defining fabulous: celebrating 50 years of the Ebony Fashion Fair

THE MAJESTIC CHICAGO THEATRE buzzes with electricity as the hottest ticket in Black fashion is set to hit the stage. Restless teens and twenty-somethings sport Baby Phat and Juicy Couture, while young professionals are decked out in Gucci, Tahari and BCBG. More mature Sisters show off their latest St. John knits.

As curtain time nears, people scurry to their seats. The show is sold out. In the front rows are media personalities, politicians, corporate executives, designers, fashionistas and other luminaries in the Black community.

The house lights dim. The stage comes alive. Hi-tech lighting paints the audience. Hip-hop rhythms move the crowd to bop in anticipation.

It is show time.

For the next two hours, and amid thunderous applause, Ebony Fashion Fair models showcase the latest in designer attire and dazzling creations from top design houses of Europe and the United States. Missoni, Roberto Cavalli, Tracy Reese, Christian Lacroix, Valentino, b michael and Oscar de la Renta. The best of the best are here.

Long before Black models graced the covers of fashion magazines and walked the runways for couture houses, Ebony Fashion Fair was showcasing Black beauty personified by gorgeous models in the latest designer ensembles.

Long before Beverly Johnson and Iman became fashion industry names--before Tyra and Naomi were even born--Black models were taking high fashion to Black communities across the country via the Ebony Fashion Fair.

Long before well-to-do Black women were invited to top designer shows, Ebony Fashion Fair producer/director Eunice W. Johnson was knocking down doors and forging relationships with legendary designers, including Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino.

HOW WE GOT HERE

For 50 exciting years, the Ebony Fashion Fair show has helped to redefine Black beauty and open doors for today's fashion luminaries. Then, as now, Mrs. Johnson was a trailblazer. Her life and work continue to be defined by her contributions to the world of fashion. Under her direction, Ebony Fashion Fair continues to be an exciting and colorful traveling extravaganza that dazzles audiences. During the early years, Mrs. Johnson and the show greatly impacted the fashion world by demonstrating that bright, brilliant colors can look wonderful on brown-skinned models. The successful show also showed that Black women have an innate sense of beauty and style--regardless of social or economic background.

Mrs. Johnson is a "pioneer in opening eyes to fashion," says current Ebony Fashion Fair commentator Jada Collins. "She has been a spectacular mother-figure to me, but she's also a powerful businesswoman."

International recording artist and producer Pamela Fernandez, a former Ebony Fashion Fair model and commentator, says, "I loved putting that show together, almost more than anything." One model who stood out during Fernandez's tenure was Anesha Johnson, who went on to become a successful advertising and runway model. "She had the look, the confidence, the total package. I always knew Anesha would be successful."

Says Anesha: "I am so grateful for the experience that I had with Ebony Fashion Fair. I learned how to do my makeup and hair and work the runway in various, sometimes challenging situations. The experiences I enjoyed through the fashion show have greatly prepared me for my entire modeling career." She has appeared in television ads for Hanes, Fruit of the Loom and Crest, print campaigns for Wilson Leather and Bebe Sports, and runway shows for Gianfranco Ferre and Chanel.

GIVING BACK

Five decades after the show was conceived, Ebony Fashion Fair is still the premier fashion event in Black communities nationwide. Multiple generations of Black women (and men) come together for enlightenment and entertainment. Over the years, the show--hosted by chapters of organizations that include Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta sororities, the Links and other charitable organizations--has raised more than $55 million dollars for charity.

Janet Langhart Cohen, wife of former Secretary of Defense William Cohen and a model with the show in 1962, credits Ebony Fashion Fair with giving her the self-confidence to pursue a media career. "Ebony Fashion Fair gave a small town girl like me a chance to wear beautiful clothes I had only seen in Vogue," says the author and former newscaster who heads a media company based in Washington, D.C.

"Our top model at the time was Terri [Springer], a tall beautiful woman with smooth dark skin and fine gorgeous features," continues Langhart Cohen. "Her skill and beauty on the runway wowed the audience, plus she wore bright reds, golds, oranges and white--colors that darker girls of our race had been admonished to stay away from. We all knew this was a daring taboo, but Terri would glide down the runway in all her brown-skinned beauty and bright colors. She changed the self-esteem of many darker-skinned girls, showing them that 'red is as pretty on me as on anyone else,' and gave them the courage to step out from the drab."