When Fashion Danced
This unprecedented volume documents the work of African American
fashion designer Stephen Burrows—celebrating
some of the most innovative and vibrant years in American Fashion.
Stephen Burrows, the first internationally successful African-American designer, has been shown with a first large-scale exhibition of his works at the Museum of City of New York, till July 28th. More than 50 of his designs, including a chromatically colored jersey jumpsuit that Cher head on a Vogue photo shoot, or the gold chain gown that Farah Fawcett wore at the Oscar ceremony in 1978 have been reported in this volume.
"I like basic colors-the colors of toys. Clothes should be
like toys; clothes are playthings" declared Mr. Burrows in 1978.
Many essays offers a unique perspective into the work of a designer at the height of his creative powers: Daniela Morera, journalist and curator of the volume, presents a perspective focused on a new kind of femininity characterized by the freedom with light and fluid fabrics and an instinctive sense of color, Glenn O'Brien explores the reciprocity between Burrows' designs and the New York City art scene; how Burrows got from Newark to Fifth Avenue, is the subject of Laird Persson's essay; while Magidson's introduction is a vivid depiction of the renegade
clothing environment of the New York City of the late 1960s,
the creative landscape in which Burrows began his career.
essays by Susan Henshaw Jones, Laird Persson, Phyllis Magidson, Daniela Morera, Glenn O'Brien
Skira Rizzoli Publications, Inc.
26 x 20 cm, 175 pp, 50 euro
Posted on: Thursday, July 4th, 2013