The Top 10 Most Stylish Black Videos

1. Are You That Somebody? - (1998)

 


This video embodies all that was great about late '90s fashion--baggy outerwear paired with tight tops and as many ponytails as you could fit on the top of your head without looking ridiculous.

cc pacifier necklaces:

Blaque

2. Rude Boy - (2010) 

  

 It's Martin meets Love is a Drug meets Boyz-- a bright, crayola box of a video styled with clothes your mother would never let you out of the house wearing. And it's flawless.

3. Runaway - (2010) 

 

We've arrived in Kanye-heaven folks which, for some reason, is full of ballerinas and enough white linen to set a Thanksgiving table. Mr. West looks divine here, in a tan suit jacket and black bow-tie dressed down with denim jeans. There isn't a bad looking person in sight.

4. I've Seen that Face Before - (1981)

 

It's Grace Jones. Enough said.

5. How Many Ways? - (1992)

 

  Here is Elizabeth Barrett Browning's sonnet set to an R&B groove. Toni Braxton looks adorable with her pixie cut tucked under an assortment of baseball caps. Also, check out Shemar Moore. He's ripped. How many ways can this video look great?

6. On to the Next One - (2009)

 

 Nobody wears a jacket quite like Jay-Z.  The quilted one here, paired with leather gloves and his signature sunglasses, nearly drips swagoo. Yeah, I said it.

7. Tightrope - (2010)

 

 In 'Tightrope,' Janelle Monae's suit is tailored within an inch of its life and her hair, deliciously pompadoured.  Watching this video always makes me want to shout out a whole bunch of adjectives. Her style is just so wonderfully James Brown/Marlene Dietrich-esque.

via

8. Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) - (2008)

 
        Beyonce is the siren of the digital age; somehow, she manages to make black leotards and android parts look luxe in 'Single Ladies'. Also, the styling is minimal, which is refreshing to see on her.
 

  Android Fashion via Obsession Magazine

9. Make it Happen - (1991)

 
Mariah Carey shows us how jeans should be worn -- tight and belted (and preferably on-stage).

10. Real Love - (1992)

     
 Fact: If you did not dress like Mary J. Blige in the '90s, you were not cool. And if you can't appreciate the baseball cap/nose ring combo here, you may not be cool today either, tbh. ;-)

  Tell me your top video in the comments.

Tights

Now is the perfect time to stock up on tights, before the cool of the fall sets in.




Evan Rachel Wood

Zooey Deschanel





Gwen Stefani



Nicki Minaj

Taylor Momsen

Oscar De La Renta Fall 2012

FYI: I'm slipping into my tights like Cyd Charisse from here on out.  

My Favorite Color

Don't pretend like gray isn't your favorite color. And if it isn't, it should be.

I wasn't always wise enough to appreciate the many shades of gray--cream pearlescence, metallic silver, charcoal, granite.... 

Over the years, in fact, I've experimented with colors on all sides of the wheel. In elementary school, I dressed my Kellys in dark purple because pink was too mainstream. Then I adored teal for awhile, because, what soulless person doesn't like teal? Somewhere in there, I swore my love to marigold. 

Anyway, after many years of soul searching and contemplation, I decided, one day, that my favorite color was gray. And so far, no hue has surpassed it yet--not okra, turquoise, or even navy blue.

Because whenever I wear slim, gray jeans, or a slate gray dress, I feel like a cloud.

Or a statue.

Or a foggy morning ;-)

In gray, I'm a shapeshifter---versatile, modest, and even quietly stunning on occasion.

InStyle Magazine, April 2012.

As we've seen from this year's runway and award shows, white, black, and red are en vogue, as they usually are and should be.

But let's not overlook the beauty of a light gray dress.

Jenny Packham, Fall 2012 (via)

What's your favorite color?

A color wheel

Cool: 2005

Gwen Stefani - Cool‏ from morimoto shintaro on Vimeo.

When it comes to music videos, this one is my favorite of all time. The mix of high and low fashion and the eclectic prints provoke a sense of nostalgia in me for some reason. It's disorienting. And I love that I can't locate the time period that the flashbacks take place in. They just exist somewhere in the ideal past, in the old world.

What's your favorite, stylish video?

Blush

When it comes to clothes, I've always preferred colors that make a statement (preferably, slapping me across the face with it :0) --dark, solar purples; bright, spring greens; or vibrant prints.

Lately, however, modest shades have held increasing appeal to me, though I've always been conservative when it comes to dressing myself.

Now I can say that I appreciate the advantages of subtlety more consciously. I have seen the light! (which guess I should have seen this sooner, as my favorite color is quite mute).

In their July 2011 issue, InStyle Magazine featured the color "Blush," a light pinkish beige, and probably one of my least favorite colors, besides red.

(InStyle, July 2011)

Blush has always reminded me of salmon (which I find disgusting), or a piece of clothing whose color was drained during a rinse cycle.

Like carefully groomed eyebrows or glossed lips, however, understated accents highlight one's beauty without being pushy about it.

One drawback is that blush may be difficult to pull off, as the wrong shade of pink can be as damaging as the wrong shade of foundation. Judging by the flattering shades of pink on the racks, though, I probably won't be running into this problem anytime soon:

(H&M, July 2011)

Happy blushing :-)

"Mignonne allons voir si la rose, qui ce matin avait déclose, sa robe de pourpre au soleil..."

*

Now that the summer is almost upon us, I'm missing the perennial blooms of spring already. Luckily, they're immortalized every year--in various forms of tank tops, skirts, slacks, and accessories. Of course, I'll never grow tired of floral fashions. And neither will the rest of the world.

The bright rose-shaped hair piece, mod print shirt, and fuschia heels are a delightful take on floral femininity.

Moschino's update of 1920s flapper fashions, complete with green plant-print hair ties and leaf-inspired dresses

Moschino ad campaign, 2004

.

Vanessa Hudgens wearing what appears to be an orchid fascinator

InStyle Magazine, March 2011

A gorgeous and reasonably priced resort dress

H&M Summer 2011

Mixed floral prints on a relaxed silhouette.

Elle Magazine, March 2011

And now, to find something for myself to wear...