Designed by Jason Wu
Designed by Isabel ToledoLet me state for the record that First Lady Michelle Obama can do no wrong in my book. She's the personification of what so many young women strive to be. She's beyond smart, by all accounts a great mom and wife and she's beautiful. Her fashion sense gets a thumbs up from me as well. I think I'm in the majority on that front. But there are those; i.e. the Black Artists Association (BAA), who don't agree with me. She chose young designer Jason Wu's evening gown for the inauguration and caught flack because he uses fur in his designs. She chose Isabel Toledo for the swearing-in. Both choices were lovely but they weren't by black designers. That's what's got the BAA in a huff. Sure, it would have been nice to have the talents of Tracy Reese and Micheal Knight on display, but those are the designs she chose. Her husband ran a campaign of unity and inclusiveness. Why can't we be happy that she chose minority designers period. Jason Wu is Asian and Isabel Toledo is Cuban. The BAA's co-founder has spoken out about what she deems is unfair. Amnau Eele says, "You know, I have an issue that every day I meet young black designers that are facing homelessness, they can't buy fabric, they can't get the things they need," she said. "We have qualified designers in the community. A young man like Michael Knight (of Project Runway) -- surely you could have worn a scarf by him, a t-shirt, a handbag." There will be other events, maybe not as big is the inaugural balls or swearing-in but, can't it be enough that there was an African-American man being sworn in and his African-American wife was holding the Bible?
Photos:starpulse.com & mlive.com
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