“Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair” opens on the 20th May and will be on show at Bellevue Arts Museum through the 14th August 2016. The Ebony Fashion Fair began in 1958 and, over the next 50 years, the traveling fashion show blossomed into an American institution that raised millions for charity, helped Johnson Publishing Company reach broader audiences, and redefined the concepts of beauty, style, and empowerment for African Americans. Show organizers overcame racial prejudice to bring the pinnacle of Europe’s premier fashion to communities that were eager to see—in real time and space—a new vision of black America that was the hallmark of Ebony and Jet magazines. Eunice Johnson took over as producer and director in 1963, and under her direction, the traveling show took on new heights as she expanded her cachet and power within fashion circles. Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair showcases nearly 100 objects including ensembles and accessories displayed on fully stylized mannequins to recreate the runway experience. The exhibition also includes archival photographs, video, and personal effects from Eunice W. Johnson to tell the full story of these unparalleled events. Among the 40 complete ensembles on view are stunning gowns, feathered coats, and sensational hats by icons of fashion such as Stephen Burrows, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Christian Lacroix, Yves Saint Laurent, Missoni, Nina Ricci, Sarli, Emanuel Ungaro, and Vivienne Westwood.

For more information, please visit Bellevue Arts Museum.

Photo: Patrick Kelly (France). “I love Fashion Scandal” evening dress, special order, fall/winter 1986. Wool knit, plastic buttons, appeared in Fashion Scandal. John Alderson © Chicago Historical Society.