Jazz artists pf the 1930s and 1940s became the unequivocal trendsetters of their generation. One such irrefutable music and fashion guru was Lady Day otherwise known as Billie Holiday. Changing the face of the music industry Holiday was the first female front woman to work on stage with white musicians lending her vocal talents to the Archie Shaw band.
Lady Days life was not without tragedy, becoming a prostitute at the tender age of 13, Holiday was forced to work in the nightclubs of Harlem as her mother fell sick. With a penchant for hard drugs Holidays rise to fame came to an almost unprecedented end when she was convicted and imprisoned for possession of illegal drugs.
Perhaps in some ways Holiday will always be the peoples tragic heroine but when we truly listen to her raw unusual vocals its not with sympathy we should respond but rather celebration of the wonderful tenacity of a woman who fought the social norms and her own demons for her entire career. Her style harmoniously matched her stage presence. Adorned in pearls, gowns and her trademark gardenias Holiday rounded off her look with dark red lips and high arched brows. Holidays style was marked with a polished elegance, a style that hearkens to an era gone by.
No comments:
Post a Comment