What We Wore to the Black-and-White Ball

In the July issue of Glamour (one of our fave magazines), there was a shoot with Janelle Monae, a soulful singer and fashion maven, known to wear almost exclusively black and white outfits. I know a lot of people associate black and white with Truman Capote or Audrey Hepburn, but I think it's definitely still awesome with frontrunners like Janelle Monae.  I tried my own interpretations - here they are!


I thought this looked more classically black-and-white, and more ladylike, channeling Audrey for sure.  Patent-leather kitten heels, a white sundress, and a black sash.  I also tied my hair in an unfussy knot, and my makeup was demure (eyeliner only on the top lid, mascara, foundation, lip balm).  Honestly, it wasn't that comfortable, and I wasn't about to put on a big floppy hat to go to the races.  A mint julep would be nice, though.



This is my salute to Ms. Monae and her wonderful re-interpretation of Capote's Black and White Ball.  There's still a sliver of femininity, but it's much more powerful, with a men's blazer, faux-croc cluth (how fab is that? It's from ModCloth) and velvet heels with zippers by Steve Madden.  Her style advice? Red lips, or nails, or shoes.

So, what do you think? Have we succeeded in re-telling this classic tale? Send us your awesome black-and-white outfits here, or find us on Twitter.



(Special thanks to my photographer, Will, my younger brother. You're awesome - TEAM WILL.)