Soul Style: Black Women Redefining the Color of Fashion.

SoulStyle: Black Women Redefining the Color of Fashion by Duane Thomas Universe Publishing, April 2000, $45.00, ISBN 0-789-30466-X

When you hear the names Mary J. Blige, Patti LaBelle and Ella Fitzgerald, does it bring to mind scintillating images of these dynamic divas? What about the Marvelettes, En Vogue and the many other sultry singers from the past seven decades? Take a behind-the-scenes look at how these and other pop culture icons have influenced fashion trends from the 1930s to the present in Thomas' new collection.

Soul Style is a full-color, photographic journey into a century of black beauty as it was shaped by our media icons. It is as colorfully written as the women are stunningly depicted. Thomas and his cohorts lead the reader from one decade of camera-ready entertainers and supermodels to the next. Headliners include Dorothy Dandridge, Josephine Baker, Lena Horne, Halle Berry, Erykah Badu and Destiny's Child. Thomas places each within her historical context while describing the fashion characteristics that propelled her look into prominence.

Thomas documents how African and African American women have influenced shifting concepts of beauty. His writing indudes mention of big beautiful women from Star Jones to Oprah. However, photos of these and other full figured beauties through the decades are limited or omitted. In a few instances where photos are included, they are only the headshots that mask their voluptuous figures. Full-page photos are generally reserved for women whose body types resemble the sleek Euro shapes so commonly identified with contemporary beauty. Yet, in spite of these omissions, SoulStyle is a welcomed addition to the study of fashion and its debt to black beauty.

Kathleen DeQuence Anderson lives in Massachusetts and is on staff at a regional high school library.