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trendyclassicandvintage · 4 years

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A PASSION FOR HISTORIC FASHIONS: ANGELIQUE NOIRE

Angelique Noire: A Fashion Model who has Helped Evolutionize Pinup Imagery

In this week’s post, we are continuing our series that discusses historical fashion costumers, sewers, and enthusiasts. The subject of this week’s post is Angelique Noire, a model who has helped to contemporize pin-up girl imagery, as established by Noire at AngeliqueNoire.com. We spoke to Noire about her experiences, insights, and costume preferences. This week, we are once again getting a view inside historic fashion but through the context of present times.

To begin, Angelique Noire is actually the name of her “..persona...”, according to AngeliqueNoire.com. Prior to establishing this identity, Angelique built up a career that consisted of over a decade’s worth of experience in the fashion industry, according to AngeliqueNoire.com. She modeled for companies such as Bloomingdale’s, Betsey Johnson, Ralph Lauren, Badgley Mischka, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, and more, as detailed within the same work. Her resume includes modeling for print media and fashion runways, as well as appearances on television, in music videos, commercials, and more, as detailed at AngeliqueNoire.com.

Image Courtesy of Angelique Noire (Instagram: @the_angelique_noire)

Photographer: Guillaume Bo (Her Husband)

Presently, her focus is on her work as “Angelique Noire,” which according to the “My Work” section of AngeliqueNoire.com, is a product of “Her combined passion for the Old Hollywood Glamour styles and observations of extreme under-representation of women of color in the media during the 1920s and 1950s…”. Her “Angelique Noire” identity is the focus of her Instagram. The page consists of her modeling pin-up style looks and fashions that bring to mind eras that she says she gravitates towards, as detailed within our interview, which range from “..the 1930s to the 1950s.”

For example, Angelique wears dresses in her Instagram posts that feature what Lydia Edwards describes as “...kick-flare panels…” in the work How to Read a Dress: A Guide to Changing Fashion from the 16th to the 20th Century (154-155). This construction detail can be observed in designs from the 1930s, as illustrated and exemplified within the same work (Edwards 154-155). Angelique’s “... peplum...” garments demonstrate the influence of “...The 1940s..., “ as gathered by information detailed by Elaine Stone and Sheryl A. Farman in the book The Dynamics of Fashion (12). Her looks frequently utilize tapered waists and voluminous skirts al la Christian Dior’s “‘...Corolle…’” portion, of the collection that would be infamously known as the “‘New Look,’” from 1947, as observed and detailed by Adélia Sabatini in the Dior Catwalk, and also noted by Angelique Noire in an Instagram post on February 1st, 2018 (24-27). Other looks feature more constrained and figure emphasizing skirts, described by Sara B. Marcketti and Phyllis G. Tortora, in Survey of Historic Costume, as “...pencil-slim skirts…” that according to the same source were also featured in the infamous ‘“New Look”’ debut (519). Some of her ensembles also possess “...pointed collars…," which, according to The Dynamics of Fashion, was a prominent feature of Jacques Fath's designs from “...The 1950s…” (15).

In addition to her Instagram account, which features images that could serve as inspiration for any fashion enthusiast’s Pinterest board, she also has a “How To” section on her website. One section for hair tutorials features videos embedded from her YouTube account that focus on how to create historic hairstyles with the innate tendencies of one’s hair, which Angelique states were non-existent “When…” she “...began…” her “...journey to creating 1940s/1950s hairstyles…”. Additionally, she also has sections devoted to providing tips for achieving “Vintage Inspired…” fashion and beauty looks.

youtube

“Easy To Do Hairstyle Inspired by Pinup Girls”

Source: Angelique Noire YouTube Channel

Image Courtesy of Angelique Noire (Instagram: @the_angelique_noire)

Angelique's participation in and contributions to the subject of pinup dressing, including her pioneering "...Natural Hair..." vintage hair-styling tutorials on AngeliqueNoire.com have contributed to a more inclusive view of historic costuming. Additionally, Angelique also demonstrates how one can create and explore a niche in any given market. Overall, Angelique has contributed to enhancing the relevance of historic fashions in present-day pursuits.

Q&A: Costume Designer Preferences, Insights, and Experiences:

Trendy, Classic, & Vintage: How and when did you become interested in costuming and fashion history?

Angelique Noire: Probably around 11 or 12 years old.

TCV: What is your favorite fashion era, and why?

AN: I adore the style from the 1930s to the 1950s.

TCV: Who is your favorite figure(s) in fashion history, and why?

AN: I have two favorites that inspire my choices...Grace Kelly and Lauren Bacall. They look at ease in their classic, feminine choices.

TCV: How long does it typically take for you to design, style, and/or sew a historical look?

AN: If I have items in my closet to accomplish a look I want to do, it just takes me about 15 minutes to put it together...a little more if I have to iron.

TCV: If you follow current fashions, what historical influences have you seen returning?

AN: I often see the 1950s style repeated.

TCV: If you could bring back one historical fashion, accessory item or trend, what would it be, and why?

AN: Carved Lucite Purses!!!! I have a pretty decent collection of Lucite purses but wish I had more in colors like pink, pastel green, pastel blue, and more. (See images of Noire’s collection provided below).

TCV: Where do you find your materials and/or garments to create your looks?

AN: I am approached by brands pretty often, so we work out terms for working together. As far as my Lucite purses, I often find them online.

Close-up of the handbag seen in the previous image.

Images Courtesy of Angelique Noire (Instagram: @the_angelique_noire)

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Works Cited:

“Easy To Do Hairstyle Inspired by Pinup Girls.” YouTube, uploaded by Angelique Noire, 4 Apr. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osF0JUxbb0c, Accessed 20 Aug. 2020.

Edwards, Lydia. How to Read a Dress: A Guide to Changing Fashion from the 16th to the 20th Century. Reprint ed., London and New York, Bloomsbury Academic, 2018.

Noire, Angelique. “How To - Achieve the Pinup Look from Head to Toe” Angelique Noire, n.d., http://angeliquenoire.com/how-to/ , Accessed 12 Aug. 2020.

Noire, Angelique. “How To - Pinup Hairstyles for Natural Hair.” Angelique Noire, n.d., http://angeliquenoire.com/hair-tutorials/, Accessed 12 Aug. 2020.

Noire, Angelique. “My Work: About Angelique Noire aka The Black Pinup.” Angelique Noire, n.d., http://angeliquenoire.com/my-work/, Accessed 12 Aug. 2020.

Noire, Angelique. “Historic Costume Interview.” Received by Brittany Kilpatrick, 24 June 2020, Email Interview.

Noire, Angelique. “The_angelique_noire.” Instagram, n.d., https://www.instagram.com/the_angelique_noire/, Accessed 12 Aug. 2020.

Noire, Angelique. “How To - Vintage Inspired Styling.” Angelique Noire, n.d., http://angeliquenoire.com/vintage-styling/, Accessed 12 Aug. 2020.

Noire, Angelique. (@the-angelique-noire). “January went by fast!...” Instagram, 1 February 2018, https://www.instagram.com/p/BeqIar3H8su/?igshid=1jdrc6775ee5u.

Stone, Elaine, and Sheryl A. Farnan. The Dynamics of Fashion. Reprint and 5th ed., New York and London: Fairchild Books, 2018.

Tortora, Phyllis G., and Sara B. Marcketti. Survey of Historic Costume. 6th ed., New York and London, Fairchild Books, 2015.

Sabatini, Adélia. Dior Catwalk. Yale University Press, 2017.

#fashion #pinupmodel #pinupfashion #historicfashions #angeliquenoire

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