12
ISSUE 93 / 2016
FASHION
Solange Knowles looked angelic this week when she graced TV screens to debut singles "Cranes in the Sky" and "Don't
Touch My Hair" from her acclaimed third studio album A Seat at the Table.
She appeared on late night comedy sketch show Saturday
Night Live in a shimmering ensemble that consisted
of silver boots, white hot pants and a white crop top,
underneath a custom made crystal dress by Erickson
Beamon x Swarovski. But what really caught our eye
was the strikingly intricate, halo-like headpiece she was
wearing.
The creative genius behind Solange's
headdress is Chicago-born artist
Shani Crowe. In an interview
with Fusion earlier this year
Crowe explained that
she began what was
to become a career in
artistic hair braiding
at a young age - by 11
she was creating styles
that "attracted a client
base", some of whom
she retains "to this day".
Solange was drawn to
"Fingerwave Saint", a piece
from Crowe's most recent
show Braids, using it as the basis
for her SNL look.
In FADER Crowe elaborated that
Solange, having seen set her sights on "Fingerwave Saint",
wanted to customise Crowe's original piece in order to
create a "highly reflective look". Solange sent Crowe some
"images of bedazzled clothing she was inspired by" for
her to work best "within those parameters" and bring their
joint vision into fruition. The final product was made from
"over a hundred feet of braided hair layered and wrapped
around an armature", Crowe said, and
"strung with around 2,000 Swarovski
crystal beads in three sizes, two colors,
and two shapes".
Crowe's headpieces are not just
innovative artistically - there is an
underlying cultural reclamation that her
work signifies. Crowe laments the
mainstreaming of braids, which
are "being exploited as a
trend" in "pop culture" to
the extent where their
origin as "a traditional
black art" is forgotten.
Crowe endeavours
to re-instil a sense of
pride to a tradition
that is under threat, by
offering "a celebration
of black feminine
beauty coiffeur" in her
artwork.
Humble and gracious as
ever, Solange tweeted later
on in the night thanking SNL "for
having" her and "to all who watched and
showed love", reassuring fans that "she
had a great time", in spite of what she
deemed were "imperfections and [her]
nervousness" that transpired during the
two performances. All we can say to that
Solange is: imperfections? Where?
More at Guestlist.net
THE ARTIST BEHIND SOLANGE'S SNL HEADPIECE