Too often when seeking vintage inspiration we find a homegenous mix of blondes and brunettes. The travesty is this isn't even an accurate representation of fashion or film or influencers in the past; rather too many names and faces have been forgotten and ignored in favor of less iconic figures. A great example of this is China Machado, or Noelie Dasouza Machado. She was a fashion model in the 50s and 60s who went on to be the Senior Fashion Editor (and later Director) of Harper's Bazaar. Her career wasn't all smooth sailing, magazines thought they'd lose advertisers if she was featured but she still went on to be the first non-Caucasian to appear on the cover of a major American fashion magazine (Harper's Bazaar February 1959). She began her modeling career in Paris working for Givenchy where she became highest paid runway model in Europe. She paved the way for many models of color and is perfect proof that looking to the past doesn't have to mean "backwards-thinking." And she's still going--she's retired from modeling but still ends up in a Cole Haan campaign and spread in W Magazine.
CONVERSATION