What does style mean to you?

Style, to me, is a form of authorship. It’s how you communicate who you are before you ever speak and deserves as much care and effort as any part of your personal development. Style isn’t about trends or spectacle, it’s about clarity of who you are, what you value, and expressing that with intention. I’m drawn to style that feels romantic, easy, and timeless with a little bit of edge.  The kind of style that can time travel and also evolve with me.

What can’t you live without?

Books, dresses, and a sense of adventure. I’m endlessly curious and willing to try almost anything and go almost anywhere. And a great coat! Always a great coat.

Why is representation for women of color in leadership roles important to the next generation of creatives?

Because visibility signals permission. When young creatives see women of color shaping institutions, leading global conversations, and holding cultural authority, they understand that their ambitions are not unrealistic. They are viable. Representation expands the imagination. It tells them they don’t have to wait to be invited, they can build, steward, and redefine the world for themselves.

What’s the last book you read?

The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters. It was an incredible story.  It’s triumphant and tragic at the same time.  Barbara Walters sacrificed so much to make a way for herself and in the process set the standard for women in broadcasting and changed the industry forever.  It speaks to my personal belief that pursuing your life’s mission may start out being about you, but the potential impact could stretch far beyond your intentions. 

“Style, to me, is a form of authorship. It’s how you communicate who you are before you ever speak.”

Fashion is often seen as a business, but you bring it into a museum setting. What are the parallels between fine art and fashion?

Both are visual languages that tell stories about identity, politics, culture, and history. At SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion & Film, we present garments as cultural artifacts, objects that hold memory, craftsmanship, and imagination. Fashion, like fine art, reflects the human condition. Both art and fashion also exist within market systems. However, fashion is more accessible and ubiquitous in daily life than art, so it may feel more commercial to the average person, but the art market is certainly a vital part of that eco system.

Ultimately, they are both forms of material culture that store meaning and, over time, become records of who we were and how we lived.

What’s your favorite piece in your closet?

My prized fashion possession is a pair of hot pink satin Tom Ford pointed toe pumps with a gold heel and bow accent. I usually find one occasion a year to wear them.

What’s your favorite pastime?

Reading and looking at art. Whether I’m in Atlanta, Paris, LA or New York, I carve out time to be in museums and galleries. My children find it annoying but for me it’s expansive and introspective at the same time.

What is the best thing you’ve learned recently from the fashion students at SCAD?

Their fearlessness. Pursuing a creative career is ambitious and requires a lot of self-determination. SCAD students learn to trust their instincts and present their ideas without over-explaining themselves. It’s a very vulnerable process to practice at a young age, but what you earn in resiliency and confidence is invaluable. That’s something worth protecting.

“Visibility signals permission. When young creatives see women of color shaping institutions, leading global conversations, and holding cultural authority, they understand that their ambitions are not unrealistic.”

With to-scale mannequins, the André Leon Talley: Style is Forever exhibit at SCAD Fash Museum of Fashion & Film highlights that he was truly larger than life. How has his legacy of taking up space influenced your own approach to style?

André reminds us that presence is a practice. Taking up space isn’t about volume, it’s about conviction. His style was an extension of his intellect, his curiosity, and his sense of self. That has encouraged me to approach style as an act of affirmation. I dress in a way that honors who I am and where I’m going.

It’s almost the end of Black History Month. Who are the Black fashion icons you look to for inspiration?

Cicely Tyson comes to mind immediately for her grace and sophistication. She was simultaneously demure and powerful. Tracee Ellis Ross without a doubt is an icon for me. She is playful and experimental while also channeling the glamour of a previous generation.

What’s your favorite restaurant in Atlanta?

There are so many good places, but right now it’s Southern National. Chef Duane Nutter has won so many well deserved awards including James Beard semifinalist. It’s a hidden gem on a quiet street in the Summerhill neighborhood and the food is incredible!

“Taking up space isn’t about volume, it’s about conviction.”