Closet Envy: Fashionista Constance White
Constance White
by Alexandra Phanor-Faury
eBay Style Director Constance White has been living and breathing fashion since her days as a young reporter for Women’s Wear Daily. White’s preoccupation with fashion and style and her genuine love for educating women on ways to look beautifully stylish has made her one of the industry’s leading experts. On any occasion, you can catch White sharing her valuable fashion tips on television programs like “Oprah” and “Project Runway.” White honed her fashion journalism chops and contributed to the analysis of the industry at a number of impressive publications. In her 15 year career, White has been a fashion reporter for The New York Times, one of the founding fashion editors for Tina Brown’s defunct Talk, and the first and only Black woman executive fashion editor at Elle (or at any of the fashion glossies). She’s also written for Essence and British Vogue .Her accomplishments don’t end there, the revered fashionista hosted Metro’s “Full Frontal Fashion" and added author to her desirable resume when she penned a style guide for Black women, Style Noir, while covering the fashion beat at the NYT.
In addition to exploring trends set by Black women, the contributions of influential Black designers, White offers style advice on everything from the core pieces that women should own, the importance of a great cut and quality fabrics and ways to incorporate African touches to your ensembles. While the book cover could have featured one of the many fashion trendsetters she explores in the book (like Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Naomi Campbell and Erykah Badu), it is White who graces the cover. She may not have been instantly recognizable as those famous women, but she looked as stylish. The embodiment of style noir, one look at a beautiful White sporting a crop natural dressed in black a leather blazer, black turtleneck and a bold necklace, it was evident that this woman definitely practices what she preaches.
White has been on our fashion radar for some time now and as the years have gone by she’s continued to dress the part. Despite her noir ensemble on the cover of the book, White is huge fan of color and prints. Her enviable closet boasts a rainbow of dresses, trenches and tops. “Black people are glamorous. We love color!” She’s been spotted in a lavender draped gown with a white fur chubby and a gold trench with a long flower print skirt. While White, whose personal style icons include Diana Ross, Rita Marley, Tina Chow and Nina Simone, may be one of the industry’s power players, we admire her reluctance to being a slave to fashion. Indeed, the sign of a true independent spirit whose style is worth celebrating.
Check out Constance White's knockout looks…