Black Dress & Culture Series
Debating the Black Body in Fashion & Popular Culture

Location: Via Zoom & In-person for UCLA students only (see RSVP Link).

Description: The Black Dress & Culture Series annual colloquiums explore the critical topic of Black dress. The influences of Black bodies, Black style, and Black makers are undeniable forces in shaping culture through fashion, costume design, and styling. Black bodies have consistently acted as sites of cutting-edge aesthetics and emulation. Yet, they have endured ridicule, discrimination, fear, and violence. This series engages scholars and practitioners in conversations that reinsert Black people into cultural narratives. Their discussions will address and expand on the multiple viewpoints within ongoing and sometimes contentious histories and contemporary practices. The inaugural event, “Debating the Black Body in Fashion and On-Screen,” will focus on the work of Black costume designers, in conversation with scholars, to address the topic of Black women and body size, as well as respectability politics in dress on screen.

Colloquium Schedule:

11:00 a.m. Welcome and Introductions
11:15 a.m. Panel I: Black Women and Body Size in History and on Screen
12:15 p.m. Coffee Break
12:30 p.m. Panel II: The “Aesthetics of Excess” and Respectability Politics
1:30 p.m. James Bridges Theater in-person discussion followed by refreshments