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One time for your Aunt Tonya in 1996.
Ferragamo jacket. Mateo earrings. Acchito ring.
She went to Freaknik and came back with her updo intact.
The 90s was a generation-defining era for hair artistry and Black women were the primary canvas for it.
She re-created a few of the common styles of that time with her own modern touches for 2023.
Balmain dress. Khiry earrings.
But they were just being worn for a regular workweek, she says.
Thats what made this era so amazing it was normal for your hair to be extra.
The level of extra was your choosing.
At right: Asai dress. Carolina Herrera shirt. Giuseppe Zanotti heels. Gucci sunglasses. Johnny Nelson earrings and rings. At left: anOnlyChild vest. K.ngsley shirt. Sacai pants. Aquazzura heels. Bottega Veneta sunglasses. David Yurman earrings. Johnny Nelson ring.
At right: Asai dress.
Johnny Nelson earrings and rings.
At left: anOnlyChild vest.
Kallmeyer suit jacket, vest, and pants. David Yurman earrings and necklaces. Misho ear cuff. Alighieri necklace. Pamela Love necklace.
For all of these styles, the more intricate, the better.
Kallmeyer suit jacket, vest, and pants.
David Yurman earrings and necklaces.
Versace jacket and skirt. Acchito earrings.
Versace jacket and skirt.
And the best way to show off the capabilities of this concoction was with an elaborate updo.
It allowed them to show off a number of techniques on one head wearable monuments to their virtuosity.
Kallmeyer suit jacket, vest, and pants. David Yurman earrings, necklaces, and rings. Misho ear cuff. Alighieri necklace. Pamela Love necklace. Sewit Sium ring.
They were wearing three hairstyles in one, says Nelms of women balancing these works of art.
It was like making a sandwich.
An extremely well-engineered sandwich.
Versace jacket and skirt. Alighieri cuff and bracelet. Lionheart bracelet. Johnny Nelson rings. Acchito earrings.
Kallmeyer suit jacket, vest, and pants.
David Yurman earrings, necklaces, and rings.
These were more hair sculptures than styles.
Extra-fly girls asked their stylists to add curls to the top and let them cascade down like a fountain.
The hair has more of a sheen than a plasticky, reflective shine.
Versace jacket and skirt.
Alexander McQueen suit and sunglasses.
Alighieri cuff and bracelet.
(One more time, everyone: The zipperworks.)
This is the kind of look Ive never done and Ive always wanted to.
That little bend was very specific, Nelms says.
It had a certain curve to it that was polished, but not too perfect.
It reflected the stylish ease of box braids.
Alexander McQueen suit and sunglasses.
What I love about these looks is that they were so… normal to us, Nelms explains.
When we wanted to give it, it didnt need to be for a special occasion.
