Chicago Style
an evolution of fashion on the South Side
How does fashion thread through generations?
Illinois Humanities and the South Side Home Movie Project presented Chicago Style, a multidimensional exploration of Black fashion on Chicago’s South Side from the 1930s through the 80s, that culminated in a fashion show and the debut of a film curated and scored by Ayana Contreras on September 21, 2024, at the Green Line Performing Arts Center. By intertwining history, community, and creativity, Chicago Style fostered intergenerational dialogue, community cohesion, and cultural identity through the powerful language of fashion.
Chicagoans joined us for a fashion-filled afternoon where history collided with the present. Everyone dressed up, marveled at the fashion, explored clothing and jewelry from Creme de la Creme Resale, enjoyed refreshments, and experienced stories of Chicago's style.
Chicago Style brought together a five-person cohort of intergenerational community members with diverse expertise and connections to fashion. Under the direction of educators, community organizers, and fashion experts AnnMarie Brown and Edvetté Jones, the Chicago Style Cohort engaged with the South Side Home Movie Project archive including collections shown below, local thrift and vintage stores, personal histories, and fashion historians to re-envision historical elements of everyday Black fashion. Through the program, the Cohort examined their relationships to fashion and community, interpreting these threads into looks for the fashion show and a special media series.
Chicago Style is part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration and series of exhibitions and events that highlight the voices and stories that are part of Chicago’s unique artistic heritage and creative communities. Continuing into 2025, Art Design Chicago takes place across 30 Chicago neighborhoods and several suburban communities and showcases the work of hundreds of artists.
Inside the Chicago Style Film & Fashion Show
Revisit Chicago Style by diving into the videos, photos, and information about the cohort and collaborators.
Select Photos from the Film & Fashion Show
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The Chicago Style Cohort under the Green Line on show day. Shot on film by Han Teverbaugh.
See more pictures from the Film & Fashion Show here. -
Models walk the runway. Photo by GlitterGuts.
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Model Basia Clark sports a creation by Chicago Style co-director AnnMarie Brown. Photo by GlitterGuts.
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Cohort member Linny Vaughn models his creation. Photo by GlitterGuts.
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Cohort member Karen Jenkins models her creation. Shot on film by Han Teverbaugh.
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Model Shayne Calvin slays the runway in this creation by Chicago Style co-director AnnMarie Brown. Photo by GlitterGuts.
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Model Magan Marshall shines in a creation by Chicago Style co-director AnnMarie Brown. Shot on film by Han Teverbaugh.
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Cohort member Nicole Bond models her creation. Shot on film by Han Teverbaugh.
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Cohort member Linda Pitts models her creation. Shot on film by Han Teverbaugh.
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Attendees cheer on the models. Photo by GlitterGuts. See more pictures from the Film & Fashion Show here.
Selections from the Jean Patton, Roberts Family, and Ramon Williams Collections, courtesy of South Side Home Movie Project
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See more photos from the South Side Home Movie Project collections here.
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As a part of Chicago Style, Illinois Humanities and the South Side Home Movie Project are pleased to present Momentum, a new film curated and scored by Ayana Contreras that celebrates Black fashion in motion.
With over 1000 film reels representing nine decades, the South Side Home Movie Project archive is an incredible resource for following the thread of Black fashion through generations. Ayana Contreras spent several months exploring the collections and carefully selecting moments that showcased the vibrant colors and textures of Chicago style.
Through the Ramon Williams Collection, we visit the 1941 Artists & Models Ball, an annual fundraiser held at the South Side Community Art Center. We join the audience of the 1944 Hope Fashion Show at the Parkway Ballroom and see the custom clothes and local models, all captured by Ramon’s 16mm camera.
But Black fashion is more than just the runway. Through the lens of the home movie, we see how Black families integrated fashion into their everyday lives. In 1955, the Patton family dressed up to open their presents on Christmas morning. In the 1960s, Charles “Chuck” Mayewaki captured congregants of Hartzell Memorial United Methodist Church leaving service in their Sunday best. Fashion happens everywhere, and the camera can turn any moment into a fashion show.
Momentum includes footage from the following collections at the South Side Home Movie Project: Ramon Williams, Roberts Family, Dr. Helen Nash, Dr. Homer Nash Jr., James E. Taylor, Ellis McClelland, Jean Patton, and Charles “Chuck” Mayewaki. This curation of eight unique home movie collections follows the trends of Black fashion as it moves on and off the runway, from decade to decade and from frame to frame. Ayana Contreras’ original mix connects the silent images to the sounds of their time, inviting us all to join the procession.
The Chicago Style Cohort!
Explore South Side style with the Cohort as they journeyed through local archives, thrift stores, stories, stories, and more.
Videography by Tony Santiago.
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On August 17th, 2024, the Chicago Style Cohort and Illinois Humanities staff joined Art Design Chicago at Taste of Chicago in Pullman Park to interview attendees about their sense of style and what Chicago’s style means to them. Watch the interviews.
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On August 18th, 2024, the Chicago Style Cohort gathered with fashion show models and directors at the Green Line Performing Arts Center for a fitting.
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The Cohort and models participated in a fitting led by fashion show directors AnnMarie Brown (pictured) and EdVetté Jones. Models were also interviewed about their relationships to fashion.
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Fashion Show director EdVetté Jones and model Ja’Mia Hoskins discuss the looks.
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Cohort members Linford Vaughn, KJ Turnage, Karen Jenkins, Linda Pitts, and Nicole Bond pose with fashion directors EdVetté Jones and Annmarie Brown. (Shot on film by Han Teverbaugh.)
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The Cohort gathers in the Stony Island Arts Bank on couches from the Johnson Publishing Company to discuss fashion and legacy.
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Ayana Contreras presents on her collection of 20th century archival fashion items.
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Han Teverbaugh captures portraits on film of the Cohort.
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The Cohort records a group interview about their relationships to fashion and what “Chicago Style” means to them.
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Cohort member Linda Pitts tries on a vintage coat from A Lotta Good Stuff.
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Cohort member KJ Turnage poses with his finds at Village Discount.
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Cohort member Karen Jenkins shops at Village Discount.
Meet the Chicago Style Cohort
Shot on film by Han Teverbaugh.
Nicole Bond
Shot on film by Han Teverbaugh.
A facilitator and teaching artist, Nicole Bond was last seen as the Manager of Learning and Public Engagement for the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, where she developed strategies and curricula for inquiry-based, interactive gallery experiences, aimed at helping audiences of all ages and abilities make meaningful connections to museum exhibitions.
Nicole developed and facilitated quarterly Health Humanities Workshops for UChicago Medicine Nurse Residency Cohorts, as part of their continuing professional development, and developed K-12 arts learning residencies for underserved Southside Chicago elementary schools. Nicole has presented at the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), and the National Art Education Association (NAEA).
Nicole is published in Viewfinder – the Journal of Museum Education, Humanities Magazine, ResearchGate, and Southside Weekly. Nicole’s work has received a National Teaching Artist Guild Award of Recognition, a Public Humanities Award from Illinois Humanities for her contributions to the civic and cultural life of Illinois, and a Tony Award for her service as Special Projects Liaison for Court Theatre’s Education Initiative during their 2022 season as Best Regional Theatre.
Nicole is a Cancer sun, Gemini rising, and Scorpio moon, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Karen Jenkins
Shot on film by Han Teverbaugh.
Karen V. Jenkins is a multi-disciplined leader at the intersection of technology, education, health, and social change.
As Founder and CEO of KidAlytics, she empowers students with critical digital literacy and data science skills. An Information Science Ph.D. candidate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Karen's work pioneers digital literacy, social determinants of health, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies.
Her mission is to democratize access to digital skills for all, ensuring equitable opportunities in the knowledge.
Linda Pitts
Shot on film by Han Teverbaugh.
A native of Chicago, a University of Chicago Lab school brat, and a Wisconsin Badger.
Pitts graduated with a degree in mathematics from UW/Madison. After graduation, she dove into retail management at Sears in Louisville, Kentucky. She brought diversity in thought, word, and deed, along with consistent sales and profit increases year after year. Her most significant impact was motivating staff and peers to become the best they could be individually and collectively.
After her success in retail, Pitts returned to Chicago and transitioned into IT management with: Sears, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, ABM AMRO, and Chicago City Colleges. She became an expert in aligning information technology with business strategies and objectives.
Today, she is an award-winning Realtor®. As a Broker, she helps people buy and sell Real Estate in the Chicago regional market.
She enjoys: gardening, jazz, art, cycling, swimming, and volunteering wherever her skills fit the need.
KJ Turnage
Shot on film by Han Teverbaugh.
Wassup, I’m Keshawn J (KJ) Turnage.
I was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago and grew up in the south suburbs as well. I’m 25 and my love for fashion started at an early age. Some of my biggest inspirations are Kanye West, Virgil Abloh, A$AP Rocky, Travis Scott, and Fabolous, just to name a few.
Growing up in the early 2000s had a huge impact on my style as well. Seeing how everyone dressed really inspired me to be true to myself. While trends are cool, typically they never last so I incorporate that in my own way.
I typically wear more streetwear items than casual/business wear but I have been wanting to change my style a bit just to show people I can do it all. When you look good, you feel good and that's all that fashion means to me.
Linford Vaughn III
Shot on film by Han Teverbaugh.
Chicago based DJ, producer, dancer, singer, multi-instrumentalist fashion enthusiast, and entertainer Linford Vaughn III was born and raised in Chicago around the Englewood, Hyde Park, and Bronzeville neighborhoods.
Linford found his passion for making music at age 16. His father, a die-hard jazz musician who attended high school with Chicago’s very own Kanye West, passed away when Linford was just 12 years old. Since then, Linford has vowed to keep his father’s musical dream alive.
Linford has just begun to find his own sound as an artist, drawing from the music genres of rock and roll, indie, techno, house music, and EDM. He uses the alias of Stripping Colors. The meaning is self-explanatory in a society where it’s sometimes difficult to be unique and free spirited.
Linford believes he’s here on Planet Earth to raise the frequency of the human vibration through music. His motto is to never let anyone strip his colors or yours.
The Collaborators
AnnMarie Brown
AnnMarie Brown is a radical, restorative justice practitioner and a fashion designer. AnnMarie creates fashion that is inspired by her cultural upbringing and the stories she has connected with through her work with Black and Brown youth through restorative justice practices.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Multidisciplinary Engineering with a focus on Apparel Design, AnnMarie began a freelancing career creating custom apparel pieces for different clients.
Since 2017 she has worked at Circles & Ciphers and currently serves as the Co-Executive Director. In 2020 AnnMarie co-curated a community fashion show funded by Illinois Humanities called “Protest in Fashion” that highlighted the evolution of fashion in social justice.
In 2023 she created her own fashion brand called Rafasi. Inspired by her Jamaican and American heritage, Rafasi embraces the ambivalence of life and curates pieces that mirror the multifaceted experiences of the people they are made for.
Shot on film by Han Teverbaugh.
Edvetté Jones
Activist EdVetté W. Jones, is a professional photographer, writer, and producer. They are currently a regular contributor to Sixty Inches From Center as a photographer and writer.
They also worked as a teaching artist in 2019 with the Envisioning Justice initiative (Illinois Humanities) and as a teaching artist and youth advocate/mentor with Circles and Ciphers. The same year, EdVetté co-curated “Protest in Fashion,” a community fashion show showcasing the progression of fashion in social justice.
EdVetté helped to draft and pass the ECPS ordinance, for a civilian police oversight committee (ECPS Passes Chicago City Council. What's it mean?) into which they were recently elected (2023) as a district council member.
Explore EdVetté’s work at Shot By EdVetté - Photography, Headshots, Chicago, Photography (edvette.com).
Shot on film by Han Teverbaugh.
Ayana Contreras
Ayana Contreras is a cultural historian, memory worker, radio DJ, and archivist.
An avid collector with over 9000 vintage vinyl records, for over a decade, she hosted the Reclaimed Soul program on Vocalo Radio (and later, on WBEZ) in Chicago. She currently hosts Soulful Strut on KUVO Jazz in Denver, Colorado, where she serves as Assistant General Manager over Radio at Rocky Mountain PBS.
A 2014/15 University of Chicago Arts + Public Life Artist-In-Residence, she is also a columnist for DownBeat magazine and her writings have been published in The New York Times, Chicago Review, Oxford American, and Bandcamp Daily among other publications. She is a regular contributor to the NPR Music New Music Friday Podcast, and her book on Post-Civil Rights Era cultural history, titled Energy Never Dies: Afro-Optimism and Creativity in Chicago, was published in December 2021 through the University of Illinois Press.
Han Teverbaugh
Han Teverbaugh is a 25-year-old midwestern artist who specializes in analogue photography and storytelling.
Han is the voice behind the publication ‘BetterinPrint by han’ which is a growing archive of portraits and conversations with creatives around the world. When Han isn’t sitting down with creatives for BiP, she can be found providing photography and videography services for her clients or supporting fellow creatives in her Chicago community.
TT Santiago, Inc.
TT Santiago, Inc. is a creative organization that helps you tell your story with NUANCE and INTENTION via videography, branding, designs, and websites.
Founder and creative engineer Tony Santiago is passionate about his work with organizations in the arts, education, and humanities. He has developed his visual storytelling practice through performance, youth education, and theatrical production. He uses videography and design to help organizations connect with their stakeholders through creative, context-driven content. Whether it's a promotional video, a campaign, or a cultural documentary, his work is about helping clients make meaningful connections.
In addition to many projects with Illinois Humanities, Tony Santiago has worked with the Jackalope Theater, Katherine Dunham Center Museum, South Side Home Movie Project, Arts + Public Life, Honey Pot Collective, and more.
Follow @ttsantiago: Website
photo by Anjali Pinto
The South Side Home Movie Project (SSHMP) is a research and archival initiative to collect, preserve, digitize, exhibit, and research small-gauge home movies made by residents of Chicago’s South Side neighborhoods. By asking owners of home movies to share their footage and describe it from their personal perspectives, SSHMP seeks to increase understanding of amateur filmmaking practices, and of the many histories and cultures comprising Chicago’s South Side. The project brings materials that are typically kept in private collections into public light and discussion. Unique in its focus on home movies from this region, SSHMP aims to build an alternative, accessible visual record, filling gaps in existing written and visual histories, and ensuring that the diverse experiences and perspectives of South Siders will be available to larger audiences and to future generations.
Explore the South Side Home Movie Project archive!
Thank you to the...
The Chicago Style Models
Lauren Adams, Khalil Andrews, Nicole Bond, Shayne Calvin, Basia Clark, Sky Ford, Ja’Mia Hoskins, Karen Jenkins, Tanya Jones, Magan Marshall, Linda Pitts, Keshawn J Turnage, Linford Vaughn, and YaSheka Williams.
Photo shot on film by Han Teverbaugh.
The Chicago Style DJ
DJ Calid B aka the Plantain Papi is an eclectic, multi-faceted artist, producer, DJ, strategist, and professor in the Business and Entrepreneurship school at Columbia College Chicago.
Calid's music has its roots in Afrobeats, trap, and R&B although the sound travels even wider. His versatility is unmistakable and he doesn’t fail to show this in the records he’s put out thus far.
Since 2016, Calid and his collective, AfroBang, have gone on an amazing run, building community in Chicago and beyond through music and experiences. Calid’s first three albums Afrobang Vol. 1 and 2, and 3Peat were all well received helping him achieve international recognition for his music.
Caliowd has five singles on the NBA2K video game series, making him one of the most featured artists in the game's history. While music has worked well for Calid, he is also developing projects dedicated to mindfulness, and growing the game of golf for marginalized communities.
photo by Lawrence Agyei
The Chicago Style Vintage Store Partners
So Happy You’re Here, Co-owned by Elena & Gerson
More than a vintage clothing store, Elena and Gerson strive to create beautiful things by restoring, repairing, remaking, and repurposing everything second-hand. Visit them at 3331 S Halsted St.
Creme de la Creme, owned by Walter T. Rodgers.
At secondhand store Crème de la Crème Resale (1352 W Devon Ave), Rodgers aims to offer a unique shopping experience. He said the key to his business model was ageless style at affordable prices.
A Lotta Good Stuff, owned by Benita Phipps
A Lotta Good Stuff is a place that takes you back to grandma's house but with a well curated, museum type quality. It is a place (501 E 47th St) that opens doors for local artisans by providing a place to showcase new work and for pop-up shops to display their wares.
Philanthropist and activist Benita Phipps uses her store to give back to the community. View this interview she gave with Chicago Style program officer Martin Matsuyuki Krause.
Resources
- South Side Home Movie Project archive
- Fashion Photos: 1930s to 80s
- Chicago History Museum: Costumes and Textiles
- Stony Island Arts Bank Collections
- South Side Weekly: Fashion Highlights
- The FASHION AND RACE Syllabus
- Black Designers in American Fashion edited by Elizabeth Way
- Now You See Me: An Introduction to 100 Years of Black Design by Charlene Prempeh
- The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion by Antwaun Sargent
- This Birth of Cool: Style Narratives of the African Diaspora by Carol Tulloch
- Liberated Threads: Black Women, Style, and the Global Politics of Soul by Tanisha C. Ford
- "Fold/Unfold: Interview with Fashion Scholar Rikki Byrd" by row särkelä
Contact Us
Martin Matsuyuki Kruase
Manager, Special Initiatives
events@ilhumanities.org
(312) 374-1547
Contact
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Chicago, IL 60603
312.422.5580 312.374.6787
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Edwardsville, IL 62025
618.468.5580
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