A sad day for fashion- the first Black supermodel, Naomi Sims, has died of cancer at 61. Donyale Luna may have started to bring about mainstream acceptance of black models by winning Vogue's Model of the Year in 1966, but it was Sims' classic good looks that really established the 'Black is Beautiful' movement. Her cover on Ladies' Home Journal was the first by a black model on a mainstream female magazine, and from there she went on to appear on many other covers and have her own successful line of wigs and cosmetics for African-Americans. When I was working on the Met's Model as Muse show I had to write up her by bio for use in the show and all of my research showed her to be a beautiful women with a strong sense of integrity and intelligence. She will be missed.
