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Known for her keen ability to make wearable, beautiful clothes that look amazing on all different body types, Tracy Reese showed a fanciful collection inspired by the first fruits of spring at Mercedes-Benz Fashion week Monday. Celebrities like Keri Hilson, Gabrielle Union, Kelly Rowland and Ciara -- to name a few -- were on hand to view the colorful collection.
Supermodels Then & Now
Before Naomi there was Naomi Sims who entered the fashion world in 1967. With her brown skin, gorgeous face and memorable walk, Sims quickly rose the ranks, appearing on the cover of Life magazine in 1969. She's often referred to as the first black supermodel.
Yale Joel, Time & Life Pictures / Getty Images
Although she had the potential for a long career, Sims gave up modeling to start her own wig business at the age of 24. Since then, Sims has written several books about beauty, modeling and success and launched her own cosmetics line, the Naomi Sims Collection. She died of cancer at the age of 61 in 2009.
Katy Winn, Corbis
In 1986, Kimora Lee Perkins's mother enrolled her uncommonly tall 11-year-old in modeling classes to boost her self-esteem. Just two years later, the girl we now know as Kimora Lee Simmons signed an exclusive modeling contract with Chanel in Paris becoming Karl Lagerfeld's muse by the age of 13.
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After marrying hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, Kimora got out of modeling and into the design business, taking over as head of Baby Phat. Divorced from Simmons, with whom she has two daughters, Kimora now runs Baby Phat and the KLS collection, in addition to starring in a reality show and writing books. She recently had a baby boy with Oscar-nominated actor Djimon Hounsou.
Ray Tamarra, Getty
Veronica Webb was just a 20-year-old design student when she was "discovered" on the streets of New York City in 1985. The Detroit-native soon became a fixture in magazines and on the runway, making history by becoming the first African American model to sign an exclusive cosmetics contract (Revlon).
Kevin Hatt, Corbis
Officially retired from the runway, Webb has seamlessly transitioned from fashion to the worlds of television, movies and book publishing. Most recently, Webb co-hosted the first season of Bravo's 'Tim Gunn's Guide to Style.' She lives in the Florida Keys with her husband and two daughters.
Corbis Outline
Beverly Johnson, a champion-swimmer-turned-supermodel, is said to have graced more than 500 magazine covers in her long and storied career. The most famous cover of all? Her history-making 1974 Vogue cover. She was the first black woman to grace the cover of the American version of the magazine. She has said that by the age of 23, she was making more than $100,000 a year modeling.
Dirck Halstead, Getty Images
Beverly Johnson, now a youthful fifty-something, has completely conquered the hair biz with her extremely successful wig line. She's also the co-host of TV Land's 'She's Got the Look,' a modeling competition show for women 40 and older.
Matt Sayles, AP
While there is a laundry list of supermodels who have ruled the scene since the '60s, there are only a handful of male models -- of any race -- who can actually claim "super" status. Tyson Beckford is one of them. In 1991, at the age of 21, the New York-native got his modeling break when an editor from The Source spotted the looker at a NYC park. From there, Beckford went on to be the spokesmodel for Ralph Lauren Polo. The rest is history...
Jordan Smith, Corbis
No longer a mainstay in magazines or on the runway, Tyson is staying relevant in the fashion world through his hosting gig on Bravo's 'Make Me A Supermodel.'
Dave Hogan, Getty Images
Reese's love of color was evident in the clothes, with bright lemon and tangerine full skirts and mix-matched patterns. But it was her gorgeous, art-inspired watercolor dress with a cinched waist and a dramatic sheer sash that made heads turn.
Reese proved that she is the leader of the class when it comes to juxtaposing different shapes, as she daringly mixed relaxed, soft and feminine silhouettes with architectural edges. Jackets were embellished with colorful side-zip leggings and paired with chic dresses in bold zebra and polka dot prints. Billowy tunics adorned with detailed embroidery, shorts, and flouncy garden print floral dresses in bright spring colors rounded out the collection.
The chart topper of the show was a V-neck, embroidered goldenrod dress that clearly excited the crowd, including all the "It Girls" sitting pretty in the front row.
After the show, we caught up with singer-songwriter, Keri Hilson, who said she is a fan of Reese's.
"I enjoyed Tracy's show very much, because she is a female and an African American designer," she said. "As you know, we see that very rarely in the fashion world, so I had to come out and support her. I feel that what she does is impeccable."
R&B singer Amerie also had nothing but kind words to say about the collection.
"I thought the show was beautiful," she said. "There was something for every one. It was very flirty. There were a lot of tight fitting clothes, and I was kind of surprised. There was this pair of tight, sexy black pants, but overall, Tracy stayed true to her signature, lady-like silhouette as well. I loved the slouched trousers and slouched shirts. I thought there was a lot of color. The collection was a lot of fun, perfect for spring."
