7 days ago
Chicago Celebrates 50 Years of Mahogany In Style
As many often say, nothing beats summertime Chi.
On a cool August evening in Chicago, the city shimmered in sequins, silks, and legacy. People from across the community gathered on the lawn of The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center—one of the country's oldest African American museums in the country—for Mahogany at 50, a celebration marking the golden anniversary of the 1975 seminal fashion classic Mahogany, starring Diana Ross. But this wasn't just a screening. It was a homecoming—a cinematic, sartorial, and cultural return to the city where it all began. Part open-air screening, part block party, part runway.
Spearheaded by co-organizers Dr. Rikki Byrd, Jessica Clark, and Ci Phillips, Mahogany at 50 is a citywide activation honoring the film's legacy and its lasting impact on fashion, politics, community, and Black womanhood. And most importantly, the beauty, history, and influence of Chicago. 'This was our love letter to Chicago,' Byrd told Vogue. 'It was very important for us to bring this film back to Chicago, where it was set, where it started—and we did just that. It was beautiful to see the Chicago community out in their best fashions, celebrating and feeling loved.'
Few films have embedded themselves into the fashion canon like Mahogany. Directed by Berry Gordy, scored by a soaring Diana Ross ballad, and costumed brilliantly, the film charts the rise of Tracy Chambers—a retail assistant by day and fashion design student by night from the South Side, who leaves behind the familiar to become a supermodel and designer in Rome. It's high camp, high drama, and high fashion. The movie remains a touchstone for aspiration, agency, and glamour. It's a visual feast of bold silhouettes and technicolor gowns. And that's exactly what Mahogany at 50 was.
