I have long been an avid fan of Sade and am no stranger to her beauty. It seems Style.com isn’t either, as the go-to fashion destination named the songstress a beauty icon:
Born Helen Folasade Adu in Nigeria fifty-three years ago to a Nigerian father and English mother, the mellow-voiced Bombshell actually has a background in fashion. She studied at Central Saint Martins College when she moved to London at age 18, after living in Holland-on-Sea from age 11. Sade graced the catwalk and even started her own menswear line before she joined the band Pride while in college. At just 24, she signed a deal with Epic Records and is currently the most successful solo female artist in British history, having sold over 110 million albums all over the globe. Not bad, huh?
As popular as her many hits (“Smooth Operator“, “Love Is Stronger Than Pride“, and “The Sweetest Taboo“) is her style: her trademark red lips, sleek long braided ponytail, and oversized gold hoops have been replicated by designers including Jean Paul Gaultier and Olivier Rousteing at Balmain this season, as well as R&B crooner Miguel who created a t-shirt in her honor.
I’m glad that a big style hub is giving Sade her props! Though there are so many black celebrities and models, few are ever truly recognized for their contributions to beauty and style. There is something to be said here about aging gracefully and taking your beauty in stride: Sade knew early on what she liked and what worked for her and she rarely strayed . In a day and age when women have more beauty and fashion brands in their cabinets and drawers than a department store, with double the number of trends to boot, we almost view consistency of a look as mundane and boring. Sade shows that it isn’t. How many girls have you seen in a button-front shirt, oversized gold hoops and a long braid? Think about it!
What do you think? Is Sade a beauty icon in your opinion?
~Faith
October 20, 2012 1:35 pm
Very nice read :-)
October 20, 2012 1:56 pm
yess! she ages gracefully :) & she deserves it
October 20, 2012 2:06 pm
Gorgeous
October 20, 2012 2:28 pm
Absolutely! Well written Faith Xo
October 20, 2012 2:40 pm
yesssssssss
October 20, 2012 2:43 pm
Sade is a timeless beauty and an incomparable artist.
October 20, 2012 2:53 pm
Beautiful, and I had no idea she is Nigerian
October 20, 2012 5:04 pm
She’s a beauty! So happy for her!
October 20, 2012 6:40 pm
she certainly is. i love her effortless style. people do have a tendency to view consistency as boring, but she proves that you do not need to wear a bunch of prints and colorful outfits to be stylish :-)
October 20, 2012 7:01 pm
Sade’s beauty is breathtaking! She embraced her looks and invested in ‘elegance’ instead of trends!
It is refreshing and comforting to see a woman being true to herself. J’adore Sade!
October 20, 2012 7:10 pm
The most beautiful woman on the planet!!!! She ages so gracefully and is just so naturally beautiful…ugh gotta love Sade!!!
October 20, 2012 9:17 pm
Sade is gorgeous.
October 21, 2012 12:15 am
She is Nigerian. People pay no attention to names. Even the beats of a lot of her songs have Nigerian influence.
October 21, 2012 3:10 am
Sade is the name of the group. How is she an individual artist?
October 21, 2012 3:37 am
this woman is gorgeous!
October 21, 2012 6:14 am
Legend & classic beauty. Well deserved.
October 21, 2012 8:25 am
Can we start having more posts on celebrity icons and their contributions to the fashion world? This was great.
October 21, 2012 8:39 am
Love her
October 21, 2012 10:07 am
Queen Sade!
October 21, 2012 10:22 am
That pic with the button-up is gorgeous. This is wonderfully written Faith.
October 21, 2012 10:46 am
Yes! Great article. Learned some things I didn’t know about Sade.
October 21, 2012 6:22 pm
I agree with Honeyboo, this was great
October 21, 2012 9:53 pm
Sade is her name….Sweetback is the band that backs her up. Great post btw Faith! Love this!
October 21, 2012 9:57 pm
stunning woman!!!!
October 22, 2012 5:13 am
Sade slayed even BEFORE they used to airbrush the shyt out of photos- thats a real beauty! X-D
October 22, 2012 9:45 am
Yes, I agree with the majority – this was a GREAT read! Yes, Sade has timeless beauty…amidst all the trends, her simple/natural beauty never goes out of style. Flawlessly beautiful! Love it!
October 22, 2012 10:05 am
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS….love her so much…my naija sister
October 22, 2012 10:39 am
Its about time, I’ve always loved Sade, and her beauty is classic. I want that shirt with her face on it…lol.
Blessings
October 22, 2012 10:50 am
Yes!! Sade is my all time favorite singer. Her style and voice is effortless. I had the great honor of seeing her live last year in Charlotte where she put on an awesome show with John Legend as her opener. This woman is simply amazing, humble and beautiful inside and out!!
October 22, 2012 3:40 pm
HUGE HUGE fan. I was so happy to see this on Style.com Friday! I saw her on tour last year in Dallas and it was honestly one of those moments you mark off your bucket list. She was fantastic, and a true icon. Love her!
October 22, 2012 3:42 pm
The shirt is by Deer Dana http://www.deerdana.com/ in collaboration with Miguel.
I’m in the process of creating a tribute tee to Sade for my first collection.
October 22, 2012 4:51 pm
Yes I too was thrilled w/Style.com’s piece on her. Well deserved and looooooooooooong over due. It doesn’t get better than Sade. Timeless.
October 22, 2012 8:59 pm
I love Sade. In this day and age how many artist have consistently stayed classy and relevant without scandal or negative press. Her style & voice can’t be duplicated… The best!
October 23, 2012 1:04 am
I absolutely adore Sade! I’m glad that people are acknowledging her influence beyond the music industry. She is an icon!
October 23, 2012 5:31 am
a naturally beauty with a voice that heals a hurting soul . Sade is too amazing for words and carries herself with such poise. LOVE HER
October 25, 2012 3:52 am
i think so. absolutely