With a crown of flowers in her hair, Billie Holiday or Lady Day, as she was called, captivated audiences with her jazzy voice and distinctive sound.
Born Eleanora Fagan Gough in 1915, Billie adopted her stage name from an actress she admired at the time, Billie Dove, and the musician Clarence Holiday, her alleged father.
Sticking to a neutral color palette, Billie made her endlessly elegant stage looks her own with rows of pearls, instances of statement chandelier earrings, occasional turbans, and moments of dark lips.
The Philadelphia native also exuded glamour off the stage with fur coats, make-a-statement hats, and artistic earrings.
Holiday’s singular style has been played out on the silver screen by Diana Ross, who was cast as Billie in the film Lady Sings the Blues.
Soul singers such as Christina Aguilera, Queen Latifah, and Beyonce have also channeled the jazz icon.
Magazines have also crafted editorials to salute the songstress, with Paula Patton embodying Holiday’s essence for Glamour magazine, and model Chanel Iman belting her soulful tunes for Peter Lindbergh in Harper’s Bazaar.
She was a wonderful talent, whose style was as unique as her voice.
See her sing here:
Stay tuned for more!
February 5, 2013 3:41 pm
in love with Billie since hearing ‘Strange Fruit’ in 9 1/2 Weeks!
this post just gave me LIFE!!!
4eva Lady Day. ;-*
February 5, 2013 3:47 pm
I’m really LOVING this series of Black History Fashion Bomb! Great Post!
February 5, 2013 3:48 pm
I love the simplicity of it all, beautiful
Blessings
February 5, 2013 3:59 pm
Awesome post!
February 5, 2013 4:02 pm
Simplistic beauty… elegance…. timeless….
February 5, 2013 4:28 pm
Timeless indeed!!
February 5, 2013 4:35 pm
Love Billie!
February 5, 2013 4:52 pm
she was sharp! love the off the shoulder dress…I’d rock it today!
February 5, 2013 5:20 pm
Love this post!
February 5, 2013 6:16 pm
These post. :)
February 5, 2013 6:28 pm
yes! keep the black history/fashion posts coming claire. love it!
February 5, 2013 6:57 pm
The first picture is everything
February 5, 2013 7:18 pm
Yesss!! Love these posts! Can’t wait to see who’s next!
February 5, 2013 7:35 pm
Great post and she was beautiful
February 5, 2013 8:09 pm
Strange Fruit was such a revolutionary song and she wasn’t afraid to sing it! My favorite song of the time, love and adore Lady Day <3
February 5, 2013 8:23 pm
much respect, ms. holiday.
February 5, 2013 8:39 pm
Thank you so much for this series of Black History posts, very inspiring.
February 5, 2013 8:53 pm
Such an beautiful and talented lady so sad we lost her way to soon.
February 5, 2013 10:49 pm
Love it……………. Claire, can you do one of these segments on Grace Jones I live for her high top fade?!
February 6, 2013 1:18 am
@yashi I believe she did a post on her last year! It was dope. Idk if its In the archives though…but this woman was remarkable.
February 6, 2013 2:36 am
Being a life-long Lady Day fan, I LOVE this post! Thanks Claire!!
February 6, 2013 9:32 am
Black history month could not be represented better. Thank you Fashion Bomb Daily!
February 6, 2013 9:57 am
Awsome Job FB! Thanks for adding the clip…..
February 6, 2013 10:30 am
True class, Not one mainstream black artist has exhibited that type of class in a long while. all this booty shaking and gyrating is classless and disgusting.
February 6, 2013 3:58 pm
Great post! Loving it Claire, but one error (not your fault, listed on websites inaccurately as well) Lady Day was not born in Philadelphia, she actually states in her book “Lady Sings The Blues” (movie based on book -great read by the way) that she was born in Baltimore.
Can’t wait to see who’s up next.
February 6, 2013 11:17 pm
Wish the pics of Moniq’ at the Oscars were added here she channeled Billie to the T.
February 7, 2013 2:15 pm
Great post!! Love this