"Black is beautiful" was one of the most culturally charged American political slogans of the 1960s. Thirty years later, former model and educator Barbara Summers proves just how true those words are in her coffee-table book titled "Skin Deep: Inside the World of Black Fashion Models."
With 17 years of experience in the world of high fashion, Summers, who traversed three continents over 10 years to complete her book, has done much more than simply compile 298 pages of bronze beauties. She has stitched together with intricate detail a historical pastiche of the industry insiders and women who "were pioneers in a special wilderness, the profession of fashion and beauty" -- the women who paved the way for the success of such sirens as Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Grace Jones, Iman and many others.
But perhaps one the most telling anecdotes from the book is one of Summers' own. Before beginning work on the book, she asked her longtime agent, fashion powerhouse Eileen Ford, for feedback on the idea of doing such a project.