From W Magazine (8/08)
I was his first black muse...He helped open the door for black models. Sometimes I was his confidante, and I would sometimes inspire his creativity. He called me Moumounn. The collection that made me a celebrity was the one inspired by Porgy and Bess. I wore a pink pantsuit and a boater hat. I walked to 'Summertime' and really took on the character of Bess. Catherine Deneuve stood up and started clapping. The everyone stood up and called out 'Bravo!' Yves Saint Laurent peered around the curtain - a thing that he had never done before - to see what all of the commotion was about. The people were shouting 'Bravo, Yves Saint Laurent!' and 'Brava, Mouina!' He took me in his arms, and we kissed. This for me was history...After that I had more than 15 covers...Mr. Fairchild gave me my first cover [of WWD], and [French Vogue's] Francine Crescent gave me 27 pages. This was the first time that a black model had arrived in haute couture. I say thank you to Monsieur Yves Saint Laurent and thank you to Monsieur Pierre Bergé. My last word for Yves Saint Laurent is 'love.'
Source: W Magazine, Sepia
5 comments:
That's a lovely story. I watched an excellent doucmentary on YSL in which they spoke to him, his mother and Mr. Berge. It was informative, interesting and filled with beautiful clothing.
I wonder where a lot of the older blk models are now. I can imagine that many of them lucked up and found wealthy husbands. I know Patt Clevland married an wealthy(?) Italian. Kara Young married a wealthy Greek reastate or shiping magnate.
There was a blk model who was named Queen or Princess something. She was from Southern East Africa. I wonder what happened to her. There is also a muslim blk French model who did well in the late 90's.
Maybe I will write blog posts about long ago black models.
Wow, her recollection of that moment just gives me the chills.
Mouina is EVERYTHING this month. She is in Vogue, NY Magazine and a host of other magazines.
Greetings,
It seems Wikipedia neglected to mention my favorite Couture Star, Madame Mounia as it pertains to her role @ The House of YSL in the 70's. So, I took up the cause and 'perfected' the information that goes out into blogsphere. Yes, there are future fashion students that need to know the facts!!! With a critical eye (and due-diligence), I gave credit to MFH for the information heard from the lips of Mounia.
"Long Live Mounia,"
Leonard Emile Taylor-Philadelphia
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