The Metropolitan Museum of Art Honors Eunice W. Johnson

It was an afternoon of love, memories and celebration as family and friends gathered yesterday at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Temple of Dendur for a tribute luncheon to honor the late Eunice W. Walker, who passed away last week at the age of 93.

(Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

Carol Sutton Lewis, daughter of the late Percy Sutton, Gayle King, Ruben and Isabel Toledo, and Andre Leon Talley served as hosts for the luncheon. In attendance was a Who's Who of fashionistas and entertainers including White Social Secretary, Desirée Rogers, Wall Street Journal reporter, Teri Agins, designers Geoffrey Banks, Francisco Costa and B. Michael, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Lynn Whitfield, Whoopi Goldberg, models Veronica Webb and Pat Cleveland, restauranteur B. Smith, socialite Susan Fales-Hill, director and chief curator of The Studio Museum of Harlem Thelma Golden, and Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson.

Desirée Rogers

(Photo: Kyle Ericksen/WWD.com)

Former president Bill Clinton made a surprise appearance as keynote speaker for the event, noting Mrs. Johnson's "ageless vitality". Ms. Rogers, who is a close and personal friend of the Johnson Family, read a letter penned by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, which lauded Mrs. Johnson's philanthropy and entreprenurship.

Susan Fales-Hill

(Photo: Kyle Ericksen/WWD.com)

Next to the luncheon was an exhibit of garments that were featured on the Ebony Fashion Fair runways. Linda Johnson Rice said of her mother, "I know my mother is looking down on us and all her wonderful clothes, thinking, ‘Wow, I did a pretty darn good job'".

Fashion Designers Geoffrey Banks (l.) and Francisco Costa (r.)

(Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

Pat Cleveland

(Photo: Kyle Ericksen/WWD.com)

Desiree Rogers and Teri Agins

chat with Francisco Costa and Geoffrey Banks

(Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

Thelma Golden

(Photo: Kyle Ericksen/WWD.com)

Veronica Webb and Whoopi Goldberg

(Photo: Veronica Webb/GlobalGrind.com)

Alexa Johnson, granddaughter of Mrs. Johnson

(Photo: Veronica Webb/GlobalGrind.com)

Ebony Fashion Fair Exhibit

(Photos: Veronica Webb/GlobalGrind.com)

(SOURCES: WWD: Desirée Rogers and Bill Clinton Attend Eunice W. Johnson Tribute and
Global Grind: FASHION MOMENT - Tribute to Eunice W. Johnson)

Vintage Photo Of The Week

Eunice W. Johnson (1916 -2010)

(Photo: EbonyJet.com)

Check out Mrs. Eunice W. Johnson working the chinchilla! Alexis Carrington ain't got nuttin' on this Diva!  

Enjoy!

LEGENDARY: Eunice Johnson, Our Fashion Fair Lady (1916-2010)

(Photo: EbonyJet.com)

Grace and class are two words family and friends use to describe Eunice Walker Johnson, the founder of Johnson Publishing, Ebony Fashion Fair and Fashion Fair Cosmetics, who passed away Sunday at the age of 93.

Eunice Johnson looking over sketches with Yves St. Laurent

(Photo: EbonyJet.com)

Mrs. Johnson was a visionary who understood that image is everything to the Black community. Armed with luxurious haute couture gowns, statuesque brown beauties and a runway, Mrs. Johnson sought to redefine the image of the Black woman. She forced fashion designers to take notice of the beauty of Black women and how our darker hues could accentuate or enhance their designs. At the same time, Mrs. Johnson introduced us to a world of luxury and art, and helped to elevate our self-esteem. “She was an astute fashion person who had more than just fashion in her background. She was an interior designer. She was a lover of art", says Audrey Smaltz, founder of The Ground Crew, a fashion show production company, and former Ebony Fashion Fair commentor from 1970-1977. "She introduced me to luxury, art and culture way beyond what I went to school for. I graduated with an art degree. She took me to a Ph.D.”

The Ebony Fashion Fair began in 1956 as an idea by the late Jessie Covington Dent, who was looking to put on a fashion show that would benefit the Women's Auxillary of Flint-Goodroch Hospital in New Orleans. Enter the late John H. Johnson, founder of Johnson Publishing Company and the husband of Mrs. Johnson. The show was a success and Mr. Johnson, along with his wife, decided to expand it into a multi-city traveling fashion show to help raise money for other charities. Over the years, Ebony Fashion Fair raised more than $55 million for various charity organizations.

In the beginning it was rough. Many designers refused to sell their clothing to Mrs. Johnson because, according to Mr. Johnson, they were concerned that "white women wouldn’t value their designs if they were worn by Black women". However, through perserverance and her Southern charm, Mrs. Johnson won them over, becoming the largest buyer of European haute couture, according to Kenneth Owen, assistant producer of Ebony Fashion Fair.

Via the Ebony Fashion Fair, Mrs. Johnson was also instrumental in launching the careers of some of today's fashion legends like Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Roberto Cavalli, and Pierre Cardin when they were the new kids on the runway. The work of Black designers, like B. Michael, Willi Smith, Patrick Kelly and Stephen Burrows were also regularly featured throughout the years. Pat Cleveland, one of the first Black supermodels, cut her teeth on the Ebony Fashion Fair circuit, as did actor, Richard Roundtree and TV personality, Janet Langhart Cohen.

Mrs. Johnson is survived by her daughter, Linda Johnson Rice and granddaughter, Alexa Christina Rice. In honor of Mrs. Johnson's philanthropy and contribution to the fashion industry, the Metropolitan Museum of Art will hold a special tribute on January 11th. According to EbonyJet.com, this event was planned months in advance prior to Mrs. Johnson's passing.

(SOURCE: EbonyJet.com)