Recommended Reading for Adornment & Opulence

Beauty & Self-Care

Davis-Sivasothy, Audrey. The Science of Black Hair: A Comprehensive Guide to Textured Hair Care. [Place not specified]: Saja Publishing Company, April 11, 2011.
Combining hair biology, research-backed advice, and regimen-building tools, this is both a technical and accessible guide to maintaining healthy textured hair. It elevates self-care to a scientific, intentional practice—framing beauty as knowledge, care, and empowerment.

Fetto, Funmi. Palette: The Beauty Bible for Women of Color. London/New York: Quercus (Mobius), April 21, 2020.
An elegantly illustrated, stylishly curated guide from a Vogue beauty editor, offering practical product recommendations and beauty rituals crafted specifically for women of color. The collection subtly asserts that nuanced, empowered self-presentation is itself a form of luxury and expertise.

Fornay, Alfred. Born Beautiful: The African American Teenager’s Complete Beauty Guide. New York: Trade Paper Press, March 1, 2002.
A vibrant and inclusive beauty manual tailored to African American teens, covering skincare, hair care, color theory, and lifestyle tips. By acknowledging and celebrating diverse beauty needs, the book underscores how adornment becomes both confidence and cultural affirmation.

Etiquette

Cole, Harriette. How to Be: Contemporary Etiquette for African Americans. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993.
Cole blends tradition with modern relevance, offering etiquette guidance that honors Black cultural practices while addressing contemporary contexts. The book reframes etiquette as empowerment, linking polished presentation to dignity, resilience, and self-definition.

Hollie, Demi. Global Etiquette for Black Girls. Self-published, 2021.
This approachable manual offers young Black women practical tips on navigating social and professional spaces worldwide. It presents etiquette not as restriction, but as a tool for confidence, cross-cultural respect, and stylish self-possession.

Sorrell, Deidra A., Ed.D. The Black Elegance Project: Modern Black Etiquette for Modern Black Excellence. Self-published, 2022.
Sorrell highlights etiquette as both heritage and forward-looking practice, tying cultural pride to excellence in presentation and comportment. Her work reframes refinement as a distinctly modern expression of opulence and leadership.

Wilson, Ginger; Johnson, Kalyn; Lewis, Tracey; and Lightfoot, Karla. The BAP Handbook: The Official Guide to the Black American Princess. New York: Broadway Books, 2001.
Part satire, part social commentary, this playful handbook explores the cultural phenomenon of the Black American Princess. While humorous, it also reflects deeper themes of aspiration, class, and the performative dimensions of opulence.

Wilson, Lady Trenette. History of Etiquette in Black America: A Tribute to the Trailblazers of Etiquette in African American History. Dallas: Lady T. Productions, 2010.
Wilson honors Black pioneers of etiquette who transformed codes of conduct into strategies of survival and empowerment. The book underscores how refinement and grace have historically been integral to asserting humanity and worth.

Wilson, Lady Trenette. Royal, Black and Elite: A Tribute to the Nobility and Pioneers of Etiquette in Black History. Dallas: Lady T. Productions, 2012.
This continuation of Wilson’s work situates etiquette as noble tradition within Black history. By spotlighting figures of refinement, she reveals etiquette as a language of respect, legacy, and cultural sophistication.

Fashion & Style History

Alexander, Lois K. Blacks in the History of Fashion. New York: Harlem Institute of Fashion, 1979.
A pioneering study that documents Black designers, seamstresses, and influencers who shaped fashion long before mainstream recognition. It underscores how Black contributions have always been interwoven with global style and elegance.

Ellington, Tameka, and Joseph L. Underwood, eds. Textures: The History and Art of Black Hair. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 2020.
An exploration of Black hair as both art and history, the volume features essays, images, and scholarship highlighting hair’s role in identity, beauty, and cultural expression. It situates adornment as deeply rooted in heritage and creativity.

Ford, Tanisha C. Liberated Threads: Black Women, Style, and the Global Politics of Soul. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2015.
Ford situates fashion at the crossroads of politics and identity, showing how Black women used style as a tool of liberation, solidarity, and cultural pride. Adornment here becomes both resistance and self-definition.

Gainer, Nichelle. Vintage Black Glamour. New York: Rocket 88 Books, 2014.
A stunning collection of rare photographs, this work highlights glamorous images of Black icons often overlooked in mainstream narratives. It affirms that opulence and elegance have always been integral to Black cultural expression.

WWD; Tonya Blazio-Licorish; Tara Donaldson. Black in Fashion: 100 Years of Style, Influence & Culture. New York: Union Square & Co., 2024.
This lavish, archival collection draws from Women’s Wear Daily's storied history to spotlight Black creatives—designers, models, influencers—who shaped fashion aesthetics and narratives. It chronicles opulence not just as luxury, but as visibility, heritage, and stylistic legacy.

Fiction & Narrative

Benedict, Marie, and Victoria Christopher Murray. The Personal Librarian. New York: Berkley, 2021.
A fictionalized account of Belle da Costa Greene, the Black woman who became J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian while passing as white. The novel explores the tension between cultural refinement, hidden identity, and the opulence of New York’s Gilded Age.

Marquis, Krystal. The Davenports. New York: Dial Books, 2023.
Inspired by real Black families of wealth in early 20th-century America, this YA historical romance highlights young women navigating love, identity, and social expectation within elite circles. The narrative reframes Black opulence as both possibility and pressure.

Perkins-Valdez, Dolen. Happy Land. New York: Amistad, 2024.
This novel blends history with magical realism, following a community of formerly enslaved people who create an imagined paradise of wealth and security. Through vivid storytelling, it critiques the promises and perils of opulence while celebrating imagination as adornment of survival.

Sivak, Zoe. Mademoiselle Revolution. New York: Berkley, 2022.
Set during the Haitian and French Revolutions, this story follows a biracial heiress navigating the opulent yet dangerous salons of Paris. It illustrates how adornment, wealth, and refinement could offer both access and alienation in a turbulent age.

Youngblood, Shay. Black Girl in Paris. New York: Riverhead Books, 2000.
This semi-autobiographical novel follows a young Black woman who moves to Paris in search of creative freedom. Parisian culture, fashion, and romance become stages of adornment, shaping her journey of self-definition and visibility.

Society

Gatewood, Willard B. Aristocrats of Color: The Black Elite, 1880–1920. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 1990.
Gatewood’s historical study examines the rise of the Black elite in the post-Reconstruction era, showing how fashion, etiquette, and refinement served as tools of social mobility. Opulence is reframed as both aspiration and resistance.

Graham, Lawrence Otis. Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class. New York: HarperCollins, 1999.
Examines the traditions, values, and cultural practices of America’s Black elite. It highlights adornment and opulence as both identity markers and tools of social navigation.

Taylor, Elizabeth Dowling. The Original Black Elite: Daniel Murray and the Story of a Forgotten Era. New York: Amistad, 2017.
A biography of Daniel Murray, a prominent Black intellectual and bibliophile. It highlights the elegance, education, and civic presence of Washington’s Black elite, positioning them within opulent cultural traditions.

Winch, Julie. The Elite of Our People: Joseph Willson’s Sketches of Black Upper-Class Life in Antebellum Philadelphia. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000.
Presents and contextualizes Joseph Willson’s 1841 book—the first study of African American upper-class life. It underscores how refinement, culture, and class shaped Black life before the Civil War.