The Supremes were the top American group of the sixties,
having more number-one hits than any other group aside from The Beatles. They
were also similar to their British rivals in the impact they made on the
fashion world. Just as the Fabs’ mop tops, collarless jackets, and Cuban-heeled
boots would loom large in their legend, The Supremes are unimaginable without
their bouffants and slinky, sequined gowns.
Mary Wilson— the only Supreme to stay with the group
throughout all their incarnations— held onto a lot of the stage wear her group
donned throughout their career, and she displays them in Supreme Glamour. The groovy thing about her and Mark Bego’s new book is that it
does double-duty as a pocket autobiography of Wilson’s Supreme years and a luxuriant display of the fabulous
garments in which she, Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, Cindy Birdsong, and Jean
Terrell sang and shimmied.
Designed by the likes of Bob Mackie, Michael Travis, and LaVetta
of Beverly Hills, these outfits represent some of the most flat-out artistic
work of what I believe to be fashion’s finest era. Close ups of intricate bead
and sequin designs hint at just how much work went into The Supremes’
incredible stage act.
Too bad that photos of the women in these spectacular
creations aren’t spotlighted quite as much as images of the dresses on headless
mannequins, but there are still a lot of pictures of Wilson and her cohorts in
costume, particularly in the two-part autobiographical portions of Supreme Glamour. While this obviously
isn’t as in-depth as Mary Wilson two proper autobiographies, Dreamgirl and Supreme Faith, it’s still satisfying and unafraid to deal with the
group’s grimmer experience of which there are many. Yet Wilson does not betray
an iota of bitterness, and her good-natured tone remains light enough to
accompany a vibrant portfolio of gowns as sure to make you smile as a spin of
“Where Did Our Love Go” or “Love Is Like an Itching In My Heart”.
