Stepping Out

An unapologetically bold, stimulating, and inspired collection of photographs and profiles celebrating the style of African Americans age 50+

Long inspired by mature adults daring to express their creativity and individuality through their style choices, New York Times bestselling novelist Connie Briscoe shines a light on these often overlooked and underappreciated sharply attired individuals. Accompanied by the marvelously talented Milton Washington’s dazzling photographs, Briscoe’s vision comes alive in these pages. From intrepid to chic, and sophisticated to free-spirited—Stepping Out captures the very essences of a vibrant cross section of Black elders, showcasing their stories, their styles, and how their love of fashion was born and bred. This book contextualizes the cultural, spiritual, and historical influences on decades of Black style and testifies to this dynamic legacy for generations to come.Connie Briscoe is the author of the New York Times bestseller Big Girls Don’t Cry, as well as A Long Way from Home, Sisters & Lovers (a Blackboard bestseller), P.G. County, Money Can’t Buy Love, You Only Get Better, and Jewels (with photographer Michael Cunningham). She lives in Ellicott City, Maryland.

Born and raised in South Korea until the age of eight, Milton Washington was adopted by a military family and raised throughout rural and urban USA. Milton’s unique and multicultural background gives him an uncommon edge and perspective on the people and life experiences he’s allured by. His fascination is all translated through the lens of the people, cultures, and happenings he chooses to capture with his still photography. His award-winning work has been featured in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Videomaker. And recently, Milton photographed an Afrofuturist fashion shoot for Emmy- and Oscar-nominated costume designer Ruth E. Carter.Introduction

I fondly remember my grandma Corine looking sharp whenever she stepped out in her smart hat and heels during my early childhood in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Whether headed to church or a social event or simply to hang with family or friends, she was always so tastefully dressed. Her husband had passed away and she led a very lively social life as a single woman in her fifties and sixties living in Washington, DC. I remember hearing whisperings among others in the family about her “party girl” lifestyle. This was a time when women her age were supposed to be married, and if they weren’t, they were only to socialize in “respectable settings”—mainly at church and among family.

But I adored my free-spirited grandmother’s lifestyle. I thought she and some of the many friends in her social circle looked gloriously elegant zipping around the big city in their chic cocktail dresses and luscious mink stoles. My sister Patty and I spent countless hours giggling and rummaging through Grandma Corine’s vast collections of glittery rhinestone and pearl jewels, long evening gloves, and pointy-toe shoes while playing dress-up, in childish attempts to look grown up and glamorous just like her. To this day I think there’s something special about adults in their fifties and beyond daring to creatively express themselves through their personal style choices.

Yet because of the zeitgeist’s preoccupation with youth, older adults are often woefully overlooked and undervalued when it comes to style. In Stepping Out, photographer Milton Washington and I attempt to rectify this with vibrant photographs and poignant profiles of an inspiring cross section of fashionforward African American men and women aged fifty-plus. Some are famous, others no less extraordinary; yet they all illustrate why the styles of mature Black adults are so profoundly meaningful and worthy of celebrating and chronicling for future generations.

—Connie Briscoe