The many metamorphoses of Grace Jones

Androgyny and rebellion in the world of the Eternal Queen of Disco Club Fashion

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A geometric figure, with vibrant colors and a futuristic look, was born in 1948 in Spanish Town, Jamaica. Named Grace Beverly Jones, the little girl lived surrounded by tradition and religiosity, but was destined for the complete opposite of her reality at the time. Her career spans various fields - from modeling, producing, singing, acting, to songwriting, for example - but all with a common denominator: total confidence in her uniqueness.

She remained in Jamaica until the age of 12, when her family decided to move to Syracuse, New York. The geographical change, coupled with the transition from childhood to teenage years, only intensified her journey, becoming a stage for the odyssey of her freedom. Six years after arriving in the 'land of liberty,' and already at the University of Dramatic Arts, Jones truly allowed herself to experiment: adopting the Black Power hairstyle, embracing hippie culture, posing for Playboy, and even using LSD.

Demonstrating her power, Jones was already questioning many of the things imposed on her, whether by family or society. According to her, '(...) I did things for the thrill, for the challenge, for the fact that it was new, not for the money (...).' It is worth noting that many of these things she did for excitement and challenge became essential to shaping her persona.

To illustrate just one of the most energetic anecdotes from the life of this muse, in the late 1960s, Jones was neighbors with Christiaan Houtenbos. The Dutchman is a celebrity hairstylist, having styled the supermodels on the iconic January 1990 cover of British Vogue 'The 1990s What next?'.

Well, Houtenbos recalls that Jones shouted his name out the window and let him know she wanted to change her hair. As it was midnight, the hairstylist improvised the haircut with the blades he had, and thus, the distinctive androgynous look, evoked by the flat top, was born.

Flirting heavily with this dual visual, finally, the spotlight turned to her. Yves Saint Laurent invited her to walk his runways and she became one of the first black models to grace magazine covers, advertising campaigns, and sign a music contract.

In addition to this, she frequented the classic Studio 54 nightclub, with shows laden with eccentricity and soaked in high fashion and provocation. According to Jones, 'When I perform on stage, I become those tough guys, those dominators from my childhood. That's probably why it's so scary, because they scared me. I like being feminine, but I like switching roles.'.

While being a stage for an entire avant-garde generation, Studio 54 cemented Jones as the 'eternal queen of disco club fashion.' Her theatrical performances were executed with an extremely well-defined image, with four pillars: hair, makeup, clothing, and the confidence of her craft. Her style predominantly sought to combine both the feminine (makeup that accentuated her bone structure, shimmering and colorful clothing) and the masculine (her muscular body, the iconic shaved head, and a strong personality, which for many, are strictly masculine traits).

However, despite androgyny being her trademark, Jones's influence and contribution to the fashion world go beyond. In subsequent decades, she wore pieces from icons like Azzedine Alaia, Karl Lagerfeld, and Gianni Versace, became a muse to Thierry Mugler, and actively contributed to the 'power dressing' movement, an aesthetic aimed at conveying female efficiency, determination, and professionalism in the 1980s.

Grace Jones always carried aspects considered rebellious and outrageous, and she masterfully utilized them all. In total, summarizing the story of such a illustrious figure in a few lines does not do justice to her importance and well-deserved reverence. If there are new fashion paradigms contributed by Lady Gaga, Janelle Monáe, and Beyoncé, for example, it's because Jones came and dared to question the status quo.

'I will never write my memoirs.' The title of her book says it all: she won't give you what you want, but what you need. Being a living legend who knows her own power and has not been afraid to take risks for over 40 years in the entertainment industry does that to you.