In the history of hip-hop fashion, there’s no ignoring Lil’ Kim — Andscape

In any discussion about hip-hop and style, there may be no one more influential than Lil’ Kim.

What began as an organic expression of style between Lil’ Kim and stylist Misa Hylton is now recreated by a multitude of rappers hoping to replicate her staying power and replicated by high-end fashion designers attempting to earn cultural currency.

Which is why a major new exhibition on hip-hop and fashion feels incomplete. Fresh, Fly and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style, currently on view at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, may well be the largest and most comprehensive exhibition to date, featuring more than 100 garments and accessories showcasing the evolution of hip-hop fashion. Yet there’s just one ensemble Lil’ Kim wore in 2003 and too little representation of women’s fashion overall. 

The story of men’s style is well told, beginning with the fine knits, elements of formal wear with creases in the jeans and the tracksuits the B-boys wore in the 1970s, to the explosion of Americana brands such as Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger in the 1990s, and the high-end designers who were inspired by hip-hop.

Fresh, Fly and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style exhibit — Men’s “8-Ball jacket.”

Fresh, Fly and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style exhibit — Kangol, 2022, from the collection of Eileen Costa.

Fresh, Fly and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style exhibit — Louis Vuitton purse, circa 1996. The Museum at FIT, gift of Dorothy Lieberman.

Fresh, Fly and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style exhibit — Doorknocker earrings, from the Claw Money Archive Collection.

Fresh, Fly and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style…