Power Rangers. Anything beginning with an 'L'. Hipsters vs hippies. Usually, we actively eye-roll at the mention of any/all enforced dress codes. But, there are exceptions.
And one such exception is when perennially cool Solange Knowles asks guests to wear (mostly) white to her Guggenheim gig over the weekend.
And, my god, what a sight it was. A sea of white clothes sitting crossed-legged in New York's best-known art institution? Yep, it could have only be the brainchild of verging-on-saintly Solange.
The singer personally selected the iconic museum to perform An Ode To, a performance art project inspired by her latest album A Seat at the Table.
She, her dancers and musicians walked down the circular ramps leading to the first four floors of the museum. At one point, her horn players played from three different levels.
The set list included multiple songs, including Cranes in the Sky, FUBU and Mad. Of course, Solange adhered to her own dress code. Well, sort of. She and her band kept it cool in burgundy, burnt orange and ochre sweatsuits.
The one rule? No phones.
In an age of 'if you didn't 'Gram it, were you even there?', all guests were required to check in their smartphones and cameras, meaning guests had to, y'know, actually watch what was going on. The lack of phones also meant your feed wasn't filled with heart-wrenching Fomo - it was down to Solange to provide the best pics of the night.
After a standing ovation, the singer returned alone to tell the audience about the show's intent. She used the Guggenheim to make a point about the spaces that she and people of color have occupied, or rather don't, when it comes to art. 'Inclusion is not enough' she told the audience and that it's time to enter institutions and tear 'the fucking walls down.'
'Hold your communities tight. That's why I'm here,' she continued. 'I care about seeing your faces in this light. I don't care much about the institutions. I care about having the show to see the faces that I wrote this album for.'
With Solange making this much noise, she's well on her way.
