Sessilee Lopez, the cover girl on last year's hard to find black Italian Vogue issue has had an extremely busy fashion week. Lopez, who hails from West Philly, walked in more than half a dozen shows including the colorful Marc Jacobs, the eclectic Diane von Furstenberg, the elegant Badgley Mishcka and the sophisticated Jason Wu catwalks. This year she snagged headliners Oscar de la Renta and Narciso Rodriguez, too. Look here for all of her runway shots.

And speaking of black models, I haven't seen more black models on the runways this season. That's a shame. Two years ago, former model and agent, Beth Ann Hardison, raised the issue about the dearth of black models on the runways. Fashionistas groused about the blatant lack of representation, some designers like Diane von Furstenberg and Anna Sui addressed the issue, too. But this season, I didn't see more than two black models in several shows that averaged anywhere from 20 to 50  models in each presentation. Some shows featured zero black models.
The reasoning is simple, really. Designers still don't see black women as their core customers. And they don't think black women's beauty is universal, let alone aspirational. Until those basic beliefs change, black models will serve as little more than tokens on the runways.

But I have hope.
 
First lady Michelle Obama is on the cover of the March issue of Vogue. Isn't that something? We all know that American Vogue hasn't been quick to embrace black beauty, but with all of the publicity Obama has given designers of late, her presence as a force in the industry couldn't be ignored, even by Vogue. I love the fact that Obama is a very realistic representation of today's African American women. She's tall, some would describe her as big-boned and she has back. I haven't really wanted to write about the Michelle Obama tush issue because, frankly, I think it's inappropriate to talk about the first lady's rump. But in this case, it's slightly relevant because it's these backside proportions that make it nearly impossible for even the smallest sister to fit into designer clothing. If designers like Jason Wu decide they want to fit this figure, we will all have a shot at finding high end clothes. (Cost issues not withstanding.)

Obama is a classy example of a black woman who likes fashion. We are more than spoiled housewives of Atlanta, tacky little Kim imitators and entitled media moguls girlfriends.  We are working women,  moms and we like to feel good about well-made clothing. This week Obama's social secretary, Desiree Rogers was spotted at the Carolina Herrera show with Chicago boutique onwer, Ikram Goldman. It is women like Obama and Rogers - moreso than celebrities - that will help designers see black women as intelligent and aspirational.  Only then will be more than exotic oddities and models like Sessilee Lopez, Chanel Iman and Jourdan Dunn won't feel so alone during Fashion Week.