"Chasinghorse’s accessories—her intricate jewelry and feather hairpieces—celebrated the idea of Native community and love in a unique way. The custom jewelry by Lenise Omeasoo, a Blackfeet and Cree artist who runs Antelope Women Designs, was intended to quite literally envelope the model with Native pride. “The piece was inspired by the Native community,” Omeasoo tells Vogue. “The tipis surrounding Quannah represent the love of her community, there with her.” Omeasoo applied dentalium shells, porcupine quills, and beads on smoked hide. “All the traditional materials I used were gifted through trade with other Native artists over the years,” says Omeasoo. “This was my first quilled jewelry set—a bit risky, but I wanted to give my all for Quannah’s iconic moment.” The two eagle feathers in Chasinghorse’s hair, meanwhile, also have a thoughtful backstory to them: They also represent the idea of Native people showing up for each other. Ahead of the Met, Chasinghorse put out a call for eagle feathers on her social media page, wanting to borrow some for the glitzy event. Within many Indigenous tribes, eagle feathers serve as a form of medicine and strength—it’s something you carry with you to balance the mind, body, and spirit, and it's seen as a great honor whenever one is gifted to you. Shortly after posting the callout, two Indigenous men named Shane Weeks and Wayne Duncan were able to source and deliver a feather to New York City, where the Indigenous actor and filmmaker Ginew Benton then presented them to Chasinghorse. Another feather came from Hunter Meachum, a Tlingit woman from Juneau, Alaska who is now based in New York. On the Met red carpet last night, then, Chasinghorse reached a kind of fashion apotheosis: She wore a designer gown and traditional accessories that showcased the support and pride of a much bigger community. For Chasinghorse, the celebration of her Indigenous heritage overall was also important given the theme. “Quannah’s look encapsulated the Indigenous perspective on Gilded Glamor by showcasing Indigenous artistry, ingenuity, resiliency, beauty, and excellence,” says Jody Potts-Joseph, Chasinghorse’s mother. “It is important to understand that for Native Americans, the Gilded Age represents a period of United States policies of removal, genocide, and assimilation all creating generations of trauma for Native Americans. Yet, we are still here—and Quannah gracefully reminds the world of our strength, beauty, talent and resilience in every space.”" (x)
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