On February 16th, the long-awaited film "Black Panther" was released. "Black Panther" surpassed box office predictions both domestically and internationally and also managed to make history in many other ways. Such as being the highest grossing movie with a black director according to Fandango. I believe that this project was truly impeccable. I simply loved everything about it from the pleasing visuals to the soundtrack to the acting to the representation - especially the representation.To put it simply, Black Panther deserves all the hype it's getting. In this piece, I'd like to narrow my admiration down to the costume work done by the talented Ruth E. Carter. Her work in this film was heavily based on mixing science fiction with African culture to give and afro-centric vibe. Here are some instances where she did not come to play:

1. Nakia

Lupita Nyong’o’s wardrobe was inspired by the Suri tribe according to Carter. Nakia belonged to the Suritribe which explains her face painting. In an interview on Entertainment Weekly, Carter explains that "Every Character has a specific color- its a nice way of giving people their own identity," this explains the trend of green in Nakia's outfits to represent her different layers. Her glamorous dress from the Casino scene - inspired by Kente cloth - was one of my favorites because of how the geometrical details mix interestingly well with her elegance.

2. Okoye

Carter took inspiration from the Maasai tribe of southern Kenya for the bead details worn by Okoye. The warm red colors worn by Okoye and the other members of the Dora Milaje were inspired by the Turkana tribe and the Himba tribe. Can we just stop for a moment to applaud how powerful and tenacious Danai Gurira looks?

3. Ramonda - Queen of Wakanda

While watching "Black Panther" for the first time, I remember loving the complete aesthetic (Yeah I had to at least use this word once, sorry) of the queen. She looked so powerful and striking. Carter reveals that Ramonda's hat is a 3D printing inspired by the Zulu married woman’s headwear. This is one of many great examples of where mixing cultural and futuristic looks worked well in this film.

4. Black Panther

Black Panther's suit was patently mighty. I also loved how sleek and clean it was. Carter explains that the triangular geometry was placed all over his costume to symbolize an African king. So while it had a modern look, accurate homage was paid to Africa's sacred view of the triangular pattern.

5. Shuri

Shuri might honestly be my favorite character in the film. Her intelligence and relatable sense of humor are just a few of many things that make her likable. Since Shuri is science-minded, you'd think that Carter would've dressed her in a lab coat. However, that was a bit too cliche so Carter designed this outfit to subtly portray Shuri's scientific and inventive nature.