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Issue Six: 2007 |
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| HEIDI'S WORLD |
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Hi Fashionistas,
Will somebody please explain to me why Dallas still has the reputation of being a city inhabited by women with large coiffures, large jewels, and brightly colored clothes? Are you as tired as I am of having J.R. Ewing come up in every conversation with people from other cities, particularly New Yorkers? That was Dallas in the eighties, but, as we all know, things have changed. I lived in New York in the eighties and, honestly, the big-hair, garish clothes, overly lubricated faces and material excesses were all the rage among the social set there as well - remember Ivana Trump and her crowd?
I have a theory why people find it so comfortable to cling to the old stereotype. Dallas has grown into a culturally sophisticated city with world-class arts, architecture, shopping and restaurants (and don't forget that we will soon have a world-class fashion museum). The people here are highly educated, talented, attractive and just plain nice.When a New Yorker, for example, visits our bright, sunny city, they bring with them the baggage that goes along with the usual stereotypes. Meeting a very different city and populace, they are far too often unwilling to update their preconceived notions with new information, either because it's simply too hard, or because they feel insecure, self-conscious or just plain intimidated. Let's face it, it's a lot easier to go back to the stereotype and not deal with any cognitive dissonance that might occur when you realize that what you saw and what you expected to see were two different things.
How do we change these misconceptions? Simple. Just continue to be the fabulous forerunners you have always been. Eventually everyone will get it.
Stay Fabulous,
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ANNOUNCEMENTS |
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| NEW FASHIONISTAS |
Please welcome our new Fashionistas: Barbara Buzzell, Patricia Bowles, Rossana Nardizzi, Elaine Raffel, Alana King and Melanie Rasansky.
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| NEW FASHION ICONS |
Our new Fashion Icons are Julia Moore, Ana Pettus and Susan Chad. |
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| FASHIONISTAS 2 |
Beverly Knox from Highland Park High School, Susan Oszustowicz from SMU, Stephanie Cotti from El Centro, and Vanessa Longoria from the Art Institute of Dallas have joined our adorable F2 group. |
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| IN MEMORY OF BROOKE STOLENWERCK ALDRIDGE |
Our beloved friend and Fashionista passed away on March 22. I will always remember her for her infectious laugh, impeccable style, sense of humor and her inexhaustible creativity and love of life. |
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| FASHIONISTA 2 NEWS |
I had the pleasure of emceeing the Highland Park High School's annual fashion show the other night. Every year the HPHS's Fashion Club, which is headed up by Susan Sloan, puts on the event with top retailers like Stanley Korshak, The Biz, Anthropologie, Jean Connection and Terry Costa. They use professional hair and makeup people and Brett McKinney from Korshak pulls the whole thing together. Brett loves working with high school kids. HP juniors and seniors do the modeling and a couple of the kids looked like real pros. The crowd is made up of students and their parents and everyone has a great time whooping and hollering when their buddies show up on the runway. There were plenty of cookies and chicken nuggets to keep everyone's energy up for the two-hour program. Fashion Club co-presidents Kristina Kaltenbach and Ellie Gilchrist are to be congratulated for doing a fine job.
Our world famous director and curator of the Texas Fashion Collection, Myra Walker, gave the F2's a private tour of the Balenciaga Exhibition last Sunday. If you were not able to attend, don't worry, the exhibition has been extended because of record-breaking crowds and will be on display through June 17.
Sheryl Duncan and Kelly Pruitt, owners of Skeke at NorthPark, have invited the F2's for a "get ready summer fun" soiree on Saturday, May 12 from 7-9. This is really our first Fashionista 2 party and should be, based on my experience at HPHS last week, a blast. Some of our adult members have expressed an interest in attending F2 events, so naturally you are welcome to join us. |
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OUR MISSION
The Fashionistas, Inc.'s mission is to support the Texas Fashion Collection by raising funds for the expansion of Fashion on Main, exhibitions, acquisitions and educational programs. The Texas Fashion Collection is part of the School of Visual Arts at the University of North Texas at Denton. |
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| PAST EVENTS
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Lancôme/Fashionista Lip Collection Update
Last month you read my review of the Fashion at the Park festivities and about our launch of the Lancôme/Fashionista Color Design Lip Collection. The five colors were sold exclusively at the Lancôme Boutique at NorthPark throughout the month of March. Apparently they were a hit, because 300 tubes were sold! That's a lot of lipstick. Vanessa Dabich and her team are brainstorming about our next collaboration as we speak. I can't wait. My face hasn't been the same since Ross Burton left.
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Allegra Hicks Trunk Show
Allegra Hicks, the designer and face behind the eponymous luxury lifestyle brand, is recognized around the world. All of Allegra's collections, interiors and fashion, are built around her distinctive textiles which have a rich bohemian theme. Vogue called Allegra the "Queen of Kaftans". The Fashionistas were fortunate to be selected to be the first to showcase her brand outside of New York, where she recently opened her first U.S. boutique on Madison Avenue. Allegra Hicks V.P. Marta Brito Do Rio brought us an assortment of pieces from Spring 2007, which were available for immediate purchase and the Fall 2007 collection to order, as well as an assortment of items for the home. Everything was so cute and wearable and the price-points didn't break the bank and, naturally, they generously donated a percentage of the proceeds to our little non-profit. We have Ricardo Fernandez to thank for this coup; he's a good friend of Marta's. |
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Tricia Besing |
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Rocky Ommen |
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Versace
Rocky Ommen, manager of the Versace store at the Galleria, called me a few weeks ago to say that Versace was having and party to celebrate Donatella's Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award and that they would love to invite The Fashionistas and donate 10% of sales from the Dallas boutique for one week before and one week after the party. How often does stuff like that happen? Over 200 people showed up at The Apartment on a cold and rainy evening to see the stunning Versace Spring 2007 collection. Stacie Henderson, Marketing and Events Director, and Renee Cucucrullo, Director of Stores, both flew in from New York to personally oversee things. Apparently they were pleased with the outcome because they mentioned that Versace would like to do another event with us featuring a show of their Atelier pieces. That's something to look forward to! |
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Fashiontini Competition at Nick & Sam's
Our Fashionista Board of Directors met at Nick & Sam's last Tuesday to cast their vote for our Grey Goose Fashiontini. Four prominent bartenders competed - Brian Chatham of Nick & Sams, Nicole Smith of The Grille, Leann Berry from Cuidad, and Ivan Rimach from La Duni. My landscape designer, Michael Kinler of Redentas, joined the seasoned pros with his version of the La Poire based Fashiontini. Our winner was my old friend Brian Chatham. His Fashiontini had Grey Goose La Poire, of course, pear juice with simple syrup, mint, a splash of pineapple cordial and was topped with champagne. The official unveiling will be on May 10 at the Hamish Bowles party. |
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Tayler Carson, Liani Kotcher, Max Trowbridge & Alonso Martinez |
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| FUTURE EVENTS
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Hamish Bowles Lecture and Party
Launch of the GREY GOOSE/Fashionista Fashiontini
As the European Editor- at -Large for VOGUE and the Editor -in- Chief of the recently launched VOGUE LIVING, Hamish Bowles is recognized as one of the most respected authorities on the worlds of fashion and interior design.
Hamish will give a lecture entitled The Fashion Connoisseur at the Meadow's Museum on Thursday, May 10 at 5:30. The lecture is free, but seating is limited to 111 and is on a first-come, first-served basis, so plan on arriving a bit early to ensure that you get a seat. After the lecture there will be a fabulous Fashionista party for Hamish from 7-9 in the courtyard at Stanley Korshak. We will also launch the GREY GOOSE VODKA/Fashionista Fashiontini, which is made with their delicious La Poire Vodka. This is a fund-raiser for us, so tickets will be $100 each and available for purchase on our website later this month at www.thefashionistas.org. Invitations will be in the mail soon. Our generous sponsors are Stanley Korshak, Paper City, GREY GOOSE VODKA, Cymbidium and Shanghai 5. Capital Grille is providing the food. |
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Hamish Bowles |
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David Rodriguez/Linus Lounge Trunk Show
Our favorite fashion designer, David Rodriguez, is returning May 17-18 to do a trunk show at the chic shoe boutique, Linus Lounge. David will be showing his Fall 2007 collection, which I saw in New York during Fashion Week. Believe me, you will want to snap up some of his chic, comfortable and luxurious pieces. Kristen Radakovich, owner of Linus Lounge, has the most interesting shoe collection in town. Both are donating a percentage of proceeds to The Fashionistas and none of this would be possible without our friend Nancy Klompus. |
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| FABULOUS FASHIONISTAS |
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Joe Pacetti
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Joe Pacetti
Every time I see Joe Pacetti, I am overcome by the urge to mug him. Maybe that's because he is always dripping in ropes of diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires. As an independent, internationally acclaimed jeweler who has been selling his wares to three generations of bauble lovers in Dallas, Joe travels worldwide, purchasing the finest gems and jewelry designs for his most discriminating clientele. You won't find him in a mall - he operates on an appointment-only basis so he can dote on his devoted patrons, affording them the opportunity to absorb his extensive knowledge, expertise and taste.
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| In addition to being our own purveyor of precious finery, Joe is a bona fide doer-of-good-deeds. He has sat on the boards of the Turtle Creek Chorale, DIFFA Dallas, TACA, and the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums. In 1987 Joe chaired the Boys Towns of Italy's 42nd annual ball at the Waldorf Astoria in New York and subsequently received the coveted Croce d' Oro Maltese cross for his work on behalf of orphans. Every time Joe has been involved with a fundraiser, record-breaking amounts of money were raised. DIFFA Dallas named Joe the Honorary Chairman for their 2005 Dream Collection and enjoyed a 30% increase in revenue. Recently, he received the Legacy of Love's Legend Award for his continued support of those suffering from HIV/AIDS.
It comes as no surprise that Joe has been featured in W, Town and Country, Vanity Fair, People, as well as all of our favorite local publications. Noted columnist Liz Smith even mentioned in the New York Post the fabulous engagement ring that Joe designed for Jason Sehorn to give to actress Angie Harmon who is Joe's Goddaughter!
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Michael Dianda
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Michael Dianda
Since we benefit the Texas Fashion Collection, it makes sense that we have a purveyor of vintage clothing in our midst. Michael Dianda lives in San Francisco, where he opened his first store in 1984 in Haight Ashbury and over the last 20 years has sold to every vintage store in the Bay Area. His love of fashion began in the early 70's when his mother bought him a 3-piece leisure suite. Peach, with elephant bells. Since that time, his love of fashion - and his taste - has developed and he now travels the world doing trunk shows and hunting through closets of the well-heeled in search of that fabulous Chanel and the story that goes along with it. Michael visits Dallas several times a year, doing trunk shows over at Joe's and making the rounds at Dallas' most fabulous parties.
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Calender- Upcoming Events |
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May 10, 5:30
Hamish Bowles Lecture - Vogue’s European Editor-at-Large, speaks at the Meadow's Museum. The lecture is free, but seating is limited to 111 and is on a first-come, first-served basis.
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May 10, 7-9
Hamish Bowles Party and Fashiontini Launch- at the Courtyard at Stanley Korshak. Sponsored by Stanley Korshak, Paper City, Cymbidium, GREY GOOSE VODKA and Shanghai 5. Food provided by Capital Grille. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased later this month online at www.thefashionistas.org. |
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May 17 &18
David Rodriguez/Linus Lounge Trunk Show - at Linus Lounge, 2724 Routh Street. |
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September 20
Michael Faircloth - exhibition opens at Fashion on Main, Sept 20. |
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| FASHIONISTA PICKS
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Valextra
I had the pleasure of lunching with the charming Massimo Suppancig, CEO of Valextra, and my new favorite handbag line. I love the clean lines, exquisite workmanship and logo-free design of this line, which also includes luggage for the private jet set, buttery gloves and wallets. Only Barney's carries Valextra in Dallas.
Linea Bag by Valextra
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Poppie Couture
Poppie Harris was an aspiring Hollywood actress who got tired of digging for her phone at the bottom of her bag. Her line of Poppiebags come in a variety of adorable prints, colors, materials and designs - and the prices don't break the bank. You can view her collection on line at www.poppiecouture.com
 Poppie Couture Metallic Stingray Fold-over
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