Lucy Dang Trunk Show and Dawn Mellon's Fall Trends @ Belk

"Feminine and southern."  That's how Dallas-based fashion designer Lucy Dang describes her style.  The ever-so-stylish women in Dallas love Lucy Dang, and so does the rest of the south.  In 2013, she submitted her designs for the Belk Southern Designer Showcase just two days before the deadline and won.  Her modern yet sophisticated evening wear collection has landed at Belk.  Lucy also won the 2013 Texas Next Top Designer competition.  With two big wins, 2013 was an awesome year for Lucy, and I think 2015 will be even better.  Last month, Belk shoppers at the Galleria Dallas were the first ones to pre-order dresses the new spring 2015 line, and meet the designer too.

Yvonne Crum, Charmaine Marshall, Lucy Dang, Alex Small, Lisa Petty.  Photo by Scot Redman

Dallas is the perfect place for Lucy to showcase her designs.  She described Dallas as "charming, warm and sophisticated," which is exactly what's seen in Lucy's clothes.  After designing an elegant, dark collection for fall, Lucy decided to use shades on the other end of the spectrum for her spring collection.  Lucy focused on keeping the new collection bright, airy and exotic and was influenced by Peru. 

Lucy Dang was born to be a designer.  Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind sparked her interest in fashion at a young age.  According to Lucy, success in the fashion industry depends on perseverance and passion for fashion.  Lucy spent 10 years building fashion industry experience before becoming a fashion designer.  Some of the companies she's worked for are Dillard's, Nicole Miller and Rebecca Taylor.

My favorite dress from Lucy's collection!

Lucy Dang and Lisa Petty

Lucy Dang and Dawn Mellon.  Photo by Scot Redman

Lucy wasn't the only star at Belk that day.  Dawn Mellon, everyone's favorite Savvy Stylist, also shared her secrets to making the most of your fall wardrobe.  The same dress can look completely different with a few tweaks and a little creativity.  I was very impressed with Dawn's picks, as usual!  Belk put on another fabulous event, and stay tuned for more fall and winter events coming soon!  

Amores Model Seach Today at Angelika Mockingbird Station

Amores Model Management is having its first model search event today at Mockingbird Station!  From 2-7pm, girls and guys ages 16-24 have the chance to be discovered.  Girls must be between 5 ft. 8 in. and 6 ft.  Guys must be between 5 ft. 11 in. and 6 ft. 3 in.  Come by the Angelika Pavilion to get discovered or to enjoy the party!  I got the chance to interview Luis Basteri, the Agency Director at Amores Model Management.  Find out what makes Amores different!

Small 4 Style: Tell me a little bit about why and how you started Amores Model Management.

Luis Basteri: I have a background in television production that transitioned into talent management, based upon the connections I made on that side of the business. I reached a point where I knew I loved representing and managing models/talent but I wanted to do more. Working in a market that is very set in their ways with a more traditional approach can be a little difficult, so I explored other opportunities in model management in other markets. I felt like I needed to bring something new back to Dallas! Dallas is the perfect city to start a new modeling agency in; it's a growing market and I have a strong client base here. Most importantly, we have a team who is actively looking for new opportunities. We’re young and bring fresh perspectives to the market place!

S4S: What makes Amores different from other modeling agencies?

LB: We are the only agency in this market that operates under the most advanced talent booking and management systems available in this industry. We have strong relationships with partnering agencies and clients around the world. Some partners include, and are a part of this year’s Amores Model Search event, are Wilhelmina Los Angeles, Major Models NY and Australia's number one agency Chadwick Models. We have individualized plans for each of our models dependent on their goals and develop a presence for each in the marketplace. I feel that we almost act as a PR agency for these models; we connect them to clients, while still being cautious with their personal brand image so they can be as successful as they can be in a high fashion market. We only represent high fashion models; other agencies in town are more commercially focused.

Our staff at Amores strives to be innovative and makes a huge effort to keep up with the world of fashion and stay in-the-know. After noticing a need for a different type of models while working with our clients, we decided to extend our representation and management for the new Special Bookings division. We connect our elite group of influencers and digital lifestyle personalities to local and global brands while managing their appearances, bookings and advertising.  We are the only agency in the Southwest that extends this service!

S4S: Could you explain the Special Bookings division?

LB: We noticed a need in the marketplace for representation centered on digital influencers and now manage a hand-picked group of fashion, beauty and luxury lifestyle personalities. By connecting these individuals to clients we work with already, and exposing them to new brand partners, we’re able to strengthen their brand image. We can oversee each of these personalities’ professional growth, management, marketing and branding, while exposing them to opportunities that may be similar (and very different at times) from that of our model roster. I started to notice that clients were seeking out models that had a strong social media base, which would often result in higher booking prices and negotiations for social media posts representing the client’s brand. That’s how our Special Bookings department came to be.

S4S: How did you meet Lisa Petty and Cynthia Smoot to get them involved?

LB: Lisa and Cynthia are Dallas’ top digital lifestyle influencers. You can't represent the top elite group of influencers if you don't have the very best!

S4S: Describe the ideal Amores model in a few sentences.

LB: High fashion models must fit into sample sizes. For women, they at least need to be 5’9” and men at least 6’. We aren’t looking for your traditional model; we look for someone with a little edge. Personality is a big plus!

For our Special Bookings division, we select talent based on web aesthetic, content appeal, reach and fan base. 

Dora Yim: Inside a Fashion Designer's World

Dora Yim is an up-and-coming fashion designer in Dallas and beyond.  What I find most interesting about Dora is that she's not only talented; she's smart, hard-working, and passionate.  While sipping coffee at Pearl Cup, she revealed so many defining moments for her as a designer that really gave me insight into who she is. 

Let's talk about her collection, d.p.c. by Dora Yim (check out her website).  Her clothes and accessories are accessible, reasonably priced, and transition well from day to evening.  While her target age is 27, her collection is for women of all ages.  It's simplistic, elegant, and timeless.

 

Dora's background is in accounting, which gives her an edge on the competition.  With her business sense, she's achieved so much in the fashion industry.  She's got some great words of wisdom for those who want to follow in her footsteps.  Observation of mentors and superiors in your field is the key to learning about the reality of the industry, according to Ms. Yim.  Her signature is "timeless style" just like her fashion icon, Mademoiselle Chanel. 

This year has been an exciting one for Dora's career.  This past February, I was introduced to Dora's collection of jewelry and clothing at the Pin Show in Dallas.  She also displayed her collection at the WWD Magic conference in Las Vegas.  In Vegas, Hal Rubenstein, the fashion director of InStyle magazine, featured her dress on stage as a must-have for fall in front of a team of buyers.  Later this year, a senior designer for JCP was in awe of her sewing skills at an Etsy vendor event in Dallas.  This October, she's showing her latest collection at Phoenix Fashion Week.  

I visited Dora's studio where she's working on her Spring 2014 collection that will be unveiled at Phoenix Fashion Week.  Pattern-making and sketching are a few essential skills for fashion design, and Dora taught herself how to do it all.  When she's not designing or being recruited by someone big in the industry, she loves finding inspiration.  Shopping, trying new things, and playing tennis are some of her favorite things to do.  On a nice weekend, you might find her enjoying the outdoors on the Katy Trail or at White Rock Lake.

Check out Dora's website and buy her designs because this star is rising fast!

Factory Girl: Fabulous Designer Vintage

In Dallas' cool Deep Ellum neighborhood resides Factory Girl - the place to go for designer vintage.  I was so impressed with Factory Girl and enjoyed my visit with the owner, Heather Mayo.  Since 2011 when Heather started Factory Girl, it has been a unique place to shop.  Heather was a vintage collector and stylist, so the transition into opening a vintage store seemed natural.  But Factory Girl isn't like any other designer vintage store in Dallas; not only is it a fashion store, it's also a great way for artists to showcase their work.  Factory Girl partners with artists for clothing, accessories, and decor.  One of the main artists featured at this time is Lizzy Wetzel.  In the coming seasons, Factory Girl will feature designer lines as well as vintage.  I also loved their designer shoe line, Rocio Ildemaro.

Heather's style in two words is "eclectic classic."  Her style icon is Shelly Musselman, a former fellow fashion collector and style icon in Dallas.  Besides being influenced by Ms. Musselman, Heather always follows her heart when it comes to expressing herself through style.  I love it!

Dyed pieces by Lizzy Wetzel

Dyed pieces by Lizzy Wetzel

Small 4 Style Interviews Emily Armenta

Jewelry designer Emily Armenta visited Ylang 23 at the Galleria Dallas for the Armenta jewelry trunk show.  Originally from Dallas and now based in Houston, Armenta started her collection as a grad school project at Rice.  Getting an MBA at Rice is very difficult, so we know Emily is super-smart.  Originally, she worked for Morgan Stanley, but after enrolling at Rice, her love for jewelry propelled her to start her business.  

I had an inside connection to Emily Armenta.  My aunt's personal trainer's daughters work for Ms. Armenta.  I know that explanation was complicated.  I had heard a lot about her approachability and talent, so I was thrilled when I found out that I could meet her. 

Emily was so friendly, and I got to ask her a few questions.  Her style is "Artisan Old World," which is apparent in her jewelry.  The Armenta collection is so detailed.  You can see the craftsmanship that goes into each piece.  In fact, each is handcrafted in Houston.  The style icon that came to mind when describing her collection was Frederico Garcia Lorca, a Spanish poet.  The poet's passion is inspiring to Emily when designing her collection.  Again, remember she is super-smart.  For those of us that want to get into the fashion industry, Emily says to "Follow your passion, follow your heart, and eventually things will work out."  I love it.

The Armenta collection is so beautiful.  My favorite part is the vibrantly colored statement rings.  You will certainly be noticed.  Check out the collection.

With Emily Armenta

I love these blue pendants

These crosses are gorgeous!

I love statement rings!

The stones on these earrings are so vibrant

Fabulousness!

With my Aunt Lou Lou's personal trainer Meme's daughter Allison Bailiff.  I loved her gold chain necklace from the Armenta collection.

Small 4 Style Meets the FD Luxe Team

September Issue Photo Credit: FD Luxe's Facebook

It doesn't get much better than going to class and hearing from the geniuses behind my favorite Dallas magazine, FD Luxe.  FD Luxe started as a style section of the Dallas Morning News in 1978 and is now a full-blown magazine.  With quality comparable to Vogue, it is such a treat to peruse the new issue each month to learn about the art, style, and social scenes in Dallas.

Meeting the Editor-in-Chief, Rob Brinkley, was so awesome.  I have been a fan of FD since I was about 12 and have seen all of its evolutions from newspaper to magazine.  For me, meeting the FD team was like meeting celebrities.  I was just as star-struck meeting Mr. Brinkley as  I was meeting and interviewing the former Editor-in-Chief, Tracy Achor Hayes.  I can't wait to see the November issue that is coming out next week! 

With Rob Brinkley

The FD Luxe Panel: Rob Brinkley, Jamie Huckaby, Christina Geyer, Bradley Agather, and Christopher Wynn

Friends talking with Rob Brinkley

A photoshoot from the September issue featuring my friend and Dallas style icon, Jan Strimple