Bethany Siggins Image Consulting | Personal Stylist | Dallas, Texas

Bethany Siggins | Personal Stylist | Dallas, Texas

designer

Angela Scott in Chicago

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On my way to Chicago recently, I noticed shoe designer Angela Scott posted on Instagram from the stainless steel sculpture Cloud Gate in Millennium Park (aka the Chicago Bean).  She invited anyone viewing the post to come see her at Neiman Marcus that evening. You don’t have to ask me twice!

As soon as I landed and picked up my bag, my brother Edwards and I made our way downtown for the soiree where we found the second floor shoe salon bustling with lovely Chicago fashionistas.  Neiman’s, as always, was a wonderful host, wining us, stuffing us with sweets and giving away a pair of designer shoes to one lucky person. Sadly, I did not win.

img 0832 - Angela Scott in ChicagoFashion blogger Jennifer Worman of Red Wine & Red Soles gave a short presentation about spring shoe styles she loves, followed by a short talk by Angela who was looking quite California laid-back chic.  img 0842 - Angela Scott in ChicagoAngela could not have been nicer.  She told me a funny story of her recent world travels, and she admitted she was ready to be home after a long time on the road.

Enjoy photos from the evening! (Apologies for my jet-lagged appearance!)img 0877 - Angela Scott in Chicagoimg 0848 - Angela Scott in Chicago

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Oscar de la Renta: Five Decades of Style

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img 5240 768x1024 - Oscar de la Renta: Five Decades of Style

I was fortunate enough to have recently viewed many works of the great fashion designer Mr. Oscar de la Renta at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas.  The exhibit, Oscar de la Renta: Five Decades of Style, was open to the public from July 19 – October 5, 2014.  Putting things off until the last moment is my modus operandi.  Thus, I waited until the last week and a half to see the exhibit! My goodness, I am thankful I made the time.  In fact, it was so nice I saw it twice!

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I was naturally fascinated by the designs Mr. de la Renta created for the first ladies Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush, and I was dazzled by the wedding gown he designed for Jenna Bush, along with the gorgeous white ensemble he designed for Laura Bush for George W.’s second swearing in ceremony.  Of course splendid creations worn on various red carpets were in abundance, and there were several gorgeous caftans from early in Mr. de la Renta’s career.  In short, to pick a favorite piece is impossible.

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Sadly, Mr. de la Renta died last week at his home in Connecticut the age of 82 after battling cancer, which had been in remission for several years.  A private funeral is planned at a Manhattan church on November 3.  His departure leaves a gaping hole in the fashion community.  Mr. de la Renta’s talent, humility, humor and love of life and women made him inimitable. 

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He has had many imitators, but there will never be another Oscar.  Thank you, Mr. de la Renta, for sharing your enormous talent and vision with us.

The great thing about fashion is that it always looks forward.

Oscar de la Renta

Tory Burch “In Color”

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toryjessica - Tory Burch "In Color"Tory Burch, known as much for her love of the color orange as for her sporty flats and dreamy caftans, has released a gorgeous coffee table book today, “Tory Burch: In  Color” about her 11 favorite colors: orange, blue, green, purple, pink, red, yellow, white, black, natural and gold.

Tory Visited Dallas

I was blessed to meet Tory last week and have her sign the book, which is being released today.  Last Friday afternoon at the Nasher Sculpture Center in downtown Dallas, Tory was joined by her friend Jessica Alba (actress and founder of The Honest Company) to discuss the book and other topics of interest including how she balances motherhood and a career, and the roundabout path she took in starting her namesake company.

Tory’s Start

Tory considers herself a late bloomer having only started her wildly successful company 10 years ago.  Tory departed a career on the rise with LVMH to stay at home with her three young boys.  Four years later, she started her company because she felt there was a need for high-quality, affordable clothing and accessories.  She certainly hit the mark!  However, she said she was not an overnight success, spending many of her first two years on the phone with her Hong Kong operations until 3:00 a.m. her time.

Tory’s Beginnings

Tory was raised on a farm in Pennsylvania with three brothers.  Her parents Buddy and Reva (for whom Tory named her first flat) who would leave Tory and her brothers with family to take six-week worldly vacations, returning with various exotic souvenirs.  In addition, Tory’s childhood home entertained many “overnight” guests who invariably would stay long past their expected departure dates.  As as result of this unique upbringing, Tory’s aesthetic reflects an appreciation for diversity, one that is decidedly multicultural.

Get the Book!

I greatly enjoyed the event, hosted by American Express, and I am very appreciative to my dear friend Peg Baird for allowing me to be her plus one!  Pick up a copy of Tory Burch: In Color, even if you are not familiar with Tory or her company.  I think you will find the content, including many beautiful photographs, to be highly inspiring and a lovely addition to your library.  Tory sees the world in color, and I think we all should!

Alternative “Neutral” Colors

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girlplaid - Alternative "Neutral" ColorsI suppose one definition for a neutral color would be a color that pairs well with most other colors.  When we think of neutrals, our minds generally go to cream, black, white, gray, taupe and so on.  But what about mustard, periwinkle and royal blue as neutrals?  Hmmm…  Once you start to think about it, there are a wide variety of colors one could pair with the colors I just mentioned.

The problem is, most of our wardrobes lack color which makes it difficult to test-drive our theory of using colors as neutrals.  Frankly, well-designed pieces in dark and light neutrals are easier to find.  However, as we enter spring when well-designed colorful pieces are a bit easier to find, let’s make an effort to bring much-needed color to our mostly neutral wardrobes.

As I show you here, colorful pieces are not as difficult to work with as you may initially imagine.  I am using both forest green in the first set (created on Polyvore) and dark red in the second set to show you how they act as “neutral” and pair well with a variety of other colors.

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So, look at your wardrobe a bit differently in the coming weeks.  Mix colors together, in ways you have not previously.  When you start to do this, you have a much greater variety of combinations in your closet, saving you lots of time and money.  If you need help seeing the possibilities, call me.  I’d be delighted to spend and hour or two in your closet showing you new combinations.  Have a happy and safe holiday weekend!