In an inconspicuous two-story apartment building in the Oak Lawn neighborhood of Dallas, there is another world hidden inside the walls of apartment number 102 that has been carefully curated by its resident of thirty years. Almost every inch of former Neiman Marcus men’s fashion director Derrill Osborn’s one-thousand-square-foot space, from the green felt–lined walls to the surface of each nineteenth-century-era table, is covered with one of the hundreds of antiques he has collected over the years. A lively 75-year-old, he walks with a cane but greets us at the door with two flutes of champagne in hand. This is just the beginning; Osborn is full of surprises. 

Osborn, who grew up as part of a ranching family in New Mexico, has an intriguing cast of characters from his upbringing. “They were a unique and different kind of people, and they all had a great amount of style,” he says. “My mother was a pistol. Her name was Flossy Faye, and my grandmother, Lily Mae. I never saw my grandmother wearing anything other than red, and my grandfather was never without a prairie flower in his lapel."
Photograph by Wynn Myers
Osborn left home to join the Army in the late fifties and served in the Vietnam War. It’s not something he likes to talk about, but his time living in New York City is. He moved there after landing a job as a salesman at Saks Fifth Avenue. He worked his way up to buyer and after ten years, he felt drawn to the West Coast and moved to Beverly Hills to work at a specialty vintage store called Lew Ritter. “I thought I might buy the shop eventually, but the man who owned it died suddenly on the selling floor. I had no idea what I would do next,” he says. A chance meeting with an acquaintance, Stanley Marcus of the famed Neiman Marcus, whom he knew from fashion shows he'd attended over the years, had the answer. Marcus asked him to move to Dallas for a job at his flagship store in 1972. He went on to work at the company for three decades, retiring as the director of men’s couture in 2002. The doll that is pictured was made by esteemed paper artist, Alan Shaeffer, as a retirement gift.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
In Osborn’s small main living area, he has over fifty lamps. All were bought at an estate sale in Philadelphia. The shades are red to match the red and green color scheme he is unabashedly committed to in every part of the house. As Osborn explains, “Queen Victoria once said, red and green requires much in between—so that’s why there is so much stuff in here!”
Photograph by Wynn Myers
New Jersey painter Nicholas Gamarello created this scene of cows at a watering hole. Osborn has many paintings from the former Ralph Lauren designer throughout his home.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
While most of the books in Osborn's home are first editions, one of the newer collections he owns is this set of the New Testament. Osborn serves as a deacon at Highland Park Presbyterian Church and recently delivered lilies to homebound church members at Easter. “My church keeps me going, and it has fulfilled a void I needed,” he says.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
Osborn is nostalgic about another, more formal time in fashion. He fondly recalls how he would shop for his customers and put outfits together for them to wear in Dallas as well as whole different wardrobes for when they visited their second and third homes. “It was a wonderful time in menswear. Men had clothes for every occasion—black tie, a host of suits, sport coats, a wardrobe for spring and fall. Fashion was seasonal, which made it exciting. You never knew what was coming. But I never foresaw what would happen in fashion today. I was blindsided, and I miss what it used to be.”
Photograph by Wynn Myers
Most of Osborn’s canes hail from London, where cane dealers cut them down to size upon purchase. Whenever he is looking for a new cane, he finds that he is always drawn to handles made of unique materials
Photograph by Wynn Myers
Visiting Round Top twice a year has been Osborn’s ritual for 25 years. He scooped up a pair of these striped chairs (where he often takes a nap) on one of his first trips there. He is a frequently photographed fixture during Antiques Week, often being asked to pose as he treks around the tents. “What I love about Round Top is that they have the greatest sellers in the world. This year, I saw a woman holding a statue and telling a shopper, ‘This belonged to Marie Antoinette,’ It didn’t say 'Made in France' or show any proof that that was true, but she was so convincing, I almost bought it,” he says with a giggle.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
From sitting front row at fashion shows to traveling the world, Osborn finds it difficult to pick a favorite memory from his time at Neiman’s. The walls leading to his bedroom upstairs are covered with mementos from his time there: a portrait of him in a red turban in front of the Taj Mahal; photos and letters from people like the designer Giorgio Armani and Stanley Marcus, the founder of Neiman Marcus; and framed clippings of the many published articles about him, including those from Esquire, GQ, Women’s Wear Daily, and the New York Times (he was photographed by Bill Cunningham many times).
Photograph by Wynn Myers
Traveling abroad for fashion shows is what first opened Osborn's eyes to the world of antiques. This red secretary was custom made for him in Beijing. Stanley Marcus was one of his greatest influences. “He was not the ordinary man. He was svelte and sophisticated. You didn’t make the same mistake with him twice,” he says. “He was also the best boss. I remember one time, in Paris, he asked if I had seen a new exhibit at the Louvre. When I said no, he told me to stay an extra day to see it. Can you imagine a boss letting you do that? Especially in retail, where every penny counts.”
Photograph by Wynn Myers
All the downstairs walls are covered with green pool felt for a look that Osborn compares to cashmere. He's also particular about picture frames. "I can’t bear new frames. Putting new with old doesn’t make sense,” Osborn says. “If you are going to do it, do it correctly, which I think is old with old. Most all of the art I have is in its original frame.”
Photograph by Wynn Myers
This Hermés hat is a regular part of Osborn's daily uniform. He also has an impressive collection of Hermés scarves; one of his most treasured is made of white silk and depicts Napoleon’s bees.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
Osborn enjoys decorating for holidays, like Easter. But with his devotion to red and green, it’s no surprise that Christmas is number one. “When I light the candles in the chandelier at Christmas, and the fire is going, it’s really heartwarming,” he says.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
Rows of first-edition books rest on shelves underneath the stairs. “I collected first editions until I filled the shelves, and then I was done collecting them and moved on to something else,” he explains.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
This bull painting, done by a New York contemporary artist, is one of the few pieces of modern art Osborn owns. “It helps lighten up the old stuff,” he says.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
Osborn owns a pair of Shipton and Heneage velvet slippers in almost every color. “The monograms on these slippers are sewn by the blind. It is my own handwriting that is translated to braille, and they sew the monograms to match my signature,” he says. “That’s the best thing about them.”
Photograph by Wynn Myers
H.C. Zachry, an artist based in Abilene, gave Osborn this portrait as a birthday gift.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
Osborn acquired the large oil painting over the sofa in his living room from an antiques dealer in Paris. “I didn’t love it at first, but as time has gone along, I appreciate it more and more. Holding a baby, the woman in the painting looks forlorn, and with the boat in the background, I wonder if her husband is on the ship,” he says. “The piece was done in the early 1850s and is in its original frame. It was hanging in a museum in Brussels before it went to the dealer in Paris whom I bought it from.”
Photograph by Wynn Myers
The guest bedroom upstairs picks up the red and green theme. The mirror dates back to the 1890s, and the lamps to the twenties, says Osborn.
Photograph by Wynn Myers
“From growing up on a ranch to traveling around Europe and eating French food and sleeping on linen sheets and meeting Stanley Marcus, it’s all made me who I am, and it sure has been great fun!"
Photograph by Wynn Myers