Style & Design
Your source for tips, stories, and interviews about the worlds of Texas fashion, interior design, architecture, and more
Style & Design
June 30, 2009
Susie Q., Mystery Shopper
Susie Q. (not her real name) has been reviewing hotels, restaurants, and retailers anonymously for about six years. She works for several market research companies, such as Sinclair Customer Metrics, to whom she reports her findings after posing as an everyday customer and testing out products and services. She has
Style & Design
March 1, 2009
Hat Trick
When the idea of putting together a special Texas Monthly style issue was first laid on the table, it was greeted with consternation. Did we intend to dispatch Paul Burka to the fashion shows to analyze the spring lines or Skip Hollandsworth to the nearest perfumery to fill his untutored
Style & Design
March 1, 2009
Neal Shudde, Hatter
Shudde, a fourth-generation hatter, was born and raised in Houston. He runs Shudde Bros. Hatters, near Brookshire, which has been making hats since 1907.To be a good hatter, you have to listen to the customer. Be patient and let him or her tell you what they need to tell you.
Style & Design
March 1, 2009
The 10 Best Buildings in Texas
A tour of our greatest architectural master-pieces—from the Alamo to the World Birding Center—shows how the collision of the Old World and the New forged a unique style on the Texas frontier.
Style & Design
March 1, 2009
Pillow Talk
Kate Hersch and Lance Avery Morgan, the principals behind August Morgan, know how to throw a great party. Just mix champagne with friends and toss in some vintage needlepoint pillows.
Style & Design
March 1, 2009
Oh, the Places I Go
When I want to know what’s new, what’s out, what’s it, I visit my five favorite blogs.
Style & Design
March 1, 2009
By Design
Every piece of jewelry Zoltan David makes is hand-forged—and he doesn’t make copies.
Style & Design
March 1, 2009
No Ordinary Girl
The Prom Shop Project doles out more than three thousand dresses a year, along with shoes, accessories, and a healthy dose of confidence.
Style & Design
February 1, 2008
Ort Varona
His LFT is a BFD—those f’s are for “fashion”—and therefore he is too. Following a hugely successful maiden foray into upscale retail with Octane and Premium93, both going strong as storefronts in the West Village neighborhood of Dallas, Varona opened Lifestyle Fashion Terminal last March at Victory Park, northwest of
Style & Design
February 1, 2008
Donald R. Horton
The population of Texas is rapidly expanding—from just under 24 million today to perhaps 50 million in 2040, according to the state demographer—and someone has to put out the welcome mat for all our neighbors-to-be. It may very well be the founder and chairman of D.R. Horton, one of the
Style & Design
June 30, 2007
How to Design a Pair of Custom Boots
1. Your quest for inimitable footwear begins with the leather, so first give thought to your stomping grounds (cattle pen or cubicle?) and your image (rhinestone cowboy ?). Your basic, most traditional option is calfskin. Need extra-tough work boots? Elephant, shark, or bull offers durability. Dress boots? Go with lizard,
Style & Design
January 1, 2005
It’s Not Just for Breakfast Anymore
In 1932, when the Citrus Fiesta held its first PRODUCT COSTUME STYLE SHOW, Mission’s beauties slipped into outfits that were, shall we say, crude—just imagine the look, and smell, of models decked out in cabbage leaves. But technology and ambition over the years have led to a more sophisticated couture:
Style & Design
March 1, 1999
Elisa Jimenez
Elisa Jimenez didn’t start out as a fashion designer. The 34-year-old El Paso native, who is the daughter of sculptor Luis Jimenez, set out for New York City in the early nineties to pursue her interest in sculpture and performance art. In 1995, she says, “I wore a dress I
Style & Design
March 1, 1999
Suburban Renewal
How three Dallas area developers are beating back the threat of soulless sprawl by restoring a sense of community.
Style & Design
April 1, 1998
Wowtown!
The billionaire Basses had a vision—and money, of course. Now, thanks to their efforts, Fort Worth has the hottest downtown in Texas.
Film & TV
March 1, 1998
Joan Crawford
All her life, Joan Crawford raised other people’s eyebrows as often as she reapplied her own. From the time she arrived in Hollywood, the temperamental Texan provoked hostility and gossip, and her wide-eyed flapper persona soon hardened into that of a sleek, steely sophisticate. But the arrogance accompanied a massive talent;
Style & Design
November 1, 1997
Tiles and Tiles of Texas
The ceramic designs created by these four Texas studios will look great in your kitchen or bathroom—and except for their shape, there’s nothing square about them.
Style & Design
June 30, 1997
Westheimer, Ho!
Accessories for sexual adventurers, columns for your Craftsman bungalow, tasteful tables made from old manhole covers: You can find it all on this reborn Houston strip.
Style & Design
May 31, 1997
Wore Stories
For her history of Texas fashion (see “The Way We Wore”), senior editor Anne Dingus began with—who else?—Sam Houston. “He’s always a good place to start,” she says, “and he distinguished himself by being sartorially flamboyant.” Then, drawing on library research and her personal archive of vintage postcards, ads,
Style & Design
April 30, 1997
On With the Shows
Now that both its building and its mission have been renovated, Houston’s Contemporary Arts Museum is ready to win back the public and reestablish its eminence.
Style & Design
February 1, 1997
Victor Alfaro
Growing up in Chihuahua, Mexico, Victor Alfaro based his sartorial education on all the American fashion magazines; today the 33-year-old creative director of the New York clothier TSE Cashmere is so busy designing his own line of chic clothes and accessories that he barely has time to read. After a
Style & Design
August 31, 1996
Gilt Trip
Andrew Eccles has photographed plenty of 24-karat celebrities for Texas Monthly, but his session with Lou Diamond Phillips was a truly golden experience. “In an industry that’s marked by jaded people,” Eccles says, “Lou was a breath of fresh air. He’s down to earth, talkative, enthusiastic—an incredibly sweet guy.”In his
Style & Design
June 30, 1996
Wende, Becky, and Kelly Parks
There haven’t been many successful sister acts in the world of modeling, but don’t tell that to the Parkses. Farm girls who grew up near Arlington in the tiny community of Webb, 20-year-old Wende, 22-year-old Becky, 23-year-old Kelly, and 26-year-old Kimberly piled into the front seat of a pickup truck
Style & Design
June 30, 1996
Rock Star
Bob Ragan’s nationally renowned, intricately detailed stone carvings have a distinctly European look. Is it any wonder he lives in a place called Florence?
Style & Design
April 1, 1996
Buckle Up
The rodeo belt buckle is prized by cowboys and collectors alike. By the look of these handcrafted samples, it’s easy to see why.
Style & Design
November 1, 1995
Seeing Red
The contrversial color of ASan Antonio’s new public library is only the latest indication that architect Ricardo Legorreta isn’t afraid to buck convention.
Texas History
April 1, 1994
Fit for a Queen
A look back at San Antonio Fiesta gowns reveals how the dresses have gone from elegant to excessive.
Style & Design
November 1, 1992
Ins and Outlets
All around the state, shoppers angle for the perfect catch.
Style & Design
August 31, 1992
Crew’s Control
Bare and spare, J. Crew’s newest retail outlet pays homage to refined minimalism.
Style & Design
August 31, 1992
Waxing Nostalgic
Fashion designers are betting the ranch on new Western shirts with styles inspired by Hollywood, not history.
Style & Design
May 31, 1992
House of the Century
“Still ahead of its time, even after twenty years,” says architect Doug Michels about Ant Farm’s futuristic House of the Century, designed and built in 1972. The colony of anti-establishment architects (of whom Michels was one) christened themselves Ant Farm in honor of the toy ant colonies popular in the
Style & Design
November 1, 1991
Candle Power
Troubles disappear when they’re seen in the proper light.
Art
December 1, 1989
Get Along, Little Doggies
Well-shod supermodel Fay Ray steps out in true Texas style.
Style & Design
January 1, 1986
Lone Star Shtick
Part of it was my fault. But I insist on sharing the blame with Tommy Tune, Judi Buie, Dan Jenkins, Mort Cooperman, Dandy Don Meredith, New York Daily News gossip columnist Liz Smith, a terrible—and now mercifully defunct—restaurant called the Dallas Cowboy, numerous Texas-based kicker-pickers like Willie Nelson, Jerry
Style & Design
December 1, 1985
Texas Primer: The His and Her Gift
Once upon a time the His and Her Gift reflected a Texas that was extravagant and maybe a little gauche. Now the gift is no less extravagant, but it’s a lot less, well, innocent.