Designs on Dallas

SOMETH1NG ABOUT the look of Dallas women is distinguishable. Call it a stereotype, call it an overgeneralization; but there is a “Dallas look” with a reputation that precedes it. To prove our point, we asked eight Dallas-based or Dallas-bred designers to dress eight Dallas businesswomen. The result: eight unique “looks” and this smashing photograph-further evidence that Dallas does have the best-looking women in the world. On the following pages, the designers discuss their styles, and four fashion observers describe Dallas women.

HOW DO FASHION CRITICS AND observers characterize the look of Dallas women? D asks four style spectators: Leon Hall, New York-based fashion critic; Holly Haber, Dallas bureau chief for Women’s Wear Daily; Daria Retian, the Egyptian-bom beauty discovered in Paris by Stanley Marcus while she was working as a model in the 1950s, now vice president of creative services for Neiman Marcus; and Kim Dawson, president of Kim Dawson Agency, Inc.

Hall: It is a ’total look,’ from head to toe. It is studied, planned-it’s not piecemeal-and it all works together. You really can pick her out on the street. She never goes out (when ’dressed’) without stockings. Her hair is done-if not, it’s covered. Her makeup is done-if not, she doesn’t leave the house. The Dallas woman doesn’t get dressed ’on the way.’ She’s done before she leaves the house, and if not, it’s probably because she is on the way to the hospital to have a baby.

Haber: Dallas women are aware of their appearance and want to look attractive. They are consciously dressing for others. Men like high heels and fitted clothes, and Dallas women dress accordingly.

Retian: Dallas women like to be well ’put together.’ They pay attention to fit, details and propriety. There is a return to glamour, but it is ’put together’ glamour, not brassy glamour. Breakfast at Tiffany’s glamour. Genteel glamour. It is Dior of the ’40s and ’50s glamour. That is different from the very obvious slit, jazzy dress. It is very refined. Women in Dallas are very attracted to that. It’s beyond being pretty. It is being elegant with class.

Dawson: First and foremost, Dallas women carry themselves with an air of authority-they are confident, and it shows. Fashion is individual, and it takes a creative, secure person to put together different pieces, different looks, and make one fabulous outfit. Dallas women are self-expressive-confident in the knowledge of what works for them.

Hall: I have great respect for her [the Dallas woman.] She spends the same concern for going to Simon David as to the ball. I like her for that-so do the people on 7th Avenue. They may jest at her-but they still respect her. She is a vital link to the success of the fashion industry.

BRADLEY BAYOU

The Look: Dressy day- to-evening suits and dresses in silks, chiffons, wool bouclés, wool crepes, even fake furs, plus a new resort collection. Getting to Here: Once a Dallas real estate developer by day and much-publicized socialite by night, Bayou got a divorce, moved to New York, changed his last name from Bayoud to Bayou, studied art, and began designing clothes that sold from the very1 beginning. He Says: “My clothes are sexy, but wearable. 1 want women to feel good in them, but I also want diem to be functional and last many years.”



DONALD DEAL

The Look: Cocktail and dinner dresses and suits in luxury fabrics. Updata: Worked for Gatanos and other designers befoRe opening his own business two years ago. He’s since moved from Dallas to New York. He Says: “Dallas is the last area where women are not afraid to be women. New York women are so busy competing with men…that they’ve lost their feminine side. But the pendulum is swinging back in Dallas’ direction.”



JAN BARBOGLIO

The Look: Trendy, casual separates and dresses in cottons and wools. Her Look: Unbelievably exotic. She grew up in northern Mexico as the daughter of an Italian father and Scotch-Irish mother. Six feet tall, with the cheekbones of an Aztec princess and a shock of blonde hair, it’s a look that would stop any cocktail party conversation, even in Dallas. Her Big Break: She and her sister, Cristina (who has since left the business), loaded their designs into a station wagon and went to New York in the early 1980s. They immediately sold the line to Saks Fifth Avenue, and other major retailers followed. She Says: “I try not to get carried away. I’m always asking myself, ’Would I wear this?” “



ANTHONY MARK HANKINS

The Look: As in-house designer for JCPenney, he does separates with ethnic themes and bold colors. His Background: Studied design at Pratt Institute and interned with Yves Saint Laurent in Paris. He Says: “1 love American culture and history and all the ethnic groups that make up America. I take something from each cultural group, tap into it and develop something wonderful from it.”



JULIE ESPING & LEONARD STEINBERG

The Look: Form-fitted suits and dresses for day through evening, with imported fabrics, but without enormous price tags. When Julie Met Leonard: Nebraska-born Esping met Steinberg, a South African, in 1989, when both worked at Victor Costa in Dallas. They launched the Julie and Leonard label in May, 1991. The Big Break: Even before the first public showing of the line, one of Julie and Leonard’s ivory silk suits was chosen for the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog. He Says: “We design different clothes for different people for different occasions. There’s a tremendous need in the market now for clothes with a substantial taste level that aren’t exorbitantly priced. After all, it’s not as if you’re going to be wearing a certain dress 100 times a year.”



MICHAEL FAIRCOTH

The Look: As the in-house custom designer for lilly dodson, he stresses detail and classicism in “everything,” from casual to ball gowns. His Fork in the Road: Thought he would become a lawyer, but got hooked on fashion when he worked at Neiman Marcus during his college years. He’s been designing for a decade. He Says: “I create shapely, fitted clothes that follow the feminine shape because my Dallas clients want to look beautiful for all occasions. I make a woman feel special, whether she’s going to a barbecue or a ball.”



TERRI BIEDIGER

The Look: Custom couture clothes for the bride and mother of the bride, plus suits and dresses in imported fabrics for “women of taste and means.” Past, Present and Future: Worked for 10 years for various manufacturers, including Victor Costa. Works out of her home now, but plans to open a ready-to-wear boutique somewhere in North Dallas in 1995. Her Big Break: Great word-of-mouth brought her A-list clients, including Annette Strauss and Margaret McDennott. She Says:“My clothes are realistic for my clients and their lifestyles.”



MlLO

The Look: Custom suits, dresses and pants, all conservatively elegant, for occasions ranging from luncheons to wedding parties, with an abundance of silks, wools and lightweight brocades, plus a small ready-to-wear line. His History: Sam Milo (pronounced MEE-low) came to Dallas from Boston 18 years ago. He found women “who had more fun with their clothes and had more places where they could wear the clothes.” He enjoys great word of mouth and estimates that about half of his clients come from out of town. He Says: “I like my ladies. I don’t just want to sell them dresses; I want to make them happy. I want them to have clothes that they don’t just wear once and put away forever.”