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| Abi Ferrin silk “Martha” dress($450) Nest Jewelry rock crystal bracelets ($295) Gracienne black velvet and patent shoes ($269) photography by Elizabeth Lavin |
Last year abi ferrin was named Texas’ top designer by Stanley Korshak and the Dallas Fashion Incubator. The award granted Ferrin, 29, free loft space for a year at South Side On Lamar, where she has opened the Revolving Door Dallas, the most original store in town.
Here’s how it works: let’s say you’re in need of a new look for an event next week. Ferrin and her team—local designers and consultants such as Brynn Isom, Sam Kraus, and Maristela Citeli—will outfit you in a smart dress or a smashing skirt-and-blouse ensemble. Everything in the store is made by local designers. They’ll even schedule hair and makeup appointments for your big night.
You can also ask her and her team to design your look from scratch. You can even collaborate. “I want to keep the experience glamorous, give people a chance to create couture without the reality and difficulty of the process,” she says. “A lot of people tell me I’m crazy.” Your designed look can be finished in as little as a week, though preferably Ferrin likes months to complete custom outfits.
The origins of Revolving Door Dallas go back to 2000, when Ferrin was working in international sales for Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles. She went to a lot of red carpet events but couldn’t afford the dresses she saw, so she decided to sew her own. In 2002, a dress she made for an Extra host was named “Look of the Week” in US Weekly. Ferrin promptly quit her job with Paramount and was soon designing for people like model and actress Molly Sims; Kimberly Stewart, daughter of Rod; and John Travolta’s wife, Kelly Preston. Creatively stifled in LA, Ferrin moved to Dallas in October 2005. Now her line is carried in 50 stores nationwide, including Elements in Dallas.
Couture With a Cause
Abi Ferrin’s trademark hangtag showcases a handcrafted button or toggle made by the women of GuardianVillage Handicrafts, a non-profit in Nepal that supports women who have eluded the sex trade and are now seeking employment through fashion. Ferrin hopes the design will ignite an awareness of global issues.
