Making Coco Proud

One hot little black dress: College designer takes the fashion staple into a sexy future — for the win

The fashion scene at Little Black Dress Designer competition Wednesday night at the House of Blues would certainly have made Coco Chanel proud. From sequins and sheaths to lace and leather, the LBD was the unofficial dress code of the night, but all eyes were on the frock made by Gabby Ong, the Houston winner of the Little Black Dress Designer competition sponsored by Audi Central Houston.

The evening certainly drew nearly every key member of Houston’s fashion community. They came to support the mission of the contest and flaunt their own interpretation of the Little Black Dress. It’s an ideal match, and one Jeff Shell has cultivated since creating the competition in 2008.

“The LBD is the perfect subject for competition for design students. It’s the dress you can wear day or night. It’s the everything dress,” Shell said.

After the runway show, Shell gave the crowd just moments to text in their favorite dress, sending phones and fingers flying.

Ong’s everything dress had the appearance of being made from laser cut leather, but the Houston Community College student said she hand cut the material after seeing a Chanel advertisement.

“I got the inspiration from a Chanel ad with beautiful stairs and really unique banister. I took the design and implemented it on the dress and made all the cutouts,” Ong said.

Shell has also spread the competition to Dallas where designer Mai Pham wowed with her winning dress. Winners receive part of a $34,000 scholarship fund to the school of their choice.

Claire Ferran locked in the second place honors and Natthakan Chomphuwiset won third place and there is still an audience choice winner to be announced. After the runway show, Shell gave the crowd just moments to text in their favorite dress, sending phones and fingers flying. The winner will be announced in the coming week and share in the scholarship fund.

Shannon Hall, Vivian Wise and Debbie Pakzaban chaired the event which also honored Julia Anderson Frankel, founder of Houston Community College’s Passion for Fashion luncheon. The students in both cities will work with designer mentors over the summer, while looking to influential fashionistas as muses. Shell hinted at a fall event to unveil their efforts.

Good thing we know just what to wear.

Jeff Shell with top 10 Little Black Dress Designers taking his signature "Shelfie."

Photo by Michelle Watson CatchLightGroup.com

Jeff Shell with top 10 Little Black Dress Designers taking his signature "Shelfie."

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The Booth Boot

Texas bootmaker Tecovas and Chili's team up for new 'booth boots'

Photo courtesy of Chili’s x Tecovas

These boots were made for sittin' on Chili's booths.

Houstonians could buy a lot of Southwestern Eggrolls and Crispy Chicken Crispers at Chili’s Grill & Bar for the price of a pair of Tecovas boots, but apparently there's enough fan crossover for a new partnership between the Texan brands. The bootmaker, founded and based in Austin, will be using the same material as the famous red booths at the restaurant, founded and based in Dallas, for fun, limited-edition boots and a more affordable belt.

Taking a closer look at Chili's booths offers little more than a smooth visual field of deep red, so this collection kicks the association up a notch with embroidered chili peppers on a filigree "vine." The stitching is mostly white with some green accents, and the motif certainly does look like Chili's logo — but not so much that anyone could pick it out in a line dance without prior knowledge of the collection.

Chili's x Tecovas women's Booth Boot The women's Booth Boot, which looks very similar to the men's, but slightly slimmer.Photo courtesy of Chili’s x Tecovas

The Booth Boot comes in men's and women's styles that are nearly identical: for men, it's based on The Garrett, and for women it's The Annie. Both are $345, the same price as the base offerings in both styles. Both have a snip toe (overall pointed, but squared off at the tip) and pull tabs with a more distinct chili illustration in a brighter red and green.

The Booth Belt finishes the look for $75, and combines the same elements — the white and green stitching, the one more prominent chili closest to the brass buckle with a matte nickel finish.

$Model wearing Chili\u2019s x Tecovas Booth Boot and Booth Belt$ The belt and boot combo is a bold red, but the chili peppers blend in at a distance.Photo courtesy of Chili’s x Tecovas

The Chili’s x Tecovas collection will be available at tecovas.com starting July 29 at 10 am. Supply is limited.

“There’s no place our guests would rather enjoy a Triple Dipper or frozen margarita than a red Chili’s booth,” said Chili's vice president of marketing Jesse Johnson in a press release. “We thought it would be fun to celebrate this familiar piece of the Chili’s experience by turning it into something truly unexpected for our fans. Our new friends at Tecovas have been the perfect partners in bringing this wild idea to life with their handcrafted boots now reimagined with our booth material.”

$Chili\u2019s x Tecovas Booth Belt$ The Booth Belt has the same motifs.Photo courtesy of Chili’s x Tecovas

“Our collaboration with Chili’s is a celebration of our Texas roots and shared love for comfort, hospitality, and making people feel welcome,” said Tecovas vice president of brand and product marketing Sam Fodrowski. “The limited-edition Chili’s x Tecovas collection pays tribute to two American originals, pairing the design and craft of Tecovas with Chili’s iconic red booth, where so many good stories begin. It’s unexpected, fun, and crafted with the same care and attention to detail we bring to everything we do.”

Shoppers at Tecovas are likely familiar with the in-store bar, which will be serving Chili's margaritas at select locations around the country on August 2. The release also teases "other surprises" in-store during the event.

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