Fashion Houston Lineup

From New York to H-Town: Fashion Houston lineup includes runway winners

Several top designers who will be showing their spring 2014 looks at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in a few days are headed to Houston.

Fashion Houston has released a stellar lineup of eclectic international designers who will appear before the city's fashion faithful at the Wortham Theater Center Nov. 12-15. Organizers are also in serious negotiations with a premier U.S. designer to bring his collection to the Bayou City for the fall fashion extravaganza and hope to make that announcement soon.

Among those confirmed to hit the Houston runway with collections directly from New York are:

Rebecca Taylor

The New Zealand-born designer is known for feminine styles with soft silhouettes, sophisticated detailing, unconventional color combinations and unique embellishment. Among her celebrity clients are Alexa Chung, Reese Witherspoon, Rashida Jones and Emmy Rossum. Taylor has added shoes, handbags and jewelry to her growing fashion empire.

Sophie Theallet

Influenced by Jean-Paul Gaultier and Azzedine Alaïa, both of whom she worked closely with, the French-born designer launched her label in 2007. Two years later she won the coveted CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award. Her designs are known for subtle sexiness and style. First lady Michelle Obama is among her fans.

Yigal Azrouël

Born and raised in Israel of French-Moroccan descent, Azrouël launched his women's wear label in 1998. Known for ultra-feminine, modern styles and expert draping, he added a contemporary line called Cut25 in 2010. He will show both collections at Fashion Houston.

Bibhu Mohapatra

Born and raised on the east coast of India, Mohapatra was design director for J. Mendel before launching his own label in 2009. Known for sumptuous eveningwear in eye-catching colors, he previously made an appearance at Fashion Houston in 2011.

Nicole Miller

A 30-year fashion industry veteran, Miller is known for sexy, yet classic, styles in bold colors and futuristic fabrics. She designs several high-end collections that are favorites of such celebrities as Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Joss Stone and Jordin Sparks. as well as a more moderately-priced collection for JC Penney. With Texas roots (she was born in Fort Worth before her family moved to Massachusettes), she was a big hit at the recent Women of Wardrobe fundraiser at Tootsies.

Also on the Fashion Houston schedule are South African-born designer Catherine Deane, a rising star in evening couture and bridal gowns; Talbot Runhof, an American/German duo known for creating womenʼs resort and sportswear in bright hues and whimsical patterns, London-based designer Marios Schwab, Wall Street investor-turned-menswear designer Zachary Prell, and Chris Knott for Peter Millar, a distinctive menswear collection emphasizing classic American style.

Local favorites David Peck and Chloe Dao will also showcase their collections as well as Episcopal High School student Amir Taghi, who will be showing in the emerging designer category.

Tickets for Fashion Houston 2013 go on sale Sept. 10. Tickets range in price from $24 - $274, with VIP ticket upgrades available. Visit FashionHouston.net for more information.

Sophie Theallet

Courtesy of Sophie Theallet

Sophie Theallet

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SUDDEN SHUTTERS

Saks Off 5th to close 3 Houston stores with blowout final sale

Saks OFF 5th/ Facebook

Saks Off 5th is closing its only San Antonio store.

Houston shoppers looking for the thrill of the deal might want to mark their calendar. Discount designer retailer Saks Off 5th is closing most of its U.S. stores, including three in the Houston area, as its parent company tries to wiggle its way out of bankruptcy. Liquidation sales will begin Saturday, January 31 at select locations.

The mass closures come after Saks Global — the parent company of luxury department stores Saks 5th Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, and Neiman Marcus — filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections on January 14. The conglomerate has been buckling under the strain of $2.5 million in debt it acquired with the 2024 purchase of rival retailer Neiman Marcus.

"As we advance on Saks Global's transformation, we are taking decisive steps to realign our business to better serve our luxury customers and drive full-price selling across our core luxury businesses," said Geoffroy van Raemdonck, Chief Executive Officer of Saks Global, in a release. "With these actions, we will be well positioned to seize the greatest opportunities for long-term growth and value creation. We sincerely thank our Saks Off 5th and Last Call colleagues for the important role they have played in serving our loyal customers."

Saks will close 57 Off 5th stores and shutter the five remaining locations of Neiman Marcus’ off-brand shop Last Call. Only 12 OFF 5th units will survive the move. After the onslaught, Texas’ sole store will be at Grapevine Mills mall in Grapevine.

Many of the U.S. stores will kick off closing sales beginning January 31. An additional 23 stores will close outright on February 2. Here’s the full list of Texas shutters:

Saks Off 5TH locations holding closing sales:

Cypress, 29300 Hempstead Rd.
Sugar Land, 2745 N Town Center Blvd.
Katy, 5000 Katy Mills Cir.
San Antonio, 5819 Worth Pkwy.

Saks Off 5TH locations closing February 2:

Grand Prairie, 2950 W. I-20 #125
Dallas, 8040 Park Ln.

Last Call Locations holding closing sales:

Grapevine, 3000 Grapevine Mills Pkwy. #233
San Marcos, 3939 S. I-35 #1105

The overall primary market for luxury goods has been declining in recent years due to changing customer preferences, a perceived decline in quality in top brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton, and a growing resale market led by sites like The RealReal and Vestaire Collective.

the rim luxury retail designer shopping chains closings