Sartorially challenged

Humble mom learns What Not to Wear; gets fashion makeover on popular TLC show

Leigh-Anne Williams once embraced a look more comfort-focused than fashionforward.
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WIlliams, a mom of three and an instructor at San Jacinto College, toldCultureMap that she didn't compromise her own personality by adhering to theprescribed fashion rules.
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Clinton Kelly and Stacy London taught her all of the wardrobe dos and don'ts.
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Leigh-Anne Williams is a Humble resident, an instructor at San Jacinto College, a wife and a mother of three, who will be camping with the Cub Scouts when she has her reality television debut Tuesday night on national cable TV.

"At least it answered the question of a viewing party," said Williams, who has set the DVR to record the episode featuring her on TLC's What Not to Wear.

Williams acknowledged that she was once a chronic wearer of drab scrubs and baggy maternity clothes. Then Ashley Frankson, a close friend since high school, nominated Williams for the makeover show, putting her into the capable hands of stylists Stacy London and Clinton Kelly.

Williams acknowledged that she was once a chronic wearer of drab scrubs and baggy maternity clothes.

"I was excited at first, because of course I'd seen the show before, but I was a little mad at Ashley," Williams told CultureMap. "Like, why did you let me go all of these years dressing like that?"

Williams said that London and Kelly helped her to realize that her ill-fitting duds did little for her figure; that comfort and style don't have to be mutually exclusive; that finishing touches, like shoes and accessories, make a drastic difference in pulling a look together.

Makeup artist Carmindy taught her how to brighten up her face without fundamentally changing her routine and hair stylist Ted Gibson gave her a cleaner shape and touch of red — et voilà!

Now she has been challenged with consciously adjusting her wardrobe for spring and summer in Southeast Texas.

The episode was filmed in New York City's blustery January. Now, Williams said, she has been challenged with consciously adjusting her wardrobe for spring and summer in Southeast Texas.

"I feel a little anxious making the right decision about what goes with what," admitted Williams.

But she says that she is armed with a set of style rules from London and Kelly and an idea of which looks make her feel most confident — and a husband who loves her, both before and after.

Tune in on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. to watch Williams' transformation. And if you know someone in need of a wardrobe makeover, the show is currently casting for Houstonian men and women in sartorial shambles.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”