• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    Fashion QA

    Kay Unger thrives with colorful designs for the real woman

    Jennifer Roosth
    Mar 17, 2011 | 12:38 pm
    • A selection from the Kay Unger spring collection.
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
    • Tootsies owner Mickey Rosemarin, from left, Kay Unger and Tootsies buyer JohnMaguire
      Photo by Morris Malakoff
    • Unger helps a customer. Her attentiveness to customer's needs are a major reasonbehind her success.

    When I first met Kay Unger, I didn’t know she was a designer at all. “Aunt Kay” had invited her niece, Julie, and Julie’s college friends to New York to stay with her and ‘go out’ in “the city."

    I immediately recognized that Aunt Kay was fabulous. Her amazing Upper East Side apartment was impeccably decorated, her independence, humor and insight were apparent by looking at the comical magnets on her fridge, and well, she had great snacks. Her pantry looked like Citerella (a smaller NYC version of Whole Foods/Central Market type gourmet market).

    “So what does Aunt Kay do?” I inquired, assuming the answer would be an explanation of what her husband does, or that she had divorced well.

    “Kay’s a fashion designer,” was the response in a tone reminiscent of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, ‘What, like its hard?’

    Ten years later, upon entering the “real world” post-college, and having imagined by now I would be a superwoman like “Aunt Kay," I realize...yes, it’s very hard.

    But "Aunt Kay" makes it look easy.

    The 65-year-old designer has been successful because she listens to her customer and taps into what "real women" want and need for their wardrobes. She offers a classic design aesthetic with beautiful prints, colors and feminine detailing at an affordable price ($200-$500).

    Designing on her own since 1972, her line began with functional yet feminine suits and dresses. In 2007, she added Phoebe Couture, a collection of edgy day and evening dresses with a more youthful body type in mind (and a lower price, $100-$300). Last year, she created a plus line with larger sizes.

    When I discovered that the designer would be in Houston for a St Luke’s Hospital fundraising luncheon and appearance at Tootsies, I decided to go to the source herself and ask for answers.

     CultureMap: How did even know what you wanted to do with your life? You were a little ahead of your time as a woman entrepreneur.

    Kay Unger: The thing that makes someone an entrepreneur is that you see an opportunity and you just grasp it. Without thinking, without stopping, without worrying that you might not be educated or qualified enough….you just go for it. That’s how I got into design.

    As young as 8 years old, I would cut up bedspreads and make my own designs. When I graduated from Parsons School of Design in NYC, I jumped into the design industry working as an assistant for couture designer Goeffrey Beene (Issey Miyake was his other assistant).

    My father, (well-known Chicago investment banker) Julius Epstein, had just passed away and left me $25,000. I spent all of it on fabric from the Liberty of London fabric shop and had it shipped to my living room in NYC. I kept my day job, and started designing at night. Within a year, I was designing full time. It was hard at first because I had no business education; I was just following my gut. I would wrap up the clothes in garment bags, and take them on my bicycle to Bloomingdales to sell.

    A year later, I brought in my two partners. At that time, there were a lot of women’s names in my industry, but not a lot of women business owners.

     CM: How would you describe your style?

    KU: We are known for our femininity and fit. I like simple designs, but I always add a touch of something feminine (ie: ruffles), and focus on strategic fit and draping with real women’s bodies in mind. Phoebe Couture, our more youthful line, is cut a little shorter, but always with a signature three-inch hem that can be easily altered.

     CM: How did you decide to move into plus sizes?

    KU: We’ve done plus sizes on and off through the years. The issue is that stores in the past didn’t quite appreciate how [the plus size customer] wants to look. However, now I am seeing a trend that retailers are starting to notice. When press and sales went nuts, all of our stores started calling and asking to sell the plus size line. We took our main collection up to a size 18 missy (0-18). Then we have another line that is plus size (16W-24W) that is cut a bit differently for a curvier woman, and consists mostly of print and solid separates—flattering and feminine. Latino and More magazines encourage us to advertise our larger sizes with plus size models in ads for their publication.

     CM: Do you ever get creatively stuck? Where do you turn for new ideas and inspirations?

    KU: I do pilates every morning at 6 a.m. for mental balance. I refer to my trainer as my expensive alarm clock. When I spend time freethinking, I feel my mind naturally solve problems.

    Now that I live in Soho, for inspiration I can just walk outside. I go to art museums, such as the New Museum downtown. I look at books and through my own vintage designs (from 1968 onward). When I get stuck on a color story, I find inspiration in Rothko. For print moods, I like to look at home design.

     CM: Your assistant Emily tells me “[you] make [her] want to be a better person”. She says “[you are] an incredible multi-taster” who models how a woman can “do it all." What do you think will be your legacy?

    KU: Celebrity as a designer has given me a wonderful platform from which to give back. I am most proud of my mentoring abilities, both to my children and over 3000 young people over the years. I’ve always believed in having interns and interns-for-hire. I’m involved in the Committee of 200 (a network of women business owners that Unger co-founded) and the Women’s Campaign Forum (a nonpartisan organization that promotes women in politics).

    I also enjoyed being involved with a UJA Federation ((United Jewish Appeal) ) mission to Israel, where we focused on educating Israeli women on how to export to the United States (I had a business in Tel Aviv for several years).

     CM: You seem a little too perfect. Do you have any vices?

    KU: Yes. Hotel mini bars.

    unspecified
    news/fashion

    TAILORED TRADITION

    Cult-favorite French denim brand Chevignon makes U.S. debut in Houston

    Gabi De la Rosa
    Jul 9, 2025 | 9:15 am
    Chevignon Galleria
    Photo courtesy of Chevignon
    Chevignon’s Galleria boutique marks the brand’s first-ever store in the United States, launching its Texas-focused expansion plan.

    Heritage denim brand Chevignon has arrived in Houston, introducing its cult-loved leather jackets and customizable jeans to a new boutique in the Galleria. Known for its rugged style, the French-born label is expanding its presence in the U.S. with a store designed to appeal to loyal brand aficionados and fashion-forward newcomers. The outpost is complete with an in-store Denim & Repair Shop offering complimentary tailoring and one-of-a-kind customization.

    Located on the second level adjacent to the Westin Hotel, the new outpost is modeled after the brand's most successful stores in Bogotá and Medellín. At over 2,100 square feet, customers can expect a spacious and well-lit shopping experience. Light colored floors with handsome dark features lend themselves to the masculine energy of the store. The spacious fitting rooms, complete with lounge seating and oversized mirrors, make trying on the latest styles comfortable.

    The brand was founded in 1979 by Guy Azoulay, who was obsessed with American fashion, in particular the leather aviator jacket. With decades of success in Latin America and a massive following in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, Chevignon is widely known for its leather jackets, down coats, and denim.

    Comparable to Levi's or All Saints, a pair of jeans typically starts at around $130, while a leather jacket retails between $400 and $600. The brand offers denim, outerwear, footwear, and accessories with collections divided to focus 70 percent on menswear and the remaining 30 percent on women's styles.

    Chevignon's expansion into the U.S. was three years in the making. With broadening brand recognition at the forefront, expansion plans include opening 10 additional boutiques by 2030 in Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Fort Worth. These new stores will round out their portfolio to 102 brick-and-mortar stores, along with several partnerships in other large-format locations.

     Chevignon denim repair Chevignon’s in-store Denim & Repair Shop offers complimentary tailoring and custom patches for truly personalized jeans and jackets.Photo courtesy of Chevignon

    "When it came time to think about locations in Texas, Houston came to mind. We thought about the Houston rodeo, and we knew the city was right for the brand," Chevignon brand manager, Diego Alvarez Salazar, tells CultureMap. "We wanted to be part of the place where people were moving to and investing in, and that was in Texas."

    One of the stand-out offerings at Chevignon is their Denim & Repair Shop. Customers who purchase denim are treated to complimentary, bespoke tailoring to ensure the best possible fit. The store also offers a wide selection of patches, pins, and accessories to completely customize leather and denim jackets, as well as jeans. While there is a cost for the accessories themselves, the complimentary customization services ensure a one-of-a-kind look for every customer.

    "I always tell people that my first 'grown-up' pair of jeans was from Chevignon," says Bogotá-native, Luisa Babarczy. "Their denim is something that lasts forever. Now that they are here in Houston, I am so happy to be able to buy my daughter her first Chevignon denim jacket."

    Chevignon Galleria
      

    Photo courtesy of Chevignon

    Chevignon’s Galleria boutique marks the brand’s first-ever store in the United States, launching its Texas-focused expansion plan.

    houston shoppinghouston galleriatexas fashionlatin american fashionchevignon
    news/fashion

    most read posts

    Growing burger chain slides into first Houston location

    Houston is one of America's most overpriced cities, study finds

    This Houston suburb had the highest apartment rent prices in June

    Loading...