Fashion Trends

Clutch this: Fashion magazine and Nine West team up on sexy purses, shoes and more

In the first-of-its-kind collaboration, InStyle magazine has teamed with Nine West to create a line of stylish accessories at reasonable prices. The spring collection includes a "hold-everything" clutch, dressy sandals, a statement cuff and a variety of sexy pumps, slingbacks and wedges, priced from $79 to $129.

"I'm designing the type of things I would want to wear," InStyle accessories editor Leah Karp explained. "It was really important to me to be involved in every aspect of the process, looking at the samples, feeling how they felt in my hand, putting them on. We're bringing InStyle's brand (of) shop-like-an-editor to life with Nine West. It's what an editor would have in their wardrobe, it's what I want in my wardrobe."

"I'm designing the things I would like to wear," InStyle accessories editor Leah Karp explained.

Karp was recently at The Galleria to debut the spring collection at the Nine West boutique. Why Houston?

"One of the things that's so important to both of our brands is we're incredibly ethnically diverse. Houston really represents that for us and allows us to find the most robust group of fans to ensure we're going where they are," said Nine West senior vice president of marketing Erika Szychowski.

Most women are looking for versatile accessories that can carry them from day to night, Karp said. "And I don't think it needs to be a heel. We have a beautiful flat sandal that has a metal piece inspired by a piece of jewelry that I found that elevates it to be wearable for evening as much as it is for day."

So it's OK to wear sandals at night?

"Absolutely," Karp said. "We love a flat with a long skirt and tank top or a little cami for evening. Just dress it up with jewelry. And the jewelry piece that I designed, that's the point of it — you can wear it with blue jeans and a T-shirt as well as an evening dress or a jacket and cami and skirt for going out at night."

In designing the collection, Karp aimed for pieces that won't soon go out of style — a wearable wedge, a clutch big enough to be a day bag and a minimalist bracelet that "gives a lot of look for not a lot of money."

The idea for the collaboration came about over a fashion week dinner in Paris between InStyle editor Ariel Foxman and Jones Apparel Group CEO Richard Dickson last year. (Jones is the parent company of Nine West.) InStyle is the top-selling fashion magazine, with a circulation of nearly two million, but wants to expand its brand beyond print and Nine West jumped at the opportunity to collaborate.

The two companies whipped out a small collection for last fall that was so popular that is has been expanded for spring to include bracelets, clutches in three colors, and shoes in 18 styles.

"This collection is perfect for Texas, in my opinion, because it's so minimal, with a lot of baseline colors that are great with the way women like to dress here, which is in such bright colors and over-the-top accessories that they might want to combine with a few more grounding statement pieces," Szychowski said. "It plays well with a culture that isn't just dying to be in black every day like New York City."

Shoppers compare the Nine West "hold everything" clutch, $129, and statement cuff, $88, designed by InStyle accessories editor Leah Karp.

Purses at the InStyle for Nine West event March 2014

Photo by © Michael Stravato

Shoppers compare the Nine West "hold everything" clutch, $129, and statement cuff, $88, designed by InStyle accessories editor Leah Karp.

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Stepping Up

RodeoHouston teams up with Texas bootmaker for limited edition collab

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Lane Boots

Photo courtesy of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™

Each part of the boots ties back to the key elements of the HLSR.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) concert lineup has been announced, and concert tickets have gone on sale, which can only mean one thing – it is time to get rodeo ready. For 20 days in March, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is taking over the NRG Stadium complex, where Houstonians will display their best Western-inspired attire.

This year, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo collaborated with popular Texas-based brand Lane Boots on a one-of-a-kind limited edition collection. Muffy King, director of marketing for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, designed the boots with help from a team of experts at Lane Boots. Together, they looked at what is trending in existing boot designs and the fashion industry as a whole to come up with a unique look.

"It was important to us that the boot meant to celebrate the 2025 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo be representative of the 'Cowboy Core' aesthetic that is a major influence in fashion right now. These fundamental choices were a natural way for us to incorporate and represent our mission-driven pillar – Western Heritage," King tells CultureMap.

Each part of the boots ties back to the key elements of HLSR. The round braid on the sides represents the ropes used in competitions. The starburst effect around the star and the state of Texas symbolizes the lights on the RodeoHouston stage. The Texas on the back of the boot highlights HLSR's focus on supporting education in the Lone Star State. Departing from Lane's recognizable blue-soled boots, these feature a distinct orange sole with the HLSR logo stamped on the bottom, reflecting the branding seen across Texas ranches.

With designs for both men and women, the boots are exclusively available online. Photo courtesy of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

"We wanted to showcase the unique feature Lane has become known for in Western fashion, but with our own Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo flare," said King. "For both the Rodeo and Lane Boots, this was a real testament to the partnership and collaboration that took place to make these boots a reality."

The boots were released online earlier this month, and according to King, they are "flying off the shelves quickly" and have been met with an overwhelmingly positive response. Lane Boots produced 2,025 pairs of boots at their factory in Leon, Mexico. Each pair has an individual stamp and a special message on the inside of the boot shaft.

"The story behind the boot naturally lends itself to being relatable to many individuals across all walks of life," King says. "It was a very seamless process that resulted in an aesthetic that allows whoever wearing them to incorporate their own story and personality into the boot."

With designs for both men and women, the boots are exclusively available online. If any inventory remains when the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo begins, they will be available at the Lane Boots location in NRG Center.

Photo courtesy of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™

Each part of the boots ties back to the key elements of the HLSR.

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