Painting a Pretty Collection

The Texas girl in New York fashion: Lela Rose blooms in a new direction withGerhard Richter

Lela Rose is a Texas girl who doesn't shy away from color.
Lela Rose with Brittany Snow during Fashion Week in New York.
Photo by Clifford Pugh

Designer Lela Rose skipped the sketch pad and instead reached for canvas and a palette for her fall 2011 collection. Inspired by artist Gerhard Richter, the collection is full of patterns, textures and blue in all its hues.

Rose gets a lot of press for being a Texas girl living in New York and she doesn’t apologize or shy away from playful bursts of color and the feminine charm that characterize her designs. In fact, she embraces it, just as she did as a presenting designer at Fashion Houston last October, where her dresses were naturally well received.

“Women in Texas and the South celebrate color, but they also don’t live up to certain stereotypes like big hair and well, big everything,” Rose says.

In a world of more is never enough, Rose enjoys the less-is-more mantra and employed it in her designs, taking an organic role in the creation of her fall collection. A Gerhard Richter exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago sealed the direction of the collection, sparking a desire to probe the colors used by one of her favorite artists.

“It just hit me that this would be the best way to do it, so we painted on canvas and then scraped off parts to create prints for the collection. It was very fun and such an interesting inspiration for the clothes,” Rose says.

The results are blue to gray hombre dresses, drapey checked jackets, sophisticated shine and even some red-carpet worthy evening gowns. The chiffon-draped gowns are personal favorites Rose says, because of how beautifully they move.

Rose is also maintaining her Lela Rose for Payless Shoes line and almost gave up the name of the retailer who she is collaborating with on a fast fashion capsule collection out soon. She was cautious about dipping her toe in the fast-fashion pool simply because of the Payless collection, but clearly, the time and retailer were a good fit.

“We didn’t want to do too much, but we have some great knit pieces, fun prints and color at a great price point. The shapes will be easy to wear and fun,” Rose says.

While we have to wait and see where to nab the capsule collection, Rose and the fall 2011 pieces will be at Tootsies Wednesday for a public appearance and trunk show. Rose will be on hand from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

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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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