The Can't Live Without List
Jimmy Choo, Oscar de la Renta and Prada among the must-have labels for Houstonfashionistas
Kristy Junco went wild for the Chloe boots that she first saw when modeling atTootsies.Photo by Shelby Hodge
Family connections helped Brittany Sakowitz get her hands on this Oscar de laRenta right off the runway.Photo by Shelby Hodge
The Gucci leopard-print booties were Ericka Bagwell's must-have for fall.Photo by Shelby Hodge
Melissa Mithoff spotted her over-the-knee, flat-heeled boots in a store windowin Paris.Photo by Shelby Hodge
Ursaline Hamilton plans on wearing this versatile little shrug with jeans andwith a smashing white gown.Photo by Shelby Hodge
Susan Plank is ready for travel now that she has the Prada camouflage duffle bagfor all her carry-on stuff.Photo by Shelby Hodge
We've prowled through the fashion magazines (all 700-plus pages of September Vogue, thank you), checked out Style.com and made our wish list of high-fashion purchases for fall. But each of us harbors that one must-have, can't live without item. The budget be damned!
Is it those fur-trimmed Manolo pumps or the sequin and crystal dress by Vera Wang? YSL's over-sized leopard muse handbag? Or Etro's paisley-print velvet dress and slim leg pants? Oh, I want them all.
CultureMap surveyed a handful of the city's leading fashion mavens to find out what one special item was most important for their fall wardrobe. We photographed them with their special purchases in the romantic Bar Malatesta at Hotel Granduca. Herewith, the ladies who shop tell all.
Susan Plank: The moment she saw Prada's new camouflage duffle bag at Neiman Marcus she knew she had to have it.
"It's perfect for travel, the perfect tote for the airplane." She can stuff all of her important travel gear — her iPad, airplane socks, etc. — in it and still have room for whatever post-security clearance purchases she might make in the airport shops. Plank travels in comfortable jeans and shirts making the camo bag the perfect travel companion. And she loves the matching little purse that comes with it and fits nicely inside.
Ursaline Hamilton: There a jillion must-haves on her shopping list, but when this model and fashion show coordinator spied the Sachin & Babi shrug at Tootsies she knew her fall wardrobe would not be complete without it.
"It's this amazing shrug in gray with sequins and organza," Hamilton says. "It's so great. I can wear it with jeans or over an amazing white gown. I love a shrug and this is the perfect shrug."
Ericka Bagwell: For this sassy young mom, the look for fall is high on sex appeal. Which is why she had her eye on a pair of cheeky leopard-print high-heel booties by Gucci at Neiman Marcus. She wears them with black seamed stockings and a hot Givenchy cocktail dress.
"Stockings are so in," she says. "They have them in every design you can imagine."
Kicky mini skirts and boots — that will be her look for fall. "I want all short skirts and boots . . . I'm gonna be a total diva in hot and sexy dressing." You can bet that she's stocking up on tights and opaque hoisery for the boot look. And, she reminds, don't forget the berry lip colors, which she wore especially for the photo shoot.
Brittany Sakowitz: When she saw the little black lace dress on-line in Oscar de la Renta's fall runway show, Sakowitz got on the phone immediately. Her sister, Noelle Sakowitz, is on de la Renta's design team in New York. That family connection allowed her early access to pieces in the show. The sample size was right and and Brittany had it shipped to her. The dress has "No. 1" inside indicating that it was the first outfit to go down the runway for de la Renta's fall show.
In her final semester at law school, Sakowitz says, "I'm just ready for holiday parties. That's what I'm looking forward to with the fall season and this dress will be perfect for that."
Of course, less connected shoppers can find de la Renta's fab designs at both Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Kristy Junco: Once she donned theedgy black leather boots by Chloe for the Houston Magazine/Tootsies Fresh Faces fashion presentation, Junco simply could not part with them. The boots were so alluring that she broke her cardinal rule of shopping — never pay full price for designer shoes.
"I'm in investment management, in finance" she explained. "I try to be good with my personal finances."
Never mind the great looking Missoni dress she wore for the shoot. It was the Chloe fancy footwear that she could not resist even if the striking pair of boots represented a serious investment. But, hey, boots that are well-maintained can last for decades.
Melissa Mithoff: As soon as fall fashions began appearing in magazines and in stores, Mithoff had designs on a pair of low-heeled, over-the-knee boots. When she's not partying in four-inch heels, this statuesque 5-foot-10 mother of three youngsters wears flats. She wanted the fashion look of the high boots, but the comfort and practicality of low heels.
Mithoff didn't find exactly what she was looking for until she landed in Paris recenty on a stopover after a holiday in Beirut. In the window of the Jimmy Choo shop, she found her fashion must-have and she picked them up on the spot. She likes the look of these high-fashion numbers worn with Row leggings and a YSL jacket.
