STYLE FILE

Style File: A-list fave Lele Sadoughi on her luxurious new River Oaks boutique, hot headbands, and fashion must-haves

Lele Sadoughi, the popular accessories brand, is expanding its reach by opening its second Texas store in the luxurious River Oaks District. With a string of successful openings over the past two years and plans to launch four more annually, Lele Sadoughi is quickly gaining popularity as a brand known for its quality and detail-oriented accessories.

Opening in Houston was a significant decision for Lisa "Lele" Sadoughi, founder and chief creative officer of her eponymous brand, who grew up in Dallas. After eleven years in business, she knew a second Texas store made sense. "We know where our ladies are," says the accessories designer. "We have such a loyal customer base in Houston. Even today, I have seen such excitement with people in line before we even opened the doors. I feel really good about opening up here."

Its iconic headbands, famously worn by A-listers like Kate Middleton, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Hudson, and Zendaya, have been rated the "most comfortable in the market." The Houston showroom also features an exclusive 'Houston' headband adorned with hand-sewn Texas-inspired charms, making it the perfect accessory to show off some HTX pride.

"I have had a great reaction to the Houston exclusive. It is not often that I get to be in the store as customers are shopping," she tells CultureMap. "There is just something about Houston; we are fancy here, right? But we are also casual, so I wanted to design something that could be worn for any occasion. I decided to go with a denim base and cream paired with classic charms. We've got boots, a hat, the Texas shape, and a little bit of crystal. It is a great mix of classics with a lot of sparkle."

But it's not just headbands; Lele Sadoughi is an entire accessories empire, including collectible jewelry, colorful sunglasses, handbags, hats, and more. The River Oaks District boutique's design aligns perfectly with the brand's open, bold, and tactile philosophy, encouraging customers to experiment and play with their looks.

The spring/summer collection, dubbed Contemporary Collector, features various bright colors mixed with darker elements like stripes. Sadoughi, who garners inspiration from art, paintings, and sculptures, says the combination was motivated by her trip to the Peggy Guggenheim museum in Venice.

Shoppers can take advantage of one-on-one experiences and access to specialists at the 500-square-foot showroom, which has already become a hot spot for anyone looking for unique and joyful accessories. Houston shoppers can also get an exclusive up-close look at the first-ever area devoted entirely to sunglasses and hats inside the Lele Sadoughi boutique.

"Many people collect our headbands and jewelry, but this is the first time we have ever devoted an entire section to our sunglasses and hats. It is really fun to see people come in and try out our new categories."

We sat down with Lisa to talk about some of her favorite fashionable gems. Fashionistas, take note of her advice about switching up accessories on the daily.

Photo courtesy of Lele Sadoughi

Lisa "Lele" Sadoughi, founder and chief creative officer of her eponymous brand.

You always leave home with: My phone and chargers so my kids can reach me.

Heels or wedges: Heels

Earrings or sunglasses: Jeweled sunnies

For summer – skirts or shorts: Skirts

Hair down or hair up: I always have some kind of accessory in my hair, no matter the style.

Favorite beauty product for your face: Concealer is the best thing ever because if you look a little tired, a pop of concealer does the trick

Favorite brand of concealer: Bobbi Brown Cosmetics

One thing you have in your handbag, no matter what: An extra pair of earrings.

Tiny bag or large shoulder bag: Tiny bag with a jeweled piece of art. Change it up – do not wear the same accessories every day, and that goes for everything from head to toe.

Movie Review

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is ridiculous and fun at the same time

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Mirage (Pete Davidson) in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

The Transformers series has been one marked by near universal derision by the critics and (mostly) massive box office, highlighting the divide between those who watch movies for a living and those who just go for fun. Given that history, it seemed unlikely that the latest film, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, would unite the two factions.

Like the last film, Bumblebee, Rise of the Beasts is a prequel to the Transformers films directed by Michael Bay from 2007-2017 (Bay remains as a producer). Set in 1994, it features a way-too-complicated story involving something called the Transwarp device prized by three separate groups of Transformers: The Autobots led by Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen); the Maximals, animal-esque bots led by Optimus Primal (Ron Perlman); and the Terrorbots, led by Scourge (Peter Dinklage). One guess as to which of those groups is the evil one.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Mirage (Pete Davidson) in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) is a former soldier in Manhattan who can’t find a job and tries his best to take care of his sickly brother, Kris (Dean Scott Vazquez). Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) works at a museum on Ellis Island, where she encounters an artifact with unusual markings. Through a series of unlikely but still fun events, both of them are dragged into the conflict between the Transformers, with nothing less than the fate of the universe at stake.

Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and written by a team of five writers, the film is as ridiculous as any of the previous iterations, and yet somehow it becomes the most entertaining entry yet. Some of this has to do with the human characters, who are given engaging scenes outside of the ones with Transformers, allowing them to be relatable instead of just pawns in the robot battles.

The trifecta of Transformer groups turn out to be actually interesting, rather than an excuse to fill the screen with CGI nonsense. The Autobots, as usual, are the main heroes, and with Bumblebee using movie quotes to talk and Mirage (Pete Davidson) lobbing wisecracks constantly, they’re rarely unentertaining.

Having the animal-like Maximals on board gives a new dimension, and the seemingly unstoppable Scourge makes for an intimidating villain.

That’s not to say, of course, that the film doesn’t devolve into chaos on multiple occasions. Several of the battles, including the final sequence, seem designed to be almost incomprehensible. But Caple and the visual effects team appear to have understood that clarity makes for a better moviegoing experience, and so even as bedlam reigns, there’s a level of focus to the film that other films in the series have not had.

Even though his character isn’t fully fleshed out, Ramos brings a kind of streetwise energy to the role that makes him stand out. Fishback is not given as much to do, but she’s still highly enjoyable. Cullen, who’s been voicing Optimus Prime since the 1980s, is still a commanding presence, allowing Davidson, Michelle Yeoh, Perlman, and more to bring their own unique flair to their characters.

It may be a low bar to jump, but Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the best film so far in the series, cracking the code of pairing humans with robots for a (semi)intelligible story. A late movie teaser will have fans geeking out over the future, but it’s best to enjoy this film for being as good as it is.

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Transformers: Rise of the Beasts opens in theaters on June 9.

movies film

STYLE FILE

Style File: A-list fave Lele Sadoughi on her luxurious new River Oaks boutique, hot headbands, and fashion must-haves

Movie Review

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is ridiculous and fun at the same time

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