Local luxury fashion maven Christy Lynn stylishly opens doors to first Houston boutique

christy's best year ever

Photo by Jordan Geibel

Luxury womenswear brand Christy Lynn continues to take the fashion world by storm. Christy Lynn Lee, the brand's founder and creative director, just launched her fall and pre-fall collections, delved into the world of resort wear, and just opened her flagship boutique in the Memorial Villages.

Houstonians have been able to find Lynn's designs on the racks of luxury retailers for years, but now fans of the designer can treat themselves to a bespoke shopping experience.

"We created this flagship to be a haven for fashion connoisseurs, and I am beyond excited to take both new and existing clients on a journey into the world of Christy Lynn,” said Lee. "We've ensured that every detail is meaningful to the essence of the brand, and it's truly a place where we can showcase our inspiration and the full range of our creations."

True to Lee's brand ethos, her flagship boutique in Memorial encapsulates playful florals with romantic hues and stunning details. Lee worked with Ashton Taylor Interiors and spent a year on the buildout, which began with an empty space, steel beams, and exposed concrete floors.

Details include a majestic green marble wall and fireplace, which Ashton Taylor Oberhauser, founder and creative director of her namesake company, notes was honed to have a matte leather-like finish.

"We wanted to celebrate the evolution of Christy Lynn by incorporating timeless interior elements with vibrant womenswear designs. The space was designed to be the perfect backdrop to enhance the diverse range of Christy's stunning collections," said Oberhauser. "The juxtaposition of the brand's intricate designs adds a touch of boldness that artfully contrasts the inherent lightness of the space."

Other details include Segreto flower print plasterwork inspired by Lynn's signature custom prints that are often envisioned by her sister Vickie Lee, a Parsons School of Design-trained fashion artist. Shoppers will also find personal mementos, including a painting by Lynn's late mother, photos, and keepsakes from the designer's travels.

Christy Lynn's upcoming Resort 2024 collection will debut this November in time for the holiday season. This collection marks a new chapter for the designer as she ventures into evening wear. The collection showcases hand-painted and embroidered fabrics from Italy, Shanghai, and India. The Resort 2024 collection will also introduce Lee's first jacquard print, with a floral design by her sister.

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Christy Lynn Memorial Village; Village Towers, 9655 Katy Freeway Suite 180. For information, call 281-699-8207 or visit the store site.

Photo by Jordan Geibel

Houston-based luxury womenswear label, ChristyLynn, announces the opening of the designer’s first flagship boutique in Houston's Memorial Villages.

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Booming Houston burb's top U.S. rank for holiday spending leads week's top stories

this week's hot headlines

Editor's note: It's time to recap the top stories on CultureMap from this past week.

1. Wealthy Houston suburb boasts the 10th biggest holiday spenders in U.S. Shoppers in the affluent Houston suburb are expected to spend $3,316 this festive season.

2. Retro Montrose pizzeria scores coveted spot on Esquire's Best New Restaurants in America list. The restaurant looks like a Gen X fantasy, but thankfully the pizza is up to today's standards.

3. Inside the new La Griglia: Murals are out, tableside touches are in, and more. "We took this restaurant a little more upscale," senior executive Brandon Busch explains.

4. Romantic River Oaks mansion boasting coveted neighborhood rarity lists for $11.5M. Inviting, yet secluded, rustic, but elegant, it offers everything a modern homebuyer needs.

5. Cozy neighborhood restaurant from Common Bond team opens doors on Heights' 11th Street. The diverse menu caters to a wide range of tastes.

ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill's guitars, flashy duds, and more hit Dallas auction

sharp dressed man

A massive collection of guitars, fancy clothes, boots, and other memorabilia belonging to the bassist from rock band ZZ Top makes its Dallas premiere. Julien’s Auctions presents “The Collection of Dusty Hill of ZZ Top," a three-day auction taking place December 7-9 in Dallas at 915 Slocum Street and online at Julien's Live.

The auction will feature nearly 1,200 lots showcasing Dusty Hill's one-of-a-kind instruments, Western style wardrobe worn on stage and in appearances, gear, documents, favorite cowboy hats, boots, buckles, and memorabilia. As a prelude, the collection will be on display at 915 Slocum Street through December 7.

A Dallas native who passed away in 2021, Hill was notorious for his collection of stuff, some of which was already sold off in an estate sale in Houston in 2022.

The auction's headlining item will be Hill’s fur bass guitar played on the “Legs” music video. The 1983 Dean Explorer style bass, in sheepskin finish with ZZ Top logo painted on the fretboard, was attached to a rig worn around Hill’s waist to make it spin. They're predicting it will fetch $80,000 to $100,000.

Another offering is Hill’s signature 1953 Fender Precision bass guitar, and most-played instrument by Hill out of all the guitars in this collection. The bass was heavily used by Hill and served as his go to stage guitar for numerous ZZ Top live performances and in the studio until Dusty retired the bass in 2012 due to road wear.

Fans will find a museum-like exhibition created a la “Dusty Land” with instantly recognizable items on display, such as:

Circa 1983 Wayne Charvel, Custom Eliminator Hot Rod car-shaped bass guitar in custom red and yellow Eliminator hot rod finish previously displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland
Circa 1960s Fender body Telecaster bass guitar, in grey / blue finish with custom pinstriping by Houston artist Jim Carnifax done in 1983, used in “Gimme all your Lovin" and "Sharp Dressed Man" music videos
An MTV Moonman award statuette presented to Dusty Hill for Best Group Video "Legs" at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards ceremony held in 1984
Bald eagle jacket by Manuel with talons and feather accents down sleeves, accented with prong-set stones, with personalized "Dusty Hill" Manuel label
Black leather motorcycle jacket with custom painted skeleton motif, eagle head pins on lapel, and silver spike embellishments with "StreekLandslide" written on the back

Special wall displays feature a horseshoe ring of hats, awards, Elvis Presley memorabilia, cowboy boots, and Western style accessories.

”Dusty treasured all of the items in this auction and it means so much to me that the fans, whom he loved, will have an opportunity to own something from his personal collection. He would be so happy to know that this auction will benefit other musicians in need through the efforts of MusiCares,” says his widow "Chuck" in a statement.

"The Collection of Dusty Hill" was previously exhibited at Julien’s international exhibitions in Kildare, Ireland, and then in New York at Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. It's currently on display at 915 Slocum Street through December 7. Photos of auction items can be seen here. The exhibition is free and open 12-8 pm weekdays, 10:30 am-6:30 pm on Saturday-Sunday December 2-3.

Hill's widow Chuck's involvement is notable. Houstonians may recall that a sale purporting to be "official" Dusty Hill items was not — and ultimately forced a cease and desist from Hill and her attorney. The experience left Charleen "Chuck" Hill "devastated," though she found no fault with media outlets that reported the sale as it was presented (including CultureMap): “you were misled too, just like the fans,” she told us.

The Rustic's co-owner dishes on his Tex-Mex future, plus our visit to Rumi's

What's Eric Eating Episodes 334 and 335

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Kyle Noonan joins CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to discuss Free Range Concepts. The Dallas-based hospitality group operates four restaurants and bars in Houston: Bowl & Barrel and The Generic Public in CityCentre and two locations of its concert venue The Rustic in downtown and Uptown Park.

The conversation begins with Noonan discussing his time working for Pappas Restaurants. From there, he partnered with his college room, finance professional Josh Sepkowitz, to open the first Bowl & Barrel in Dallas. The duo then partnered with Texas country music singer Pat Green on The Rustic, which becomes one of the highest grossing bars in Texas.

After discussing the company’s operations in Houston, including plans for possible new locations of both Bowl & Barrel and The General Public, Noonan shares that Free Range is looking beyond Texas. It has already committed to opening locations of The Rustic in Arizona, Denver, San Diego, Orlando, and Tampa and has eyes on potential locations in the Carolinas and Georiga. Any of those cities or states could also become home to Joe Leo Fine Tex-Mex, which is named for Noonan’s grandfather.

“We’re really interested in Tex-Mex outside of Texas, to be honest. I had experience with the Pappasitos brand. There is a real hunger for Tex-Mex outside of Texas,” Noonan says. He notes that the market for such a restaurant would include former Texas residents as well as people who are curious about the cuisine.

“We like to look for opportunities and low-hanging fruit,” he adds. “I see a lot of green space for Tex-Mex outside of Texas.”

Listen to the full interview to hear Noonan share why he likes to visit a city’s oldest restaurants when traveling instead of its hotspots.

On this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Michael Fulmer discuss the news of the week. Their topics include: the Houston return of Dallas Tex-Mex favorite Mi Cocina and Mexican bakery El Bolillo opening a new location in west Houston.

In the restaurants of the week segment, Fulmer and Sandler discuss their recent meal at Rumi’s Kitchen, the Atlanta-based Persian fine dining restaurant that recently opened next to Uchiko. They also share first impressions of Comalito, the new taqueria in the Houston Farmers Market led by star Mexican pastry chef Luis Robledo Richards. Finally, they describe their recent breakfast at Burnt Bean Co., the barbecue joint in Seguin that earned a finalist nomination in the 2023 James Beard Awards for Best Chef: Texas.

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