Bring On the Bling

Fashionistas flock to Mockingbird Station for sexy Vegas-style runway show

Style setters recently descended on Mockingbird Station for the Spring-a-ding-ding fashion show. With DFW Style Daily’s Lisa Petty in charge and a Vegas theme, we expected nothing less than va-va-va-voom.

Gals decked out in bright spring blouses and gents sporting fitted button-downs sipped on Deep Eddy vodka cocktails and noshed on Mockingbird Taproom bites. They posed for pictures and mingled with DFW Style Daily editors Priya Rathod, who wore Salwar Kameez, and Petty, who flaunted silvery printed leggings underneath her dress.

Before the main event we spotted the beautiful Toni Munoz-Hunt in a classic fitted black dress with husband, Dan, beside her. Jarrod Fresquez, donning thick-framed shades and stylish gray suit, had a svelte hot brunette on his arm.

Attendees — Alex Small, Heather Letierri, Austin Robinson, Kati Taylor, James Tate, David Jackson-Hurley, and Arami Carrales —fought for front-row seats and buzzed about the show even before it began.

Smartphones switched to camera mode when Petty called panel members Rathod, DFW Style Daily’s Sean Charles, Oh So Cynthia blogger Cynthia Smoot, and SMU alum and FC Dallas soccer player Ugo Ihemelu to the stage. She led the commentary about the ensembles coming down the runway — bright blazers, short shorts, printed dresses and sparkly tops — and asked the panelists about their go-to looks for a night in Vegas.

“Glitz, glam and bling,” said Rathod, Charles and Smoot. But Ihemelu said, “Jeans and shoes; I let my girlfriend pick out what to wear when I going out with her.”

Despite the not-so-subtle remark about Ihemelu’s relationship status, audience members still fawned over the hot jock.

Toni Munoz-Hunt, Dan Hunt

Photo by Sylvia Elzafon

Toni Munoz-Hunt, Dan Hunt

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Fashion on display

Rare Halston fashion exhibition now on display in unlikely Texas city

Halston: Inventing American Fashion exhibit Ellen Noël Art Museum

Photo courtesy of Ellen Noël Art Museum

An colorful eveningwear grouping takes advantage of Ellen Noël Art Museum's curved walls.

A rare exhibition honoring fashion pioneer Halston has popped up in an unexpected place: West Texas. Dallas fashionistas who are fans of the designer can make a five-hour pilgrimage to Odessa’s newly revamped Ellen Noël Art Museum to view "Halston: Inventing American Fashion."

Halston’s minimalistic fashions are rarely the subjects of retrospectives, although the designer’s dramatic life story recently had a pop-cultural resurgence through a 2021 Ryan Murphy miniseries. "Halston: Inventing American Fashion" assesses the talent that made him a household name.

Known now for outfitting 1970s icons like Liza Minelli and Bianca Jagger, Halston changed the international reputation of American sportswear as part of the famous 1973 “Battle of Versailles” fashion show, holding his own against Paris’ most lauded couturiers. His uniquely louche style still influences contemporary brands like Marc Jacobs, Zac Posen, and Tom Ford, who was briefly the creative director for a revised Halston label.

The mannequins in the Odessa display are outfitted with 75 ensembles from flowing Ultrasuede daywear to more dramatic draped gowns. The pieces “illustrate how Halston revolutionized fashion by prioritizing comfort, confidence, and modern femininity,” according to a release.

Although Odessa may seem an odd choice for the show, Halston had deep Texas connections. After he moved on from hat making, Amarillo millionaire Estelle Marsh was his sole backer willing to fund his first Madison Avenue boutique.

$Ellen No\u00ebl Art Museum, Odessa, new facade.$ The new facade at Ellen Noël Art MuseumPhoto courtesy of Ellen Noël Art Museum

$Halston: Inventing American Fashion exhibit Ellen No\u00ebl Art Museum$

Photo courtesy of Ellen Noël Art Museum

An colorful eveningwear grouping takes advantage of Ellen Noël Art Museum's curved walls.

And the recently completed renovation of Odessa's Ellen Noël Art Museum has some of the designer’s signature sleek. Designed by architect R.J. Lopez, the renovation includes new galleries and improved circulation, but the centerpiece is a striking transparent façade, replacing the original brick of the 1985 building.

“The renovation project has been over 10 years in the making and in the construction phase for the past two years,” says the museum’s buildings manager, Steve Patton, via a release. “The completion of the project has resulted in an incredible facility that is a shining star in West Texas, offering programs and exhibits that will be a destination point for people all over the world!”

"Halston: Inventing American Fashion" will run through March 22. Admission to the Ellen Noël Art Museum is free.

exhibits odessa fashion west texas museums designer texas