The parade of well-dressed guests that flowed into Tootsies on October 15 signaled it was time for the second annual Stylemaker Awards, produced in partnership with the Plaza at Preston Center. Six fashionable finalists — Nicole Bulcher, Javier Burkle, Kendall Eckerd, Nelson Huff III, Nancy Koen, and Julian Leaver — showed off their styling skills during a one-of-a-kind fashion show, while those in attendance started planning how they could score the looks for themselves.
To start, guests — including Katie Norwood, JB Hayes, Lisa Petty, Tyrone Carreker, Thomas Keeling, Cary Deuber, Bret McKinney, Julian Leaver, Angela Choquette, Nerissa Von Helpenstill, and Dustin Holcomb — mingled on the first floor of this chic boutique and savored bites from R+D Kitchen, True Food Kitchen, Sprinkles, and Taco Diner. They also stopped at the New Amsterdam Color Cocktail Bar for drinks with playful names such as Sapphire Me Up (a Moscow Mule with original New Amsterdam vodka), Modern Mango, Coconut Clutch, and Ruby Red Lips. There were also bubbles from LaMarca prosecco.
Partygoers also posed for "personalized sketches with attitude" drawn by Betchy Sketch and hammed it up with pals at the photo booth provided by 2014 Stylemaker finalist Jenny Kirtland. In order to get photo and portrait-ready, Benefit was on hand for makeup touch-ups, and the Hair Bar twisted locks into of-the-moment braids. Eager gals also entered to win one of six pieces of jewelry from Kendra Scott.
DJ Blake Ward got everyone pumped up before summoning CultureMap editor-in-chief Jennifer Chininis to the podium. She welcomed everyone and turned over the microphone to the evening's emcee, popular WFAA anchor Ron Corning, who introduced the Stylemaker finalists.
In order to get to this point, the finalists had gone through two rounds of voting from a pool of potentials nominated by the public. On the judging panel were Rhonda Sargent Chambers (who also produced the event), 2014 Stylemaker winners Melissa Rountree and David Goltl, the Hall Agency's Cindy Morris, and Chininis and yours truly, who not only determined the 12 semifinalists, but also selected the editors' choice winner during the party.
For the fashion show, the finalists were tasked with creating two looks — "date night" and "Dallas look" — with items pulled from Plaza stores such as Pockets (Huff used pieces from the menswear shop to style a woman), Riffraff, and Double R. Each finalist explained their inspiration and selections before sending their models down the runway. While the judges deliberated, guests were treated to more on-trend fashions courtesy of Tootsies.
In the end, the judges crowned Nancy Koen the 2014 Stylemaker editors' choice winner for mixing pieces from Calypso and Tootsies — and knee-high socks from The Biz — to create looks that were sophisticated yet fun. Though her models sported jewelry from Bachendorf's and Kendra Scott, Koen herself was showing off pieces from B. Stellar, the jewelry collection she co-founded.
Stylist Javier Burkle proved the public was not wrong in selecting him as the readers' choice winner: He showed a sassy silver dress and black fringed vest for date night, and a put his male model in a relaxed yet sexy combo of denim jacket over a tweed vest.
Both received $1,000 shopping sprees to the Plaza at Preston Center.
Guests left the party with visions of fashions dancing in their heads and swag in their hands courtesy of Lucky Dog Barkery, Benefit, Kid Biz, Riffraff, Bar Method, Kendra Scott, B. Stellar, Hair Bar, and much more.
Nerissa Von Helpenstill, Dustin Holcomb
There was no shortage of photo ops.Photo by Jonathan Zizzo Photography
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.Photo by Selig Polyscope Company