Fashion Advice

Designer Nancy Gonzalez says never match your bag to your shoes

The name Nancy Gonzalez has become synonymous with luxury and color. Her exquisite handbags, known for vibrant hues and exotic skins, are handcrafted by local artisans in her native Colombia. Each bag can take up to two days to make.

Gonzalez debuted her first collection in 1998 at Bergdorf Goodman. Since then the thoroughly modern yet timeless accessories have become the favorites of celebrities like Hayden Panettiere, Sofia Vergara, Blake Lively and Elizabeth Hurley. Gonzalez also collaborated with participating artists to create a line of one-of-a-kind masterpieces for last year’s Two x Two for AIDS and Art auction.

“I see life in colors,” Gonzalez says.

The petite and chic designer came to Dallas recently for personal appearances at Neiman Marcus Downtown, Fort Worth and NorthPark Center. Before we dropped $3,000 on a new tote, we sat down with Gonzalez for a quick chat. With a cobalt blue fall 2013 clutch in hand, here’s what she had to say.

CultureMap: Tell us about the first handbag you designed.
Nancy Gonzalez: It was weaved with crocodile leather and banana leaf. I kept the colors in their natural state; I like real materials. [This] first design was sold at Bergdorf Goodman.

CM: Why did you begin designing handbags?
NG: I was looking for something [to do] that I loved — it came from inside me — and it was handbags.

CM: Where do you find inspiration?
NG: Everywhere. I'm always thinking for something new and something different. I see life in colors.

CM: What's your favorite material to work with?
NG: All natural materials such as crocodile and python.

CM: Tell us about the design process.
NG: I look at new colors, new skins and shapes, and I'm always looking for new techniques like laser cutting. I add 150 styles to each collection, three times a year. That's my biggest challenge — coming up with new ideas.

CM: Favorite travel destinations?
NG: Paris and Marrakesh.

CM: What's the key to choosing a handbag?
NG: No matter what, it should make a woman feel gorgeous and fabulous, just like anything else.

CM: Favorite color this season?
NG: Cobalt blue — close to Yves Klein blue.

CM: Ladies often struggle with matching their handbags to their clothes. Should handbags match, or is this a misconception?
NG: It should not match. In fact, our least sold color is black. A woman should simply love her handbag, and it should be wearable by everyone.

A good example is with our customers in Beverly Hills. People don't age [there]; they are in a state of timelessness. A lady came into our store with her daughter and granddaughter — you couldn't tell who was the youngest — and all three of them could wear the handbag they purchased that day.

Colombian-born Nancy Gonzalez has been selling haute handbags since 1998.

Photo courtesy of Nancy Gonzalez

Colombian-born Nancy Gonzalez has been selling haute handbags since 1998.

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Thrifty shopping

Massive Goodwill store in Garland reopens as 2nd largest in the U.S.

Photo courtesy of Goodwill

The Goodwill in Garland is the largest in Texas.

A major expansion has made a Garland Goodwill store nearly the largest of its kind in the country. Goodwill Industries of Dallas officially reopened its "Broadway store," at 451 W. Interstate 30 #100, on April 30 after a major renovation. The new-and-improved store is twice its previous size.

According to a release, at 31,000 square feet, the Broadway Store and Donation Center is now the largest Goodwill in Texas and the second largest in the U.S.

The expansion will significantly boost inventory turnover. According to the organization, the store will introduce about 10,000 new items daily, including clothing, home goods, and accessories. At that pace, inventory cycles through the store roughly every four weeks, they say.

“Our newly expanded Garland store sets the gold standard for Goodwill in Texas — not only as our largest location, but as our most operationally complex,” says Tim Heis, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Dallas, in the release. “Turning out 10,000 fresh items every single day requires a tremendous, coordinated effort behind the scenes to make sure our shelves are always stocked with new finds."

The reopening comes amid "explosive growth" in the resale sector, Goodwill says. A 2024 report from ThredUp found that the U.S. secondhand market grew 11 percent in 2023 (growing seven times faster than the broader retail clothing sector) and is projected to reach $73 billion by 2028.

“As consumers are increasingly turning to resale for its affordability, unique product variety, and positive environmental impact, the new Garland store redefines what’s possible — every visit promises one of the widest, most frequently refreshed selections anywhere in North Texas,” says Joel Ibanez, vice president, Donated Goods Retail.

To support its larger retail footprint and meet demand, Goodwill Dallas has also expanded its donation network, they say, opening new Donation Express locations in Frisco, Plano, and Lantana in recent months and bringing the total number of donation drop off locations in North Texas to 52.

The Garland store includes a drive-up donation center, and additional sites are in development across North Texas, they say.

"Over the past two years, Goodwill Dallas has experienced record-breaking performance, earning recognition as the top performing Goodwill in the country for two consecutive years," they say in the release.

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