The CultureMap Interview

Bluemercury CEO explains why she chose Dallas and local expansion plans

Bluemercury, a luxury, one-stop beauty shop, debuted its first Texas location in Highland Park Village on May 19. With more than 90 skincare and cosmetics brands — including big names like Laura Mercier and Nars and proprietary line M-61 — and an extensive menu of spa services, it is certain to be a hit with Dallas’ most discerning beauty buyers.

Founder and CEO Marla Malcolm Beck was in town to celebrate the opening, so we visited with her about how she turned a hobby into a career, why Dallas has always been in her sights and her expansion plans for Bluemercury (hint: Southlake Town Center in the fall).

CultureMap: Did you always know you wanted to be involved in the beauty industry?

Marla Malcolm Beck: I didn’t. I have always been a beauty junkie. I used to drive 30 miles to get a specific lipstick. I would go into Henri Bendel in New York to get MAC lipstick because that was the only place you could find it.

I don’t know how I even knew it was there — this was before the Internet — so it was really a hobby that became a business. Making your passion into a business: That’s what we look for in the brands we carry.

CM: How do you select new brands?

MMB: It’s a little bit like venture capital, really, looking for that point of difference. We like finding entrepreneurs who are passionate about what they are creating. We don’t just look at the product; we look at where they are headed.

Francois Nars [NARS Cosmetics] was working out of a room when I met him. When we first picked up Fresh, they only had a line of limited soaps. It’s just not just about the product; it’s about the person behind the line.

CM: What makes Bluemercury stores special?

MMB: People want convenience, to pull up out front, stop in for what they need and go. When you walk into one of our stores, our salespeople know everything about every line. You don’t have to go from one counter to another.

CM: Why did you select Highland Park Village as your first Texas location?

MMB: I visited Highland Park for the first time when I was in Dallas with some HBS [Harvard Business School] friends. We came to Highland Park Village to do some shopping and have coffee. It was such a unique place, so I’ve always known we eventually wanted to be here.

CM: What do you think differentiates the Highland Park Village shopper?

MMB: Shopping has become much more a part of a lifestyle, and I think the women in Highland Park Village really embody that. She’s not just here to shop. She may be here having lunch, hanging out with a friend; she may live close by. She wants somewhere easy and convenient to stop in and pick up what she needs.

CM: Do you have plans for additional Texas stores?

MMB: Yes —Texas women love their beauty products! We are opening in Southlake in the fall, and then Houston.

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Bluemercury is hosting a public grand opening celebration on Saturday, May 30, 10 am-7 pm, with cupcakes, makeovers and mini-facials. The first 100 attendees get a deluxe gift bag.

Bluemercury founder and CEO Marla Malcolm Beck.

Photo courtesy of Bluemercury

Bluemercury founder and CEO Marla Malcolm Beck.

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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