Project Runway

Aspiring designers compete for bragging rights to best little black dress

It may have started with Coco Chanel, but it was Audrey Hepburn and her chic Givenchy sheath in Breakfast at Tiffany’s that solidified the little black dress’s fate as a wardrobe must-have.

In the decades since, the LBD has never gone out of style, as designers attempt to reinvent this iconic piece year over year — and successfully at that.

To help sustain the future of the LBD, Jeff Shell, director of the Neal Hamil Agency in Houston, established the Little Black Dress Designer nonprofit to support up-and-coming fashion design students throughout Texas. This year, $30,000 worth of scholarships was distributed among five individuals.

Just a week after Houston held its fifth annual Little Black Dress Designer fashion show, more than 200 fashionistas flocked to House of Blues for the first-ever Dallas competition. Attendees watched a short film featuring the top 10 designers, who flaunted their handiwork in a stylish runway show.

Prior to the event, judges who work in or close to the fashion industry — Amy Adams, Nadia Dabbakeh, Jackson, Justin Ghirardi, Nerissa Helpenstill, John Johnson, Bret McKinney, Neil Marek, Khanh Nguyen, Stephanie Quadri, Robbie Richard, Marjon Zabihi and this reporter — ranked the designs based on criteria such as creativity, construction and fit.

Nguyen, designer of Nha Khanh, told us she was very impressed by the young talent. The designers used unique fabrics, textures and bold accents to make each LBD special.

Before the dress presentation, guests sipped on cocktails and talked about the young designers from schools throughout Texas. Then Shell, sporting a snazzy all-black ensemble, strutted his own stuff down the runway before introducing Shannon Hall of Sloan Hall, who co-chaired the Houston event.

“With funding, think about how we can help,” Hall said. “We’re all a part of the design community and are all consumers.”

The focus immediately shifted as the models came out donning looks by both the Houston and Dallas designers. We spotted Chuck Steelman, Cynthia Smoot, LeeAnne Locken, Allison Edwards and Courtney Edwards wide-eyed on the front row, taking in the impressive designs. For the final strut, Dallas designers walked out hand-in-hand with their models before the top five winners were announced — a surprise to even the judges:

Andre Redar took first place for his fitted structural dress with ruffled whimsical hemline.
Kim Pham placed second for her fit-and-flare sleeveless dress with gold collar accent.
Christine Bullard received third place for her cap-sleeved sheath dress with geometric details.
Cheryl Vick came in fourth for her cap-sleeved brocade sheath dress with beaded fringe accent.
Kesia Knowles took fifth place for her sleeveless, sheer-paneled dress with overskirt.

The fete continued into the night, with many toasts to the award-winning designers and creative contestants.

Courtney Edwards, Nerissa Helpenstill

Photo by William Neal for WJNPHOTO

Courtney Edwards, Nerissa Helpenstill

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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