Nails On Demand

New Dallas-based app brings manicures and pedicures to your home

Cherry delivers manicures and pedicures on demand.

Photo courtesy of Cherry

Amber Venz Box, president and cofounder of rewardStyle and LIKEtoKNOW.it, was traveling with her friend Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder of Bumble, when inspiration struck. The Dallas entrepreneurs were en route to San Francisco, lamenting the state of their nails.

"As a new working mom, there's no way I can get my nails done during salon hours," says Venz Box in a release. "As the face of my company, I'm expected to maintain a polished look, but there's no way I can miss a meeting to go get my nails done."

Their in-air brainstorm session led to the idea for an Uber-like mobile app that would connect clients with independent nail technicians who would perform nail services any time, anywhere. The app, called Cherry, launches in Dallas on November 20.

It allows women and men to book everything from gel manicures to basic pedicures. Customers just select the services they would like, enter their service location and payment details, and Cherry meets them there. Everything, including payment, is done in-app.

Technicians will provide a selection of 10 Essie polishes — of course, clients can use their own — and treatments are completely waterless.

Safety and cleanliness were top priorities when the women were developing Cherry; while they were working on the concept, a then-pregnant Venz Box passed out at a nail salon from fumes, leaving her more determined than ever to make her vision of anywhere, anytime nails a reality. All technicians, called Cherry Pros, must pass a customer service and skill assessment in addition to a background check.

"We created this to provide a better quality of life to everyone involved," says Herd in a release. "Our technicians have flexibility and are compensated in a much more fair-minded way. In a traditional setting, technicians can wait around all day in a salon, yet only be paid a percentage of the services they perform. That can make for a very long day, with very little compensation."

Basic services start at $15; all manicures and pedicures include nail shaping, cuticle care, and hand or foot massage. Groups, parties, bridal showers, and corporate event services also can be booked.

Cherry services currently are available in select Dallas zip codes by invitation only. (Access codes are required to use the service; CultureMap readers can use the code "CMap" to try it out.) The free Cherry app is available for download through iTunes. For more information, visit downloadcherry.com.

Cherry delivers manicures and pedicures on demand.

Photo courtesy of Cherry

Cherry delivers manicures and pedicures on demand.

beauty

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