Performer and perfumer

Fabio Luisi creates exclusive new perfume with Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Fabio Luisi's new fragrance, Ogni Nota (ON).

Photo courtesy of DSO

Dallas Symphony music director Fabio Luisi has proven he's a maestro of many talents on the podium. But behind the scenes, he's got another finely tuned forte that may surprise even the most ardent of concert patrons — he's a perfumer.

Luisi has created a new, limited-edition, exclusive perfume for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, called ON (Ogni Nota), available as of November 10.

According to a release, the fragrance is now being sold in the Dallas Symphony’s store in the lobby of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, priced at $120 for 30ml and $40 for 10ml.

A selection of Luisi's other fragrances in his FL Parfums collection are also available at the DSO store for $140 for a 20ml bottle.

“This perfume is unisex, and it is very clean with citrusy notes,” Luisi says in the release. “I wanted to evoke a feeling of joy and lightness, like a crisp, Sunday morning.”

Luisi has been creating perfumes since 2012 and has become a celebrated perfumer, lauded in such media outlets as The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and CBS Sunday Morning, DSO says. His FLPARFUMS line is sold online and at very select boutiques around the world.

The DSO fragrance, ON, started as a conversation between Luisi and Kim Noltemy, the Ross Perot President & CEO of the Dallas Symphony. According to the release, they discussed ideas for a scent profile and tested a number of combinations to come up with the perfect perfume for the DSO.

“Perfumes are a passion of Fabio’s, and we have talked about his process of creating new scents and finding new combinations for perfumes,” Noltemy says. “I’m delighted that he agreed to create something customized for us.”

For more information, visit the DSO website.

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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