Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1420844
F unny story about how I met this month's Bomb, Piper Wyatt. Over a decade ago, when I was penning a column called "Billy Fong Sez," I decided to write about launching a book club — but, perish the thought, not one where participants would have to read some lengthy tome. Instead, we would all pick one of the massive September issues from Vogue, W, or Elle and share our thoughts. Yes, it was a phone-it-in fashion style idea. Piper had been suggested by our mutual friend Brooke Hortenstine as an ideal addition to my group. Piper grew up a self-professed tomboy in Shreveport. The tomboy part is hard to imagine, since the girl I know turns heads with her chic outfits. "I spent my childhood skiing, running and lots of racquetball with my dad," she says. "Remember, racquetball was a big thing in the '80s." She had a special bond with her father, since she was an only child until her sister was born when Piper was nine. "Starting when I was six, my dad purchased stadium tickets for the Dallas Cowboys, so we would make the trek from Louisiana for every home game — sometimes back and forth in the same day, and other occasions, an overnight stay, and we would go to dinner at Trader Vic's. That went on until I was in junior high. I still purchase those seats every year in honor of my dad." The tomboy period lasted until she got her driver's license, and then she started living the typical life of a high schooler: hauling her friends around for shopping (Depot at the Mall St. Vincent was where she got her "Esprit fix"), parties, and concerts. Then it was off to college at Louisiana State University, where she received her BA in journalism. That is where she says her rebellious side came out, when she pledged Kappa Kappa Gamma, breaking a Tri Delt tradition (her mother and grandmother were both loyal to that sorority). She then lived in NOLA for a year, working at Saks Fifth Avenue, until moving to Dallas. She worked in the Dallas Market Center for 15 years, first as a copywriter/proofreader/marketing assistant for a showroom, then as a key account manager before starting her own company in 2007, PK Home Inc, which represents home textile and decor lines and sells to major retailers. At our last coffee chat, she proudly exclaimed, "I'm heading to NYC this weekend for my first textile market in two years!" She met her husband, Mike, on a blind date in the mid '90s. "He played on his college tennis team with Dwight Emanuelson, and I went to college with Dwight's wife's sister," she recalls. "They were the matchmakers, and we've now been married 23 years." Piper and Mike are longtime supporters of The Family Place and Crystal Charity because of the work those organizations do for children in our community. In addition, the couple has always filled their home with furry four-legged family members. She shares that one good thing about COVID was that she had "no business trips, which allowed me to be with my precious 13-year-old chocolate lab Newton. He hated the sight of a suitcase and would stand with his blocky head sticking through the blinds, waiting for my return home. We lost him in July, so what a silver lining it was to have that time with him." She and Mike still have Minnie Pearl, though — a rescue dog of unknown breed and age. Approximate date of the photo. 1987. The occasion. Heading to a safari-themed debutante party. What you were wearing. The Ralph Lauren belt was immediately purchased with cash from selling my used textbooks. Money that was supposed to last until I went back to college was gone before the end of May. What price fashion. My first big splurge as a working girl was in the early '90s on a pair of chocolate-brown stacked-heel loafers from Joan & David at NorthPark. Way out of my entry-level budget. Why this is a Bomb.com picture. Remember the terribly cheesy song "Young and Innocent" from St. Elmo's Fire soundtrack? Hopefully not. But what a fun, footloose, and fancy-free time it was. The definition of living in the moment — which I was. And who doesn't love a throwback photo with a Trimline dial phone and stretched-out cord, rounded out with a laminated telephone book and roadie cup? SHE'S THE BOMB PIPER WYATT B Y B I L L Y F O N G Piper Wyatt, 1987 120