Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1529937
Dallas Contemporary Gala's Old New (Continued) I admit, sometimes I feel jaded. I take for granted that "the town where I currently am" (hopefully you caught that Moira Rose quote from Schitt's Creek) is so effing fashionable. Yes, we have countless occasions to slip on our finest that we've scored at Dallas' chicest boutiques (wink-wink, The Conservatory, Stanley Korshak, and Forty Five Ten) and department stores (only one wink, Neiman's). The recent Dallas Contemporary Gala was the occasion to go avant-garde. The non-collecting institution is known for featuring new and challenging perspectives from regional and national artists that span the globe, so it only makes sense to push the fantasy of fashion. Under the leadership of interim director Lucia Simek and co-chairs Leigh Anne Clark and Kasey Lemkin, it was a night to remember. I kept sensing a theme amongst the nearly 300 guests throughout the evening, so when I got home, I searched for one of my Interview magazines from the 1980s. (Yes, I have pretty much every issue from 1985 through the early '90s.) That issue featured a photo spread by Herb Ritts of the New Hollywood — a group of actors destined to become the Brat Pack, styled and lensed in black and white like the golden era of MGM. That's what I had seen at the Contemporary, I realized: Dallas' new version of Old Hollywood our own marquee starlets along the lines of Vivien Leigh and Joan Crawford. Guests had wavy hair, halter necklines showcasing the sinewy curves of a shoulder, and brocaded frocks. Shelby Goff gave me Lauren Bacall vibes in cream high-waisted pants with a broad-shouldered blazer and cascading locks, and Rochelle Gores' va-va-voom silver top would have had Errol Flynn chasing her around any movie set. Christen Wilson in a gold brocade long column dress reminded me of Neely O'Hara in Valley of the Dolls. And don't get me started on the boys. They wore classic tuxedos but given that it was one of Dallas' artier affairs, bow ties were from edgier designers such as Alexander McQueen and Thom Browne. Best hair? I oohed and ahhed over countless coifs. Annika Cail gave the best mid-century vibes (the Capote Swans had nothing on her) with a tiered set of buns cascading down her back, and Zoe Bonnette reminded me of the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Hellenistic-era sculpture that captured flight in a Marvel-movie way centuries before Stan Lee was born. And Porschla Kidd was premiering her new cut: a severe bob that could go from dressing for a job at Condé Naste to dinner at Cipriani. By Billy Fong. Photography Kaitlin Saragusa/BFA.com, Sea of Love, and Tamytha Cameron and Celeste Cass. Vibe Hollywood Reed Robertson, Zoe Bonnette, Kara Goss Megan Delgado Jesse Coors-Blankenship Kaleta Blaffer Johnson Cameron Silver Christina Notzon Hannah Fagadau Jennifer Karol 36