Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/221571
Bloom Burg. Betty in the potting area of her garden, in a Greg Fourticq for À Bientôt shift and Christian Louboutin mules. You Have Mail. "Stephen has made himself executive vice president of menswear (À Bientôt Homme)," Betty says. "We have a fabulous tie selection, which he sources and selects." Personal Papers. On left, work on paper by Brian Portman. How did you and Stephen meet? Betty: I was living in New York. Stephen was moving back to New York after eight years in Europe. A mutual friend gave him a list of five single girls in New York. I was number three on the list. My friend wrote that the only reason that she was including me on the list was that she liked me. She advised that I was not Stephen's type … elusive, and I traveled too much. We were engaged six months after our first date. On our anniversary, we take the letter out of the safe and reread it. He swears that he never called number four or number five! Nicknames. Betty: I call him Newty. He calls me Mrs. Newton. Arts & Crafts. The cozy den is filled with art, books and antiques. The Office. Irving & Fine coat and MooMoo necklaces; collections at À Bientôt. Favorite designers. Betty: Giambattista Valli, Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Lela Rose for dressy. Irving & Fine, Elizabeth McKay, Claridge & King, Greg Fourticq for more casual. And, of course, Zara! Greg Fourticq makes a lot of the clothes that we have at À Bientôt. We collaborate on silhouettes, and then both of us source fabric. He has divine taste and a really talented team. Needless to say, I am the best customer of G.F. for À Bientôt! At the moment, we are working on silk taffeta separates and some really fun African wax-cloth items. Favorite jewelry designers. Betty: There is no one favorite. I like to mix it all together, real and faux. I adore Elizabeth Gage, Seaman Schepps, Verdura, David Webb and Jean Schlumberger. We have the greatest local designers: Mariquita Masterson, Patricia Peckinpaugh and Katy Briscoe. From À Bientôt, I love Replica, Kenneth Jay Lane, Julie Vos, Angela Caputi, Susan Shaw and our own private label. Family Ties. Vintage photographs of the family line an upstairs hall. Golden rules governing how to wear accessories. • Never wear matching jewelry — no sets! • I am stealing this line from my very chic mother: "Big is Better." • I only wear bracelets on my left wrist, paired with my watch. I find two wrists too much. Of course, if Stephen chose to give me a couple of Verdura cuffs, I would break this rule! • More can be better … less can look sad. • Expensive does not equal elegant. • Dress to please your children. They are the most honest critics. • Go monochromatic. Or, let Josef Albers be your color map. Graphic Description. Painting by Mexican artist Juan di Giulio. NOVEMBER | PAGE 39 | 2013 • You can't go wrong with stripes, horn, taupe, cashmere. • Enjoy your weight in gold and bleached white. • Of course, solid black makes life very easy. Style descriptor. Betty: Ethnic prep. Stephen: I suppose a combination of European and American — English shirts and American suits, and always Hermès ties Morning rituals. Betty: Cafe au lait. News feed from Newty while blog surfing. Four miles with Terry Smith. Terry and I patrol River Oaks. (Don't try to break into a house between 7:45 and 8:45 am on weekdays. We are vigilant! We walk very fast — no running!) Stephen: When I'm in town, coffee latte at home and try to get through the Houston Chronicle, The Wall Street Journal and, in the evening, The New York Times. Also, try to get over to Define for REV class at least four times a week, at 6 am. Film that most closely mirrors your life. Betty: I'm probably too boring for a movie. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? reminds me of my sister. We are very close. Stephen: A film that mirrors my life would be the opposite of Le Divorce. Rather than being divorced from a French woman, I have been happily married to a Houstonian for 25 years. Where is Thanksgiving? Betty: Usually New York … sometimes Houston or Simsbury, Connecticut. Christmas is always Houston or South Texas. Your typical day. Betty: Nothing is ever typical. I used to eat frozen yogurt for lunch every single day until Swirll closed. The perfect dinner is where? Betty: 2128 Brentwood Drive with family — fried chicken and Sancerre! Stephen: The perfect dinner is at anyone's home; there is simply nothing better than conversation around a dinner table, four to five couples. You will soon be moving from this house to a town home. What will you miss? Betty: My cutting garden and Brentwood. We love our neighbors. Stephen: Memories of our daughters growing up here. All their birthday parties and sleepovers … knowing that when Colonel Bates lived in this house, so much of modern Houston was being created.