Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/221571
At Home. The 1934 Brentwood house. Love Story. Betty wears a Pucci caftan and Prada wedge shoes. Jewelry at À Bientôt. Betty, what 10 things will you do in the month of November? • Start Christmas Shopping (River Oaks Bookstore and Buffalo Hardware). • Decorate a tree for Trees of Hope. • Go to New York and maybe Santa Fe. • Go to the Theta Antiques Show. • Celebrate Thanksgiving in Connecticut. • Redo all of our pots outside. • Plant Paperwhites. • Think about cleaning the attic. • Think about sending Christmas cards. • Think about not sending Christmas cards. Title of your memoir? Betty: Betty Noir. Stephen: My life is not important enough for a memoir. You just got back from Africa. Favorite part? Betty: The culture, the animals and the colors. Stephen: Absolutely falling in love with the perfection of nature; seeing how the animals can cohabitate so much more peacefully that we can; three extraordinary camps. Did you shop for À Bientôt in deepest Africa? Betty: I shop wherever I go. Of course, this drives SDN crazy! Name the places you have lived. Betty: I lived in New York 13 years and Paris for almost five years. Stephen: I grew up in Los Angeles, Paris, and Washington D.C., each for seven years. Went on to work eight years in Paris and three years in London and five years in NY, and back to Paris, before venturing to Houston. Mixology. A vintage chaise lounge in a cozy corner of the sunroom. Fine Dining. A painting by Laurie Lambrecht in the dining room. Little Miss Sunshine. Betty in the sunroom in Joe Fresh capris, Kenneth Jay Lane earrings, the latter at À Bientôt. What were your jobs in New York and Paris? Betty: After I graduated from Parsons, I worked as a designer for a variety of fashion houses. I spent the longest time at Liz Claiborne, where I was a knit designer. For a decade, I lived in Asia for three months out of the year. When we moved to Paris, I worked as a spy for a California designer. I shopped everyday. That was the job of a lifetime! Favorite piece of art in your home? Betty: The Motherwell that Stephen gave me for our 20th anniversary. And, of course, everything that our daughters Elizabeth and Camille have given me. Stephen: Like children, it is unfit to pick a favorite. We enjoy how it all works together. Something we'd be surprised to know about you. Betty: I am a hoarder. (Stephen came up with that one!) Stephen: I'm an Eagle Scout. Favorite store in Houston. Betty: Without a doubt, my favorite store in Houston (where there are so many fabulous ones) is Buffalo Hardware. I can spend hours in there and drop by at least once a week. I never walk out without a brown bag full of things. Favorite hotel in the world: In unison: La Sirenuse in Positano. When do you switch to khaki or seersucker? Stephen: I'm never out of khaki, but love a seersucker jacket in the summer — something I would never have worn in Paris! You collect? Stephen: My father started me on the toy-soldier figures, which he would bring back to me from his trips to London when I was growing up in Europe. My other favorite as a child was toy cars. I have simply graduated to a larger version. Next holiday? Stephen: Next trip is to Paris, always our favorite. What's new at À Bientôt? • Personalization is huge for us. We do most of it in house. We monogram, hot-stamp and emboss on our products. Engraving will probably be next. • We're stepping back into more European accessory lines. With the dollar gaining strength, we're heading back to France and Italy. • Our shirt business is astounding. We cannot keep Claridge + King in stock. And, despite the heat, we keep running out of our cashmere lines. • À Bientôt Bébé is young and fun and full of surprises. We always try to appeal to the customer … "Would a three-year-old buy this?" "OUR IS PHILOSOPHY THAT À BIENTÔT IS THE GENERAL STORE — ON RIVER OAKS BOULEVARD." — — Betty Newton Hallowed Walls. Stephen in post-Ivy cool khaki. It's a Small World. A collection of miniature modern chairs. NOVEMBER | PAGE 40 | 2013