Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/579625
A HEART OF GOLD NORTHPARK CENTER RAISES A GILDED GLASS TO 50 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE, STYLE AND GIVING BY JANE ROZELLE. PHOTOGRAPHY KRISTINA BOWMAN, GARY DONIHOO, MARK NELSON. D riving down Northwest Highway past an unassuming cotton field in the early '60s, no one could have predicted that it would evolve into a Texas-sized landmark that would impact fashion history and revolutionize the shopping experience — no one but Raymond and Patsy Nasher. On August 19, 1965, Nasher opened what was then the largest climate-controlled retail destination in the world, NorthPark Center. With stylish shoes to fill, daughter Nancy A. Nasher continues the legacy with her husband, David J. Haemisegger; over the past 20 years, they have been the driving force behind the legendary establishment. Now housing more than 230 stores and restaurants, it has surpassed $1.2 billion in annual sales and is the number-one tourist establishment in North Texas. As NorthPark turns 50 this year, it is only natural to celebrate in the most befitting way: with style. A jam-packed roster of Golden Anniversary events kicked off with the NorthPark50: Fifty Years of Giving campaign. Luminaries from leading local nonprofits gathered under the colorful canopy of Mark di Suvero's Ad Astra sculpture, greeted with a musical mnemonic from Dallas Symphony Orchestra's principal trumpet player, Ryan Anthony: "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning," the hit song from Oklahoma!, which played at the premiere jubilee in 1965. After the performance, Nancy A. Nasher announced the new initiative, which will give back to 50 organizations for 50 days through the end of this month. "As we embark on NorthPark Center's 50th anniversary year, we thought of no better way to celebrate than by giving back to the organizations that we treasure," Nasher said. Well wishers: Kenny and Lisa Troutt, Mimi Sterling, Billy Hines, Paige Flink, Susan Sanders, Melissa Ireland, Sara Martineau, and Vail Tolbert. Festivities continued that weekend with a Fifty Years of Excellence birthday bash. The one-day event, open to the public, celebrated shopping, fashion, art and music. Highlights were a Kim Dawson Model Search, back-to-school style fashion show (produced by the inimitable Jan Strimple) and birthday cake sing-along immediately after the last model took a final pose on the runway. Fashion may be key in NorthPark Center's success, but arguably it's rivaled by the incredible art flanking the brick walls and sculpture rising from green spaces. What better way to salute these complementary elements than through an exhibition that spotlights both. "Art Meets Fashion: 1965-2015" from the Texas Fashion Collection at the University of North Texas was unveiled, with 29 fashion designers spanning the past 50 years of fashion, curated by UNT's Myra Walker. Patrons pored over the vintage fashion from Pierre Cardin, Andy Warhol, Michael Vollbracht and Christian Lacroix before Nancy Nasher presented a generous donation to representatives from UNT. Throughout the month, NorthPark Center continues to shine with more merrymaking events highlighting its support for the arts, music and, of course, fashion, making this Golden Anniversary a bit brighter than all the rest. WHICH LOOK WOULD YOU WANT TO WEAR FOR ONE NIGHT FROM THE "ART MEETS FASHION: 1965-2015" EXHIBIT? "I would heist Pierre Cardin's Bulls-eye dress and head straight to Target to wreak a little havoc. Checkout line poses … stylish basket returns?" — Jan Strimple "Wearing that beautiful, cross-cultural patchwork Giorgio di Sant'Angelo piece would be like wearing a painting — extravagant, unconventional and ahead of its time. Yes, please! — Erin Cluley "NORTHPARK CENTER HAS HAD THE GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO PARTNER WITH NUMEROUS NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, HELPING THEM REACH NEW AUDIENCES AND RAISE FUNDS FOR IMPORTANT CAUSES." — NANCY A. NASHER Ashli Wolf Randall Goss Paul Divis Tiffany Divis David Wolf Bianca Anderson Kiana Moridi Victoria Snee Michael Faircloth David Davis Gavin Delahunty Tracee Robertson Balloon Girls Summer Whitley Peter Hyland Maxwell Anderson Jan Strimple Joyce Goss Lauren Hendershot Betsy Baird Isabel O'Neill Taylor Zakarin Claire Thompson David J. Haemisegger Ryan Anthony Nancy A. Nasher Janie Stidham Eben Price Jan Langbein Myra Walker Dr. Howard Weiner Calvert Collins Bratton Rachel Roberts Kara Goss Benjamin Salazar Andy Warhol's Campbell's Souper Dress, circa 1960