Monthly Archives: April 2012

Fashionable Dallasites sipped from mini Moët bottles while photographers scrambled about to capture moment after chic moment as the exclusive guest list mingled throughout the crowded room at Forty Five Ten.

The boutique on McKinney came alive April 11 to celebrate the store’s exclusive Dallas launch of West Coast interior designer Kelly Wearstler’s home line, previously available only at Bergdorf Goodman or Wearstler’s own store.

Wearstler’s fresh and sophisticated point of view meshes well with the internationally acclaimed boutique’s other high-end designer wares. Known to offer “the best of the best,” Forty Five Ten’s clientele includes Oprah Winfrey, Laura Bush, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Simpson.

The store had been completely rearranged to accommodate the new collection, said Mark Moussa, founder and president of Arteriors, a wholesale home decor resource.

“They moved the men’s section out, and moved her in,” he said.

Wearstler said her expansion to Forty Five Ten was the boutique’s idea.

“They contacted us,” she said, “after their buyer visited my showroom in New York.”

She visited the boutique Wednesday afternoon to sign copies of her book Hue and was available to mingle with fans, friends and the fashion crowd during the event.

 

The Designer

According to The New York Times, although Wearstler studied interior design in college, she spent several years working in the movie industry – even posing as Playboy’s Playmate of the Month under a pseudonym in 1994 – before returning to her design roots.

In 1995, Wearstler used the proceeds from the Playboy shoot to open her design firm, Kelly Wearstler Interior Design, or Kwid.

Her career took off when she decorated the home of Los Angeles real estate developer Brad Korzen. She went on to redo the interior of another Korzen-owned property — the Avalon, a 1940s-era hotel in Beverly Hills — and the two married in 2002.

Soon Wearstler’s firm became known for its hotel interior design, which The New York Times has described as “retro-theatrical.”

Wearstler has written three books on interior design, including Domicilum Decoratus, “featuring only photographs of her Beverly Hills mansion and Ms. Wearstler, who was clad in a medley of evening gowns,” writes The New York Times. And in 2008, she graced the judging table on Bravo’s show Top Design.

In 2011, Wearstler expanded her brand to clothing with an eponymous line that is casual and feminine in a very “now” way.

The response from the crowd

Forty Five Ten may be known for great designer clothing and accessories, but this afternoon Céline, Thakoon and Alaïa took a back seat to Wearstler’s edgy collection.

With its sculptural statement pieces of marble and brass, chinaware and textured throw pillows, the line is anything but minimalistic, despite the subdued palate of black, white and metallic.

Moussa picked a solid brass foot sculpture as one of his favorite pieces. “This,” he said, “is needed in today’s decor.”

Designer Christian Siriano agreed. “Her interior work is really awesome,” he said

Wearstler’s home line will fare fabulously in the Dallas market, said Nikki Knishinsky, store manager of Five and Ten, Forty Five Ten’s other concept located in Highland Park Village.

She believes the collection will appeal to the well-traveled, highly cultured Dallas customer.

“She [Wearstler] is the epitome of vintage chic, and Dallas is one of the chicest cities I’ve ever been to,” said Knishinsky, playing the part in a red maxi dress and slicked-back bun.

“The eclecticism of her pieces will be appreciated here because there is such an emphasis on the arts.”

Meaghan Looney, assistant buyer at Forty Five Ten, described Wearstler’s demographic as a more mature buyer, due primarily to the line’s lofty price-point.

But the younger crowd attending Wednesday was definitely intrigued by Wearstler’s fantastical decor. Wearing color-blocked dresses, strategic cutouts and mixed textures, the young elite eyed the merchandise and managed “ooh”s and “ahh”s through mouthfuls of baked gruyere.

The Advice

For students cramped in innately unstylish dorm rooms or 20-somethings just starting their careers, budget limitations make achieving Wearstler’s eclectic-cool look difficult.

How can the younger crowd get her bold look on a dime?

Wearstler, in a tapered black-and-white graphic skirt, assured this reporter that with only masking tape and amazing paint colors, any space can be transformed.

To achieve her line’s self-described “unexpected edginess,” she suggests experimenting with color because it is easy to do yourself.

Why not play with the ceiling, or add a big graphic pattern to the walls?

“That’s what I did in my first apartment,” she said.

Wearstler’s beautiful and unusual pieces left guests inspired, but wondering: What is it that inspires her?

“Everything around me,” she said.

“Literally jewelry, going to my metal fabricator’s, going to the museum. Just being aware — everything inspires me.”