Tuesday's Treasure - Texas Couture

Being half-Texan (Mother's side) and a frequent traveler to the Lone Star state, I could not pass up an opportunity to highlight some of the fashion trendsetters that have their roots there.

Hearing about all the festivities surrounding the recent SXSW Event in Austin made me a bit homesick. While all the focus seems to be on the Capitol City's lightning rod as a High-Tech startup breeding ground, I have seen some remarkable talent emerge in Fashion.

One Austin native, Tom Ford, recently re-launched his line of flattering designs for women after abandoning the gender in 2004. Fast Company named him one of their 100 Most Creative People in 2010 and his spring collection 2011 shows he is back with a bang.

Sadly, another one of my favorite Austin designers, Susan Dell wife of Billionaire Michael Dell, shut down her Phi luxury collection last year. I remember when Susan opened her first store in the tony Tarrytown area of Austin in 2003. 85 Broads member Lauren Santo Domingo whose new venture Moda Operandi we featured here last week, was also a big fan of Susan's work as I recall. I hope we see more of her in the future.

Tuesday's Treasure - Fashion Flourishes through Female Entrepreneurs!

What a great time to be a female in the Fashion industry. Through my association with the 85 Broads Network, I have met many very talented and savvy businesswomen who work in the fashion world for top designers, or who have recently set up their own ventures after working in other areas.

Our own Evie, who is a Spokesmodel for WWRG and an 85 Broads member, is actively involved in several projects including the Fashion for Development initiative she is now rolling out via South South News. We featured her shows in a recent Lifestyle Lifters post.

We have also featured a venture curated by Shauna Mei called Aha!Life. For those of you looking for something unique to give to someone or yourself, I recommend you visit their website and sign up. Many of their offerings are created by women or benefit women in disadvantaged countries.

Another recent addition to the firmament of fashion by an 85 Broads member (or members in this case!) is Moda Operandi. Here, Ashlaug Magnusdottir and Lauren Santo Domingo have created a "first-in-category, members-only online store that lets customers browse and pre-order designer collections immediately following their runway presentation. Launched during New York Fashion Week, M'O was created to allow its members to "shop the runway" from the privacy of their own homes.

Moda Operandi provides direct access to complete runway collections from the finest designer brands, including Nina Ricci, Giambattista Valli, Carolina Herrera, Calvin Klein, Alexander Wang, and Proenza Schouler, as well as jewelry, shoes, handbags, and accessories. Membership perks include recommendations from top stylists, personal shopping assistants, and tools to review looks from every angle."

So many great Women now hold C-level positions at fashion industry Icons like Burberry and Gilt Groupe, to name but a few. If you have a "passion for fashion", please consider joining a network like 85 Broads where you will find plenty of support and mentorship. This is the vision that Janet Hanson set forth when she co-founded the organization in 1997 which has grown to a membership of over 25,000 women and a few enlightened men (me included!)