Glamour on a budget - Mattie Roberts

Email This Article To A Friend - Print This Article

Dallas Divas of Yore
Wednesday, May 31, 2006

When the weather warms up, I start to complain long and loud about the oppressive Dallas heat, as I race from my air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned mall. It always makes me wonder what it was like to live in Dallas 100 years ago.When the weather warms up, I start to complain long and loud about the oppressive Dallas heat, as I race from my air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned mall. It always makes me wonder what it was like to live in Dallas 100 years ago. The women wore layer upon layer of fabric, tight corsets and long, heavy skirts. The men wore wool suits, high collars…okay, kind of what they wear today.

Since Dallas history has always piqued my curiosity, especially how people lived, it was appropriate that Momma and I went to a Dallas Historical Society tea recently which focused on – what else – fashion in Dallas!

This dress is from the DHS collection and was purchased in 1906 from Neiman Marcus…the year it opened!

If you want to see more treasures from Dallas’ past, check out the exhibition right now at the Hall of State and Fair Park – or go to the web site for more info.

While I was there I also had a chance to talk with the sponsor of the tea party, Connie Sigel from Elements on Lovers Lane.

Connie told me that some of the must-have items for summer are skinny-leg jeans – wear them cuffed up or scrunched down slouchy over your shoes, something lace or crochet, and for the summer cocktail party something like this Vivienne Tam dress…

Shorts can be either the long, narrow Bermuda shorts or – if you have the legs for it – short shorts that are really full, almost puffy with a cuff.

Connie’s great advice for the fashionable girl on a budget? Invest in one signature piece and go for quality over quantity!

And let’s thank our lucky stars that we won’t have to run around town in a bustle and corset this summer!

• vivienne tam.jpg