10
Editor’s Letter
Anniversary
year
w h e n i w rot e a fa s h i o n co lu m n fo r my co l l eg e n e w s pape r ,
PUBLISHER
George T. Elliman EDITOR + creative director
Lauren Smith Ford DESIGNER
Avalon McKenzie Editorial Assistant + Events
Carolyn Harrold
Senior Account ExeCutives
Ashley Beall Andrea Brunner Kimberly Chassay
Accounting + OPERATIONS
Dylan Sack
principals
Chuck Sack Vance Sack Michael Torres interns
Autumn Ashley Aurora Bell Sheila Buenrostro Rachel Core Averi Garcia Catherine Hong Dawn Kay Joyce Pickens Gracie Ramsdell Carol Shih
14
september 2011
tribeza.com
a student wrote a letter to the editor about the topics I covered — It read: “Lauren, if you like the fashion in Austin so much, why don’t you just move there?” My brother recently reminded me of this, and while at the time I had no idea of the statement’s significance, it did foreshadow my life today. Surprisingly, GQ recently deemed Austin, the town I dreamed of in my co-ed days, the 18th Worst Dressed City in the country. Of course, I have to disagree. Yes, we may be casual, but sometimes I think there is more to the art of casual dressing than the Austin outsider sees. I have always admired the understated and effortlessly stylish ensembles that Lauren Wilkins, the shop owner of Bows + Arrows, wears so well. I don’t think anyone else could make a pair of Justin’s Ropers mixed with A.P.C. look that cool. We feature Lauren and her beau, musician Josh Block, with a few of our other favorite stylish couples in “Twice the Style.” In Exposed, meet former H.E.B. Austin checkout girl turned super model, Ashley Smith. She’s currently traveling the world shooting major advertising campaigns and editorials for the likes of Vogue and W, but we had a chance to catch up with her. She misses Tex-Mex most of course! If you haven’t stopped in Bootleg, the Airstream shoe trailer rightfully deemed a “fine footwear fête” at 1319 South Congress, you must. Owner Sarah Ellison Lewis curates the space with an incredible collection of kicks unlike anything else available in Austin. Read about Sarah’s love affair with fashion in this month’s Perspective column.
It was a dream come true for me to spend the day giving two of my best friends — Michael Thad Carter and Marques Harper — new looks. They are both so handsome, and we had a ball browsing the racks of Neiman Marcus.
We hit up both sides of town for the fashion shoots — for women’s wear, we were honored to shoot in what is undeniably one of the most incredible homes in Austin, the Westlake abode of two of team TRIBEZA’s favorite people in Austin, the generous, kind and downright fun Dr. John Hogg and David Garza. They have brought modern architecture and design together with unique antiques in the most interesting way. It was the perfect backdrop to showcase the looks we love for the season in “Playing House.” Then, it was over to the East Side for the men’s shoot, “The Fall Essentials.” It may be hard to think of sweaters and layers in this heat, but we hope this issue provides a brief escape and a reminder of the new season of dress (and weather) that awaits us. I, along with our amazingly talented staff, thoroughly enjoyed putting this September Style issue together, and we can’t wait to celebrate all things Austin fashion with you at Dachis Group Presents TRIBEZA Style Week from September 22 to September 29.
Lauren Smith Ford lauren@tribeza.com P h oto g r a p h y by m i c h a el t h a d c a rt er