H by Halston designer unpacks show in Chattanooga
H by Halston designer unpacks trunk show in Chattanooga
A world-renowned fashion expert promises a chance for Chattanooga-area women to play dress-up when he visits here Wednesday.
Cameron Silver, author of “Decades: A Century of Fashion” and the host and fashion director for the H by Halston line on QVC, will feature couture vintage and vintage-inspired fashions in a book signing and trunk show at Alice Blue Boutique on Hixson Pike.
He says he’s passionate about vintage fashions and welcomes the opportunity to talk about them with guests.
“I will be bringing all luxury pieces, from Chanel to Hermes,” he says. “We’re going to find something that has a little storytelling with it, and you’re going to be the only one who has it because these are pieces that are very limited.”
His only agenda, he says, “is to help someone look amazing. There will be pieces everyone will be attracted to. I help the right piece find the right home.”
Silver’s road to success began in 1997 with the opening of Decades, a vintage-couture boutique on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.
The store became known worldwide and led to Silver becoming an international best-selling author. His book, named for the store, sold out within 48 hours of release in 2012. It is now in its third printing.
“The book had an impact,” he says of his ultimate success. “It’s both a history of fashion, but, at the same time, it looks at fashion in a modern way. The book took five years to write, research and design.”
Anita Headrick, CEO of Alice Blue, has a personal attachment to Silver’s book.
“Cameron’s book is interesting, inspiring and brings back so many great memories of my fashionable mom and her friends. They were supermodels to me,” she says.
Silver is humbled by his success.
“Crazy is what I’m thinking,” he says about his global popularity in the fashion industry. “There was gratuitous timing with the opening of the store. The press and the public embraced the store because it was like looking at vintage in a very modern way. It was taking all this sort of costuming, overly historic-looking clothes, and making them look modern. It was the combination of timing, a good edit and the novelty of being a young man who was a nice person.”
Headrick says Silver is “funny, smart and has an infectious spirit.”
Like Silver, Headrick is a fan of vintage fashions.
“They tell stories and have secrets that touch your soul when you wear them,” she says. “Chanel has been my favorite since I was a little girl. My first paycheck as an adult was spent on a Chanel bag that I still have 27 years later.”
She considers Silver’s store “one of the top in the world. His passion and love of fashion can make you feel beautiful on your worst day.”
Suzanne Bishop, former owner of Frankie & Julian’s fashion boutique in Chattanooga, recalls seeing mostly one-of-akind fashions when she visited the store.
“He had really nice pieces that were mostly in mint condition,” she says.
Silver credits his decades-long passion for vintage to his parents’ love of auctions.
“My parents have always been big lovers of auctions, so the idea of buying vintage furniture or antiques was very much a big part of my upbringing — but I was more interested in fashion than an armoire.”
Because vintage fashions have become more popular in the last couple of decades, their value has increased, he says.
“The fact that people know that their fashion has potential value has made people more sensitive to what they do with their clothing either when someone has passed away or their lifestyle has changed,” Silver says. “We have more access because more people are sensitive to the value of clothes. It has, though, increased the price of everything.”
And there’s the size issue.
Women were smaller in the 1950s and earlier than women are today, Silver says.
“It’s a challenge to find bigger sizes because a lot of women were tiny — not only shorter, but bone structure. We were so excited several years ago when we came across an amazing collection of designer clothing from a woman who was a size 12 and 14. They were gorgeous, and they moved fast.”
Still, there will be fashions available for everyone at the trunk show, he says.
“Whether it’s something that’s a year old or 50 years old, there will be something for everyone. We’ll be bringing pieces like super-chic Chanel to more ’70s hippie to little black dresses. I am confident that we have the best partner — Alice Blue — in the area. It’s all about the right audience and the right environment. I firmly believe that because you’re not in Los Angeles or New York, it doesn’t mean there isn’t an audience for great fashion. Everybody wants to look good. There will be a mix of 20th- and 21st-century fashions.”
Bishop says vintage fashions are timeless.
“Most are made beautifully, and the craftsmanship is top-notch from brands such as Chanel, Hermes, Valentino and Christian Dior,” Bishop says. “The little black dress and bohemian pieces should be a good fit for Chattanooga customers.”
She recommends Silver’s cocktail dresses for black-tie parties in Chattanooga. “No one would have to worry that they would run into someone wearing the same dress or gown,” she says.
There will also be a few pieces for men, Silver says.
“Usually a couple guys show up, so I’ll have some ties and Versace shirts — that, by the way, a woman could buy, tie it at her waist and wear it with a tank top,” he says.
Silver says he’s excited to visit Chattanooga.
“I would not have had the opportunity to go to Chattanooga had I not written the book. I love that fashion has given me the opportunity to know different parts of the country. Getting to know people is my favorite thing. I plan to meet many wonderful men and women in Chattanooga and, hopefully, when they come to Los Angeles, they’ll realize they have a connection with Decades (the boutique), and a place they can visit.”
Contact Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com.