THE DIVA WHOBLENDS CHARITY WITH STYLE
Donae Cangelosi Chramosta has a diva side. She likes the girlish drama of ballgowns, sequins and tulle.
“I love all things luxury and fabulous and over the top,” said Chramosta, owner of the Vintage Contessa, an online shop dedicated to vintage handbags.
She also has a practical side. A recent purchase is a custom two-piece evening gown by Houston designer David Peck.
“I can wear the bodice with jeans or a pencil skirt, and the skirt bustled with a tank top,” she said.
“I’m a diva that still does housework and goes to Target, too.”
A Houston native, Chramosta graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in journalism. She later worked at an advertising agency, then turned to her family’s marble and granite company, where she worked in marketing and business development for 22 years. During that time, she served on the board of directors for the U.S. Green Building Council.
Nine years ago, she married Chicago native Rob Chramosta, a diamond and luxury-watch buyer. The two had their first date and got in engaged in Vail, Colo. Today, they live in West University with their 7-year-old daughter, Bella; and a King Charles cavalier spaniel, Coco.
Chramosta’s idea for the Vintage Contessa came during her honeymoon in Italy. She bought an Hermès belt that left her husband dazed over its high price tag.
“He joked that we were going to go bankrupt if I kept shopping like this,” she said. “I told him my dream was to own a Birkin bag.”
Chramosta eventually bought one on a shopping trip to New York. She received so many compliments on the bag that her husband started researching the pre-owned luxury bag market. The Vintage Contessa was born. In 2014, Chramosta and her daughter wrote a children’s book, “The Vintage Contessa & Princessa” (LongTale Press), sold at Bering’s and Kuhl-Linscomb. It’s dedicated to her godchild, Scarlett James, 7, who is undergoing treatment for T-cell lymphoma. A portion of the proceeds from the book are donated to pediatriccancer research. Chramosta recently hosted her own birthday party, in which she raised $8,000 to help with Scarlett’s medical expenses.
In the book, the motherdaughter characters are fashion plates who plan a party and, through the experience, find ways to give back. It’s much like Chramosta’s own life.
“I love to dress up and be totally girly. Even for my book signings I wear a gown. But I have both sides of me. My core still is a girl who grew up fishing, hunting and listening to country music. I can wear a pair of jeans around a ranch and feel like I’m home.”
joy.sewing@chron.com
FAVORITE FOOD: White truffles THEME SONG: “What I Like About Texas” by Gary P. Nunn