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When fashion designer Christy Lynn presented her fall/winter 2022 collection at Hotel ZaZa Memorial City, temperatures hovered high over the 90 degree mark. With any luck, that won’t be the case in a few months time when Houston’s most stylish will be swapping their swimsuits and sundresses for transitional pieces to shift in autumn. Or, begin planning their wardrobes for holiday and winter travel.
The latter need represents a large chunk of Lynn’s customer base, and inspiration. Women come to her for travel outfits and she, in-turn, is often influenced by wonders seen abroad.
“This fall collection is based on architect Zaha Hadid’s iconic Dongdaemun Design Plaza in South Korea,” Lynn says. “She built that huge plaza right in the heart of Seoul, looking out to the future. And, she’s female.”
The Korean-American, Houston-based designer is also a fan of mixing old and new, hard and soft. There’s an abundance of Korean florals paired with thick-soled, lug boots. In between light silk and chiffon dresses are textured separates.
“You’ll see a lot of layers — sweaters with flowing skirts, fully leather pieces, embroidery and cut-outs,” Lynn says.
Flowery prints are part of her signature. The leather skirts and jackets become standouts in shades of bone and dark green.
She’s still figuring out exactly who the Christy Lynn customer is and what she’s shopping for. At first Lynn thought her clients were primarily in the market for ultra-feminine looks. But ever since she opened a stand-alone atelier in Montrose’s Avondale neighborhood, a new demographic has emerged.
“There’s a huge range of age from 35 to 70 of women who are working as lawyers or (in) finance coming to me for beautiful blouses to wear under blazers,” she explains. “The women who have more time during her day to go to event are buying the flowing dresses.”
Houston has a sizable cohort of ladies who luncheon in addition to the gala set. Adding black-tie gowns is a natural next step.
“I want to expand the collection into more evening,” Lynn hints. “I love specialty things like Italian lace and French lace.”
French fashion has been on her mind lately. She visited Paris over the summer and plans to return twice each year for an international project that is still hush-hush.
Before Lynn setup shop in Houston, she spent several years on the East Coast. A career-defining stint in Manhattan helped to share her personal style, too.
“I like to look polished and chic, I’m a city girl at heart,” she says. “Texas women are a little more put-together, the shoes are on-point here. Maybe that’s because in New York we’re walking in sneakers and flats. Here, they can drive so they wear picture-perfect shoes with the outfit. And Texas women are not afraid of color.”
After studying at the Rhode Island School of Design, Lynn worked under Nanette Lepore as an assistant designer of beading and embroidery and Elie Tahari where she honed her tailoring and suiting skills. She also spent five years with Catherine Malandrino, who became her mentor.
Launching a clothing line in New York felt daunting; in Houston, the idea seemed much more achievable. What began as a small capsule collection for Lynn’s own wedding looks — engagement party, bridal portraits, etc. — were a hit when she shopped the pieces at wholesale market.
“Everything snowballed after that,” she says. “Leah (Hale) at Tootsies was the first to buy my collection. They’ve been onboard since day one.”
The Texas-sized womenswear boutique near River Oaks will carry Lynn’s pieces next season, too. Attendees at her Hotel ZaZa show were able to shop onsite via QR code, but there’s still the old school way, too: inside her historic atelier “home” in Montrose.
amber.elliott@chron.com
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