Not that I'm much of a blogger but a lot of bloggers tell about fun and exciting events they experience. I experienced something really fun this past August.
At my very first wholesale market back in June, I met a very nice woman, Nancy Prideaux. Among many hats she wears she is the Director of UT in NYC Program at the University of Texas at Austin. She runs the program with none other than Iris Apfel! Many of you know that I have created a pillow with Iris on it.
At this show in Dallas, Huger Memories had been chosen as the pick of the day. Nancy had seen the display down on the ground floor. Frida Kahlo and Iris were in a plexiglass case for all to see. (Being a show newbie, this was pretty exciting in and of itself!)
I loved chatting with Nancy about textiles, fashion design, Iconic women and Austin Texas. I had been to Austin several months earlier with my Mom and sisters for a little get-a-way at Lake Austin Spa. (But that's another experience...) Then she told me about this fabulous program called UT in NYC, where 15 or so students who have passed through a rigorous selection process get to go to NYC for an internship. They are taken to many fashion hot spots along with Professor Iris Apfel in NYC including Kate Spade, Bergdorf Goodman, The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Phillips Van Heusen, Anna Sui and HSN to name a few. Many of the students are hooked up with a great job afterwards and upon graduation.
Once home and several weeks later Nancy extended an invitation to me to come up to NYC for a cocktail party and small birthday celebration for Iris, who turned 96 in August!!! One would think that a southern girl, me, in NYC with this iconic style maven would have been quite intimidating. But NO! I had a glorious time. Everyone was so welcoming and generous with their time. Tommy Hilfiger was there with his wife.The president of the Univesity of Texas. Many graduates of the program were present.
And you may ask, what did I talk to Iris about? The monuments on our very own Monument Avenue in Richmond, VA and the atrocious behavior in Charlottesville, which had just occured days before I was there. I can still hear her comment about it all - "It is all just AWFUL!!" in her deep NY accent...
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