By Jane Dagmi
While some may be called to spot the style of inanimate objects at High Point Market, I was on assignment to discover living, breathing style this spring. The attraction went beyond aesthetics, bling, and color, to brand, practicality, and community.
Please meet some of the folks who crossed my path and either intentionally or unassumingly celebrate the art of getting dressed as an extension of self.
For a moment, Kandy Sutton of Kandy Ryser Sutton Designs became one with the embellished environment that is Design Legacy—her sequin jacket echoed the palette and pattern of the space seamlessly. An interior designer based in East Bernstadt, Kentucky, Kandy has a knack for punching up neutrals with color, and her look spoke the same language: a cream foundation layered with a wow-factor sequin jacket by Vilagalo (found at retailer Shaq & Coco), finished with multispeckled glasses from Krewe. Just imagine what she wears to the Derby.
Lisa Walker Brown and Everick Brown move through Market and life together and somehow, are always in sync. “We wake up on the same side of the bed,” Everick says, dressed in a blue Etro suit paired with a Uniqlo tee that “feels like pajamas.” By Sunday, they’re running on reserve. “We’re exhausted,” Lisa admits, recounting the morning—bedding launch at Barrett Bergman Home, meetings with Elle Decor and Hearst. “You have to plan around sneakers and be comfortable all day long.” She wears a breezy Isabel Marant Étoile dress with sneakers—temporarily kicked aside for the shot.
“It feels so good being in color. Color’s back,” proclaims Carol Gregg of red egg furniture. This Market red egg is feeling the joy—introducing a nature-based lyrical print as well as a shade of pink called Romance. Fittingly, on opening day, Carol chose a vibrant Indian silk jacket which she found in California 20 years ago.
Artist Jon Rollins wears black day after day. No favorite brand, no real allegiance. “It doesn’t seem to be about anything, and yet it is,” he says, pausing to contemplate his “uniform”—an activity he hasn’t done in a while or perhaps never. Making art and getting dressed seem to be an ongoing exercise in near-satisfaction. “I’m always a little bit unsatisfied with every black T-shirt I’ve ever tried on.” The one he’s wearing now? The sleeves are too long, “With painting I’ve always thought, ‘If I painted the perfect painting then I’d never paint again. If I was totally satisfied there would be no reason to do it anymore.”
Denim is having a moment at Market—on furniture and on humans. Interior designer Nina Lichtenstein of Custom Home Design by Nina Lichtenstein wears it well: a pinstriped Anthropologie dress with daisy buttons layered over embroidered Free People jeans, and Kate Spade sneakers. She calls it her “flower power” look. Blue is a staple for this designer who specializes in designing homes that are in tune with nature. “I love dressing in shades of blue and green because they pull nature in.”
Kiah Bachman, a Charlotte-based media professional who champions small businesses and charities, came to Market to better understand the industry—and she showed up with purpose. Bumping into her for the second time in Classic Home, I knew it was my destiny to capture her glow and she knew it too. WIth the Instagram account @ajourneyideserve, sees style as part of a bigger journey. “Every time we get up, we manifest the life we desire,” she says. “I asked God today for openness and brightness—and got dressed with that same intention. You are what you think, and how you get dressed is a reflection of what you believe.” On this day, Kiah wore a handmade kimono from Downtown Boyscout layered over a tan dress, accented with African beads, and retro Nike sneakers. Blingy rings and a confident pop of color on the lip finish the look.
It was fun to turn the camera on Patrick Meredith, a Houston-based photographer typically hired to capture the fashionable, working with groups of designers during Market, shooting content they can stretch for months. A Market regular for about 4 years, he stays for the duration. His uniform? Practical, breathable, and comfortable: a thrifted jacket repaired with panels of new denim, paired with military-style cargo pants, and of course, his camera.
Hanna Manes, artist and executive director of Cohab.Space, loves to thrift—but she draws a firm line at shoes. “The only thing I don’t thrift is shoes because I like really expensive new shoes,” she says. Starting from the bottom up, classic flats from Pons, a thrifted strappy dress layered with a sheer top because she felt it needed more pattern. Then there are the rat skull earrings and her platinum hair, a statement all its own. “I think that’s an accessory—especially with a little bit of grown-out root. It’s like my edge.”
I thought designer Nicholas Komor might have made his shirt—he’s that kind of designer. Trained in product, fashion, and brand, he says, “I’m a designer with my fingers in a lot of pies.” His look reflects that range: a shirt by Craig Green, Rick Owens trousers with plenty of utilitarian pockets, glasses by Vournay, and a playful Prada bag. “It’s fun to wear something that makes you feel confident and proud.”
Tym and Dawn DeSanto, based in Nashville and married for 40 years, arrived in High Point for a milestone moment. Tym—a multi-faceted creative and Market regular—was debuting furniture designs with concrete maker Edge 34, and Dawn, a fashion designer focused on female empowerment, was by his side. Look closely at Tym’s shirt. He alters much of his clothing himself, favoring a using a circular saw over scissors to achieve just the right fray.
Lance Traicher, vp of creative at American Leather, approaches dressing the way he approaches design—thoughtfully, and with an eye toward nuance. As one who’s conscious of reducing and reusing, he’s often in vintage and builds from there. “When it comes to menswear, tailoring is everything,” he says. “Find something slightly too big, alter it, and you have something no one else has and get some interesting silos and profiles too.” His palette leans quiet but complex. A fan of shifting colors—in this instance, muted sage that could get mistaken for khaki or taupe—Lance often goes for a near-monochrome effect. Pointing to the subtle linen striations in his thrifted Eddie Jacobs suit, he adds, “It feels simple but has depth.”
Jenny Kenan, a South Carolina–based interior designer, comes to every Market to source and buy for clients. This time, she also arrived to debut her new wallpaper line, Archives by Jenny Keenan. On opening day of the Amadi Collective x Design Social pop-up, she dressed in sync with her collection: a flouncy Gucci floral and lace dress paired with an oversized striped Fendi jacket and stylishly clunky gray suede loafers. A medley of French patisserie shades, her look balances feminine flounce with menswear-inspired ease. “I love pretty and feminine,” she says.
On the Thursday before Market, at Caroline Hipple’s idyllic schoolhouse, a dinner party turned into The Jill Seale Jacket Club when we all learned that Jill had brought a trove of jackets up from Charlotte. A symphony of color and pattern, and varying lengths, we all vied for the colors and patterns that spoke to us.
I loved spotting the crew from Duo Home—owners Vicki Rulli and Tom Heaphey, along with manager Jack May—sit-testing their way around Market. They dress to move. A home furnishings retailer with roots in photography and civics, Vicki caught my eye in a T-shirt from The Bitter Southerner. “I don’t think empathy should be radical, but it’s become that,” she says. “People need to pay attention to how they are treatening others.” Meanwhile Jack—much more than a store manager and a third-generation thrifter—finished his look with a thrifted Tweety tote.
Notes: Lead image taken by Patrick Meredith of AM2PM. It is from the Fit to Fashion runway strut at Chelsea on Green. Standing, l to r: Nicole Culler, Jane Dagmi, Autumn Dawn, Gloria Stats, Sharon Sherman, Maddie Landers, Jenny Cano, Jill Seale, Juliana Ewer. Sitting; Rachel Moriarty and Debbe Dailey.
