KHOU’s co-chair Chita Craft, Jewelry Designer, WOW founder, Lauren Levicki, Jewelry designer, Claudia Lobao, RTW designer, Jay Godrey and KHOU co-chair Mia Gradney, greet the crowd of 300+ young women arriving to show support for WOW and Recipe for Success
On Wednesday evening, August 17, approximately 300+ of Houston’s most stylish and social young professionals got dressed up to attend the 13th annual TOOTSIES SIZZLING SUMMER SOIREE, benefiting W.O.W. to raise funds and awareness for Dress for Success Houston, an organization founded in 1998 by Nancy Levicki and Susie Cunningham.
This annual event started by co-founder Nancy Levicki and the late Mickey Rosmarin was formed to increase awareness of this cause that they both felt passionately about.
This event always hosts a trunk show and personal appearance for two leading designers in the fashion fields of apparel and accessories. Claudia Lobao, jewelry designer from San Antonio is a regular and this year, making his second appearance in 6 years, Jay Godfrey, bringing his Fall and Pre-Fall 2016 apparel for all to see. It was quite spectacular if sleek, sophisticated, quality pieces are your calling. The line is spectacular, my kind of dressing and although rushed that evening, am committed to getting back to Tootsies before some of it goes away at the end of this week. However, much of the merchandise is Tootsies in-stock goods and are not going away except maybe when sold and into their customers closets!
Contemporary apparel designer, Jay Godfrey and Jewelry Designer, Claudia Lobao at Tootsies WOW Event
I was fortunate to have a few minutes to chat with Jay about his business, how he started and what all of this means to him…..here are some excerpts of our discussion…..
RP: So, Jay Godfrey, tell me about yourself and how you got into this fashion business?
JG: Born in Toronto, Canada, I was an investment banker…..didn’t love it, always had a slight interest in fashion but not like a deep passion as some of these other designers that played in their mother’s closets. I was playing Hockey in Canada and had a regular childhood. I applied and was surprisingly, accepted into Parsons School of Design. From there I got a great gig working under Oscar de la Renta. I had planned to do Men’s Wear but the combo of Oscar’s influence and Parsons made me much more aware of and interested in women’s.(not to say that menswear couldn’t possibly be in my future, but I’m loving the women’s business right now!)
RP: I’ve noticed that one of the things that has been so impressive about your collection, which is heavily influence by Dresses with a very sophisticated, contemporary and minimalistic approach to design, is your ability to make your collection very, very affordable, how do you do that?
JG: Its not easy. I started at Oscar where $5,000 dresses were the norm but even though I respected him, Carolina Herrera and others, I wanted to develop something with larger reach and that is not easy. I had to develop fabrics that looked the same, factories that could produce it for me at lower expense rates and still give me the style and quality that I wanted. I had been making $5000 dresses and now aiming for $495…..not easy!
RP: So tell me about what I will be seeing when I go out onto the floor and look at your collection that you have with you today? Of course, I always want to know your inspiration and hope you will elaborate on that for me?
JG: Well, you will be seeing Fall 2016 with some Pre-Fall mixed in. My inspiration was a designer that my wife and I saw at Art Basel, Lucio Fontana……his art was so simple and were “slash” paintings. I wanted to interpret that and do simple, which I do well and took the “slashing” approach through cut-outs and and asymmetrical shapes. I also loved his color palette of Black, Hunter Green and Ink Blue and incorporated that in what I designed. He had touches of gold and I brought it into the collection thru hardware touches.
RP: Wow, you seem to be a busy guy….how many collections a year do you do? And also, what departments are you usually found in?
JG: Well, I do 10 collections a year. (What!!! said I?!!!) What I mean is 6 collections and 10 deliveries a year……December and May are the only months that my girls won’t see new styles on the floor! I am usually bought by the Dress Buyers and based in Dress Depts. in such stores as Tootsies, Neiman’s and Nordstrom’s to name a few but do have sportswear pieces as well that hang well with ACL, Vince and others.
RP: Tell me what brings you here, some history with Tootsies and WOW?!
JG: Yes, this is my second P.A. event for this cause…..did it 6 years ago at the old Tootsies. I’m very loyal to John McGuire, the buyer and of course to Mickey and to this great cause!
About W.O.W.
Tootsies and WOW have co-chaired this event since it was begun with Mickey Rosmarin and Nancy Levicki. It’s a great evening that attracts hundreds of young professional women that are there to have a fun, philanthropic evening! Lauren Levicki and WOW President, Susan Oehl mixed with steering committee members and fashion influencers.
Below some of those that dropped by to show their support……
Chita Craft, Susan Oehl, Jay Godfrey, Mia Gradney / Elizabeth Doughtie, Jordan Lewis, Allie Danziger
Nancy Levicki, Lauren Levicki Courville / Mary Patton, Neekie Kashani, Stephanie Fleck
Partygoers shared in a heartfelt moment to celebrate Mickey Rosmarin, Tootsies founder, as Dress for Success Houston’s co-founder and president Nancy Levicki said a few words in his honor.
Great evening, even with the rain deluge! Jay was very charming and a delight to chat with – and LOTS of great eats and drinks too.