Hadleigh's New Downstairs Store

Final year husband-and-wife business partners Ed and Gable Shaikh moved their Hadleigh's Bespoke clothing boutique out of the poolside cabana of their Kessler Park residence and into a private upstairs atelier at Highland Park Village, among the most prestigious purchasing centers in Dallas. Now they are expanding once again with all the opening of a street-level shop below the atelier named Hadleigh's Bespoke Ground Floor. The new 600-square-foot shop, which opened September 8, presents several of its customizable signature collections, which includes velvet slippers, navy roadster blazers, cashmere knitwear and scarves, and for additional service and privacy, buyers can schedule an appointment at the upstairs atelier.

With its cobalt blue walls and flannel seating, "the upstairs will remain much more like a private lounge where you can have your lunch as well as a glass of Champagne while you shop, although the downstairs is going to be a a lot more modern day retail setting," says Ed Shaikh, noting how the new store, timed to open with this year's 85th anniversary of Highland Park Village, is outfitted with Carrara marble walls, circa-1950s Marco Zanuso chairs, Ulrich benches, along with a enormous Barovier Murano glass light fixture Shaikh refers to as "the vicu?a jacket of chandeliers."

"The concept is for the new store to serve as a kind of stepping-stone to the atelier," says Shaikh, who hopes to whet clients' sartorial appetites with stock objects for example Cesare Attolini formal jackets, Tardini leather goods, Barker Black English-made footwear, BRM timepieces, and Cutler and Gross eyewear. The store's private concierge will encourage clients who want a far more personalized purchasing experience to sample the bespoke atelier upstairs.

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BIONDA CASTANA's spring/summer 2012 assortment with sorbet colours

BIONDA CASTANA's spring/summer 2012 assortment shoot taps in towards the season's emerging obsession with sorbet colours - but the designers were adamant that pastel needn't mean playing safe.

"Pastels tend to be soft, gentle and understated so we wanted to turn that around by the props we used," Natalia Barbieri, one half of the Bionda Castana duo, told us.

"Our main focus was to evoke feelings of vibrant luxury: to be graphic; to be sexy; to be contemporary; to be playful - and to exhibit the exuberant textures we utilise on our collections in the top way possible. Annette Masterman and Jessica Walsh - the stylists - did an amazing job."

So, how easy is it to find a design whose pretty deal with will never be seen?

"My main concern was how tall she was - long legs were a must - and she had to have size 4 feet," Barbieri explained. "I'm amazed at how the months of mood-boarding finally became a reality. Not simply this, but that the preliminary vision had been executed so perfectly along with the images give out such a powerful message. It is fantastic to see our products shot in a wonderful setting."

The shoot has been properly received already, as the label's designers - Barbieri and Jennifer Portman - travel from Milan to Paris on sales appointments. So what's next for Bionda Castana?

"We're currently working on our biggest ever assortment to date for autumn/winter 2012-12," Barbieri said. "We'll be introducing new heel heights into the assortment as well as night bags to complement the footwear - not match! - which has always been a dream of ours. We will likely be employing new members to the team to assist with our expanding distribution, and we're working on a short film for autumn/winter 2012-13 also. So much within the pipeline and we're acquiring so much fun doing it. It is a really exciting time for us."

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