In This Issue:
Photography by Rick Lee • Ed Wright • David E. Fattaleh
Three different generations, three very distinct styles of fashion, but all three women agree on a few fashion musts. Always keep several classic pieces in your wardrobe, never throw anything away and always buy quality merchandise.
Priscilla Humphreys, one of the "10 Best Dressed Women" in Huntington as selected by HQ, grew up in a generation when ladies were expected to wear a hat and gloves as part of their attire. Every Sunday morning she is dressed impeccably and appreciates others who put the same care and attention to detail into their appearance. The hat and gloves are essentials, but making sure the shoes and handbag match perfectly is equally important. Her favorite accessory — a necklace because, "it highlights the outfit. I favor pearls."
Priscilla shops locally at Belle’s and Wenders, but finds she has to travel outside the area to find hats. "People in Huntington don’t wear hats very much. They say, ‘Oh, I can’t wear a hat.' But that’s not so. Anybody can wear a hat. I just enjoy it and think people that don’t wear them don’t know what they’re missing." Millinery has become a lost art, but she can usually find something she likes at Jacobson’s in Columbus, Saks Fifth Avenue in Cincinnati or The Mad Hatter in Lexington, Kentucky. Her favorite hatmakers are Patricia Underwood and Borsalino and her extensive hat collection includes vintage hats from the 1930s and 1940s.
A photograph from the post-Edwardian era reveals one of the influences in her appreciation for fashion. Her three aunts, Ann, Mary and Josephine, were impeccable dressers as was her mother, Bertie Mae Cobb. As a child her mother would purchase material before the start of school and hire a dressmaker to create her wardrobe. She admires the style of former First Lady Nancy Reagan and also because "she is a lady." Bill Blass is her designer of choice because she feels he designs clothing with the mature woman in mind. Every Saturday morning she watches "Style with Elsa Klensch" on CNN to learn what is new for the season. Priscilla’s fashion prediction for this season: "beige will be big."
Attorney Jennifer Dickens Ransbottom also became interested in fashion from an early age and remembers when she and her mother would have disagreements during her teen-age years over her choice of clothing. "We worked out this policy that if she liked it I could have it. If I liked it I had to buy it. So I went to work at 16 and every penny I earned went into clothes."
As a professional, she requires a large and conservative wardrobe. Her favorite collectibles are sweater sets and adds, "I’m not into costume jewelry, but I’ll collect sweater clips to go with them." Jennifer prefers knee length dresses because of the ease of tailoring them and her favorite feature in a dress is the empire waist that Audrey Hepburn made so popular.
One of the spare bedrooms in her home has been converted into a walk-in closet with convenient access to the attic where she keeps her off season wardrobe and vintage clothing. Jennifer also has the benefit of having a personal seamstress in the family (her mother, Suzanne Dickens) who helps to keep Jennifer’s older pieces up to date and sizes to perfection the current pieces she buys. "I like things that are a little different, but I don’t want anything too outlandish. When I buy clothes, I buy something that’s going to be in style for a long time. If you’re going to spend that much money, it’s got to last."
Jennifer travels to Columbus’ City Center with her mother to shop and New York with girlfriends to treasure hunt in Loehmann’s. Her favorite shopping trip was with husband Barry, this past May to Florence, Italy. She appreciates how the fashionable Italians "know what they’re doing. Everything in the shops were classic colors, classic styles. Everyone on the streets is dressed so beautifully. In the middle of summer, they have on their suits."
Although she originally chose Chanel as her favorite designer, after naming her favorite trendsetters, Jackie O’Nassis, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Ashley Judd, she laughingly realized a pattern. "I guess they wore a lot of Valentino and old Valentino is really classic. I have one Valentino suit that I bought five years ago and it’s still in style. It’s timeless." Jennifer’s fashion prediction comes from the latest trends in the Florence shops. "I think there’s going to be a lot of animal print. I saw a lot of that in Italy and now I’m starting to see it in the stores."
Samantha Yarbrough prefers the classics, too, but is willing to shake things up a bit by mixing trendy garments with conservative pieces. Samantha also appreciates men that are willing to incorporate a little trend into their look and who are, "very hip. I like when they dress trendy, but not too trendy, and can remain professional looking at the same time. I do like it when they’re willing to step over the line a little bit." While some might be a little self-conscious mixing classics with the current fads, Samantha’s Gwyneth Paltrow-type looks easily carries the trendiness with class.
At a very young age she too realized how important and fun fashion could be because, "as a child, most girls love the girly stuff, the skirts, the heels, the jewelry. I would dress up in my mother’s things all the time. I loved putting on all of her jewelry." It’s ironic that Samantha is a minimalist with jewelry now. She doesn’t wear rings, and prefers only to wear simple earrings, necklaces and bracelets.
Samantha keeps her style up-to-date through television and magazines, preferring Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and Elle. Some of the stores she like to shop in and order from are Bennetton, Parisians, Victoria Secret’s, Speigel and Banana Republic.
Samantha is a heavy catalogue shopper, but when she has time, travels to Atlanta for clothing in her favorite store, BeBe.
Unlike Jennifer, Samantha’s shopping experience in Italy was not a positive one. She flew to Rome to shop and was dismayed to find that not only were the female shop clerks rude, but also later realized they had given her two different colors of shoes. She and a friend still laugh over the moment she unpacked and opened the box "because I was so excited to get a pair of Italian shoes and then realized they were two totally different colors. I know they did that on purpose." Samantha’s fashion prediction for the season is the rebirth off fishnet hose, "not with mini-skirts, but with longer skirts and boots."
We chose our 10 Best Dressed Women in much the same way that we chose the men in our summer issue. We asked various retailers, tailors and prominent men and women throughout the community for nominations. Those with the most nods from our panel decided the list.
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JENNIFER DICKENS RANSBOTTOM Hobbies include Junior League of Huntington, antiquing, shopping and traveling. Shops at Nieman Marcus, Ann Taylor and Loehmann’s. Ball gown by Badgley Mischka. Shoes by Bruno Magli. Diamond ring by T.K. Dodrill Jewelers.
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BENNIE BREECE Hobbies include volunteer work, church choir, member of the Oakwood Road Beer Band, attending the performing arts. Shops at Village Collection and George H. Wright’s - Huntington, Nieman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Victoria’s Secret. Suit by Garfield & Marks. Shoes by BCBG. Silver fox fur from George H. Wright’s. Watch by Rolex.
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VERA A. ROSE Hobbies include gardening, reading, shopping. Shops at Schwabe-May - Charleston, Saks Fifth Avenue - New York, Jacobson’s - Columbus as well as Talbots and Neiman Marcus. Suit by St. John. Shoes by Stuart Weitzman. Watch by Rolex. Vera’s daughter RACHEL ROHRBACH Hobbies include gymnastics, ballet, church cherub choir, Barbie dolls and soccer. Shops at Gymboree and City Kids - Huntington, The Prep Shoppe - Nashville, as well as Wooden Solider. Dress by Simi. Shoes by Stride Ride.
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SAMANTHA YARBROUGH Hobbies include exercise, shopping and traveling. Shops at Saks Fifth Avenue - Cincinnati as well as Kenneth Cole, Anthropologie, BeBe. Dress by Anthropologie. Bag by Furla. Boots by Nine West. Bracelet by Banana Republic.
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SUSIE F. EAVENSON Hobbies include enjoying every moment with daughter Megan. Shops at George H. Wright’s and T.K. Dodrill Jewelers - Huntington, Kaufmann’s - Pittsburgh and Charleston as well as various places of travel. Evening dress by Chelsea Nites. Shoes by Nina.
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PRISCILLA COBB HUMPHREYS Hobbies include reading, current events, the Pediatric Clinic of Huntington, member of the Women’s Club of Huntington and the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church. Shops at Belle’s and Wenders - Huntington, Jacobsons - Columbus as well as Saks Fifth Avenue, Henri Bendel, Marshall Field and Talbots. Suit by Bleyle. Hat from Saks Fifth Avenue. Cut velvet scarf from Museum of Fine Arts - Boston. Black jet necklace by Henri Bendel. Gloves by Marshall Field. Vintage "Toy" handbag, circa 1955.
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CHERYL LYNNE HENDERSON Hobbies include travel, shopping and reading. Shops at Nordstroms - Washington D.C., Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue as well as boutiques around the country. Suit by Dana Buchman. Shoes by Anne Klein. Watch by Philippe Charriol.
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ADELL CHANDLER Hobbies include playing with her two grandchildren and walking her golden retriever, Lauren and Ethan. Shops at Schawbe-May - Charleston, Nordstrom - Denver as well as Saks Fifth Avenue by mail. Black pant suit by St. John. Shell by Ellen Tracy. Watch by Movado. Other jewelry from C. F. Reuschlein - Huntington. Shoes by Stuart Weitzman.
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DR. OMAYMA TOUMA Hobbies include cooking, playing golf and getting together with family and friends, especially with her grandson. Shops at George H. Wright’s - Huntington, Schwabe-May - Charleston as well as Lazarus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Suit by St. John. Necklace by Tiffany. Watch from C.F. Reuschlein. Wedding band from Damascus.
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JENNIFER EARL Hobbies include chasing after and spending time with her one year old son, movies with her husband, shopping, computers and long walks with her two dogs, Help for Animals, Huntington Museum of Art. Shops at Village Collection and George H. Wright’s - Huntington, Schwabe-May - Charleston, Barney’s - New York as well as Nicole Miller, Neiman Marcus, Sak’s Fifth Avenue and eLuxury. Pant suit by Alberto Makali. Shoes by BCBG - Max Arzia. Lazare diamonds by T.K. Dodrill Jewelers.
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