What an amazing turnout for our Nha Khanh giveaway! Thank you so much to everyone who entered. As you might know, Khanh Nguyen, founder and creative director of Nha Khanh, has been our Woman of the Month for August. For her giveaway, she offered up a $1000 shopping spree that can be used toward her Ready-to-Wear line or a custom design.
Before we announce the winner, take a moment to check out our MB interview with her and her Day in the Life feature. Both are excellent, if I do say so myself!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people tell me that when they see one of Khanh’s dresses for the first time, they get hooked and fall madly in love with absolutely everything she does. And I can’t blame them! That’s exactly what happened to me and she ended up designing dresses for my entire wedding party.
Every single time I wear one of her designs, I get dozens of compliments, several oohs and ahhs, and many people asking who designed my dress. Here are a few of the custom designs she’s created for me over the years.
I was on vacation with my husband (then boyfriend at the time) when I got a call from Jan Strimple. And to be honest, I always perk up when I get anything from the iconic Jan—no need for a last name. Jan is a kind, considerate, no-nonsense, glamorous woman of the world. She’s booked me on runway shows and print jobs all across the country. So when Jan calls, I answer, or do my best to get back with her ASAP.
As luck would have it, my phone wasn’t working, but she left a message and it went a little something like this, “Hi, Toni, it’s Jan. I heard you’re traveling right now. I have a client and I’m booking a show, and you just have to work it. She’s the next big thing! I hope you’re keeping your overindulgences to a minimum (breathy laugh). I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
Don’t hold me to these exact words, but they’re pretty dang close. Anyway, I put down the phone and the spoon of ice cream, and tried not to put anything that wasn’t sustenance in my mouth for the next seventy-two hours. Needless to say, Jan did not disappoint. The Nhã Khanh collection was simply amazing, and so was the serious and focused woman working diligently behind the collection. I just got this feeling—this woman was going to be a star.
So, it came as no surprise, the hour after I got engaged, I called Jan and screamed, “I’m engaged! I want to book Khanh to do my entire wedding.” And that she did. In fact, members from our families were ordering dresses for our winter wonderland wedding held in Santa Fe. When it was all said and done, Khanh created my wedding dress and welcome party dress, my mom’s dress, my mother-in-law’s dress, my sisters-in-law’s dresses, and all eleven of my bridesmaids’ dresses. She sketched and designed each look specifically for each bridesmaid. They were their wedding gifts, and I wanted them to feel and look their best. Khanh was nine months pregnant by the time our wedding came and had just showed at New York Fashion Week, the week before. She never missed a beat, and she even found the time to share her journey on social media. I was completely floored by this dynamo, and I continue to be to this day.
I’m blessed to call her a great friend, and since my wedding, I order pieces from every collection she comes out with, she’s made all of my special occasion dresses—pre-maternity, maternity, and post-maternity, and she’s even started designing for Darlington. She sells to Neiman Marcus, Barney’s, Saks, 4510, and I’m sure a ton more that I’m forgetting.
I don’t consider myself to be a person who overindulges in life. I believe less is more, but when it comes to Nhã Khanh and ice cream, Ken Downing’s words ring true, “More is more, and less is a bore.”
Thank you, Khanh, for being our Woman of the Month and confessing all to Courtney in our latest WOTM interview.
For those of you who love designer dresses and the opera, you can have your very own Michael Faircloth number inspired by The Dallas Opera’s 2013-2014 season “By Love Transformed.” The proceeds from the auction benefit The Dallas Opera.
Michael Faircloth sketched and created this breathtaking dress to my specifications and had me walk the runway in his piece for the FIRST SIGHT Fashion Show and Luncheon. The FIRST SIGHT, FIRST NIGHT Designer Dress Auction closes on November 11 at 10PM CST. It features designer dresses and sketches and includes a piece from one of my favorite designers and good friend Khanh Nguyen. Take a peek at more dresses here.
