After a Fashion

Jerri Kunz design

WORDS OF THE WEEK: "A certain shade of limelight can wreck a girl's complexion."

– Holly Golightly from Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's.

CSI: SUV: I'm imagining a plot in which a hapless SUV driver is followed to his/her home by a deranged psychopath. Shortly thereafter, the hapless family's school-aged children are kidnapped and murdered. When the murderer is apprehended, his modus operandi is revealed. "It was easy," he said. "The little decal on the back window of the SUV told me everything I needed to know: the children's names, the schools they attended, and what sports they participate in. It was a no-brainer." OK, so it didn't really happen but maybe it will scare them into scraping those ugly little decals off their windows.

SHOWTIME: This past weekend's annual UT Fashion show was stellar. Overall, I'd say that this is the best group of UT senior projects collections that we've had the privilege of judging so far. The quality of the fabric was definitely at a new high, with many students obviously buying their fabrics somewhere other than Austin. The collections also seemed to be geared strictly for the runway and the red carpet – which makes a great show, but the reality is that very few of these designers' work will ever wind up there. Every young designer wants to design clothes like that, but unfortunately for them, there are simply not that many occasions in real life to wear those clothes. We also saw a vast improvement in construction. Making the decisions on Most Marketable, Most Innovative, Best Construction, and Best Collection was a challenge for our panel – the competition within each category was stiff, and since those of us judging are passionate about clothing and design, it was sometimes difficult to come to a consensus. But we did, seeing the results on the runway at the Erwin Center last Friday. Michael Montague, who oversees the costume and historic clothing collection, among other duties, directed this year's show. Like the collections, the show was the best we've seen. There are always great production values at the UT show – big runway, good models, pro sound and lights, as well as lots of seating – but creating magic is a matter of fine tuning. Montague did great work.

MAXIMUM MAKEOVER: I had run into interior design guru Jerri Kunz and her husband/partner John McCullough at the recent Anthony Nak opening where I grilled her about her latest projects. A room she designed a few years ago was attracting a lot of attention and now was being filmed by HGTV, so I harangued her into letting me take a look. Kunz is a 30-year design veteran with a taste for a sharp edge – but never so sharp as to be uncomfortable. (See her gorgeous portfolio at www.jerrikunz.com.) Kunz's long and illustrious history dappling in a variety of media has always had the design thread running through it. "I make life beautiful," she says. "My original training was in the theatre. I've been a set designer, a costume designer, I've had a couture business, I've been a milliner. I'm a lighting designer and licensed interior designer. I'm a writer. There is never a dull moment." The midcentury styling of the Avenue Lofts building holds a great deal of charm, and the simple and elegantly clean lines of the entryway enhance it. It was the most creative use for a rather awkward 1,000-square-foot inverted J-shaped space one could imagine. Described as "a very sexy interior with some witty details," the space opens into a narrow, window-lined hall that blossoms into a wider kitchen area and an even wider living area at the base of the "J" and then curls around into a sleeping area, dressing area, and gorgeous bathroom. With windows on three sides, the dire question of storage was brilliantly addressed with built-in organizational shelves below the windows, and the backside of the headboard in the bedroom is lined with drawers. "I think we did a good job solving the storage and sleeping problems," says Kunz, who added additional closet space and laundry facilities in the dressing area. The fabulously chic, completely paperless office and control center is nestled by the open kitchen. The owner, a former tech exec, designed the controls herself and can operate everything in the loft from one place. A soft electronic voice from the system will whisper to the owner by name and tell her the phone is for her, or that there's someone at the door. She can raise or lower the projection TV screen or change the lighting as easily as she can double-click. Kunz has meshed the dreams of the client with her own innate sensibility and created a thoroughly modern residence that is also a warm and welcoming home.