Cypress Vanguard: Evolution of Austin’s Original Fashion House

Get ready to shop and be pampered, Austin, because big changes and exciting events are in the works at the city’s most fabulous cooperative retail establishment. Nestled between the highway and the Austin Convention Center, Cypress Vanguard is one of several unique, elegant locally-owned business spaces situated in converted historic homes. (Others include Moonshine and Studio Downtown.) The fashion house, the brainchild of renowned lingerie design expert Megan Summerville and Launch787 owner Matt Swinney, opened as a co-op in the winter of 2010, and has been home to several classy fashion collections by the likes of Milli Starr, Ross Bennett, SavannahRed, Foxy Fusions, By Jeannie, Tracy Tenpenny and more.

This summer, though, Cypress Vanguard (whose name is derived from the historic name of 3rd Street) will be welcoming an awesome new group of both young talent and seasoned professionals to join the house. CV is already a wonderful one-stop-shop, especially for bridal and special occasions, and will now even further perpetuate that luxurious customer service reputation with a broader variety of in-house inventory. If you’ve not yet visited Cypress Vanguard, located at 606 E. 3rd Street in downtown Austin, one of their fun courtyard events would be a perfect opportunity to check it out for the first time. And if you HAVE been there before, you will not believe how dramatically different the new collective has made the space!

Here’s the scoop on some of what you’ll find in the mix of in-house designers at Cypress Vanguard (with photos!)…

SEW SISTER LINGERIE by MEGAN SUMMERVILLE

Megan Summerville began designing lingerie in 2003 with a mission to fit women regardless of shape or size. Her lines include ready-to-wear and custom made pieces in sizes 28A – 52N. Recognized for her design and emphasis on quality, Megan was Texas’ Next Top Designer from 2009-2010.

SAVANNAHRED by ANSLEE CONNELL
Anslee Connell designs curvy couture (size 12+) in her savannahred line to accentuate the voluptuous shapes of women with the aim to encourage her clients to be inspired, not influenced. The youngest member of Cypress Vanguard, Anslee has the energy, spirit and vitality to keep us on the cutting edge of fashion with her eco-friendly fabrics.

FOXY FUSIONS by KERRI LAWNSBY
With a painter’s understanding of color theory and composition, and a designer’s eye for pattern and texture, Kerri Lawnsby delights in using glass to handcraft contemporary jewelry, personal accents, and unique home items. Striking designs are created by harmonizing or contrasting the broad spectrum of color and patterns available in fused glass.

JEANNIE VIANNEY’S ByJEANNIE JEWELRY
ByJeannie Jewelry is a line that spans from fun and flirty to modern and edgy. Jeannie Vianney designs adornments made from semi-precious metals, gemstones, carvings, and other natural elements. She gains her inspiration from art and architecture from around the globe. As seen in DailyCandy, Lucky Magazine, Washington Post, and Audrey Magazine.

JENNIFER HEARTS ART by JENNIFER CUNNINGHAM
Jennifer has maintained a lifelong love for art in many forms, both as a participant and an avid spectator, and is making a big impact in Austin these days as she continues to explore new media and designs for her work. With an eye for bold, vivid color, an open mind, and a crafty leap of faith, she began creating wearable art in 2010, and has been expanding her line ever since. Always fun, sometimes sassy, and increasingly socially relevant, @JenHeartsArt offers small paintings alongside a great collection of ready-to-wear jewelry and accessories in the garden room at CV.

LALA by LAISA CHAVEZ MACIAS
Laisa Macias is a new up and coming designer is the Austin fashion scene.  She brings a fresh take on classic styles giving them a modern edge by mixing and matching bold colors for a statement look. LaLa’s fabulous, versatile, and eco-friendly scarf shirts are all the rage, and were recently featured in the Statesman and at Renegade Craft Fair’s 2nd Annual Austin event this Spring.

TOOMBAS JEANS by HAJA SCOTT
Toombas is a minority-owned business, founded by Ms. Haja Scott in 2005. Haja has always loved to be creative so she took her love of fashion and desire to find clothes that truly fit women the way they should and naturally fell into designing her own line of clothing which specializes in clothing for the more “shapely” woman. Toombas truly wants women to cherish and love their bodies, without neglecting health, no matter what size. Our mission is simply to provide our customers with quality, stylish clothing to enhance their natural beauty!

BOLSA BONITA by LIZ POTTER
From funky and fun to elegant and classic, Bolsa Bonita designed by Liz Potter offers a purse style for every personality. Incorporating hand silk screened designs, fake fur, silk applique and vintage textiles, each purse has a unique look and is made to be cherished and loved.

SYLVIE MARIE by TINA GOSSACK
Inspired by her mother who loved to sew, Sylvie Marie is a line of bohemian fabric bags incorporating nature, vintage items, and all things colorful.

CAPA by KAREN BRAVO
Capa (layer in Spanish) is an accessories line designed by Karen Bravo of special occasion scarves, wraps, boleros, and accessories. Each piece is one of a kind and handmade in Austin using quality fabrics with whimsical embellishment and decoration.

SIXCHEL by DINA CHAVEZ
Dina Chavez is a custom women’s apparel designer, active in the Austin fashion scene whose elegant designs can be described as sensually classic. Her designs have been featured in several publications including Austin Lifestyle magazine and FashionablyAustin.com and she was nominated for 2010 Austin Fashion Week’s Best Mash Up Team Critiques Choice and People’s Choice Awards. Dina was an official showcase designer during Austin Fashion Week 2011, launching a website and her new apparel design company Sixchel.  This brand will represent the many faces of the modern urbane woman, sophisticated, smart, confidently sexy and stylish as a matter of fact.

TEXSTYLES by BENSON ROBERTS

TexStyles is opening in response to the overwhelming hunger for excellent fabrics, at prices that won’t cause the buyer to starve. While there are some outlets for designer fabrics in Austin, the price points are so high that they become exclusive and unreachable for new designers or home sewers. TexStyles vows to keep their fabrics priced between 5 and 15 dollars per yard. What this means is that a fine silk that might cost $60 per yard someplace else will cost only $15 per yard at TexStyles! The company chose to open up for business at Cypress Vanguard based on Benson’s assertion that the independent designer co-op really is the place to begin, and his belief in the collective as an amazingly eclectic group of people with a passion for fashion and art.

*ANNEMARIE* BAGS by ANNE MARIE BEARD
A woman’s accessories say a lot about who she is. Anne Marie Beard began designing handbags in 2002 with the mission of creating beautifully made accessories for women with unique taste. Along with her purses, Anne Marie creates coordinating Mini Wallets, Cosmetic Bags and Zippy Wallets. For the woman who wants to make a statement, for the woman who is passionate about re-purposed materials, for the woman who wants a handbag that she can actually use – Anne Marie has her in mind. By offering a continuously changing inventory of limited edition fabric and Custom Design services, she generates repeat business through direct and retail sales.

Clearly, Cypress Vanguard should be the first stop on your next shopping excursion! Find ready-to-wear items by the talented designers above (and more), or get fitted for a custom order. Be sure to “Like” the CV Facebook page to stay informed when events are posted, including the regularly recurring Fashion Socials and courtyard artist markets, as well as a big launch party/Father’s Day shopping event to be held mid-June.

Posted by Jennifer Cunningham

Jennifer Cunningham has published 11 posts.

Jennifer Cunningham is a mother, artist, & freelance writer living in Austin, TX. She also fancies herself an art, fashion, & pop culture enthusiast with her finger on the rapidly accelerating pulse of the local art & style scenes. Jennifer embraces bold, creative aesthetics in various forms, including makeup, textile/fashion design, accessories, graphic art, & various traditional media. On a daily basis, her passion lies in an ongoing mission to spread the good word about industry happenings while increasing the creative energy in, & improving the appearance of, her surroundings. She has done set painting for the City Theatre Company, shown art in any place around town willing to let her do so, contributed fabric designs to fabulous local fashionistas, and covered Austin Fashion Week and Art City Austin in 2010 via Examiner.com. Need to hire someone creative for YOUR next project or event? You’ve found her!