She's adorable, no? And what a fabulous space. Loving some of the designs that she showed too. Very pretty and girly.
More from Craft:
"She designs most of the clothing in her boutique and works hands on throughout the production process from cutting all the fabric and more. We got a chance to be the first to see Chloe's new design studio where she shows us the designs and clothing for her new upcoming wholesale line. Can you believe she used to work in her mom's kitchen and dining room? She was gracious enough to be filmed in her sweats and no makeup, since she and her employees had just completed the Houston AIDS walk that morning."
Her store is gorgeous. We had no idea it was so huge. Now you know where that prize money went.
And how cool is this:
"This was dress featured in Chloe's runway show for Project Runway (Fall 2006) and is prominently placed in her boutique. Another version of the dress is also displayed in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C."
God, we forgot how gorgeous this dress was. We're curious about how it wound up in the Smithsonian.
Anyway, there's your Dao fix for the weekend. We're looking forward to seeing more of the line she's working on. Chloe Doll, call us!
[Video: Crazftzine.com - Photos: Courtesy of Natalie Zee Drieu/FirstView]
55 comments:
OMG! Isn't that the infamous, in the words of St. Tim, "But Nina, I wanted her to look like she has a big butt" dress?
no, not that one. :p
I want to see Diana Eng in Ugly Betty, that would be interesting lol.
Wow. Beautiful store. Chloe's seems to have always had a good head on her shoulders. And having six sisters doesn't seem to have worked against her career. I've always wondered if all of the Dao girls are directly involved the business and if so, in what capacities. Just curious because it sounds like an interesting story given the background she spoke of in the PR2 finale.
Loved the blue dress. Especially, the back.
Wow! She's working from sketches now! I COVET her workroom and I'm happy to see that she has the dress that the fabulous Grace wore. It really is beautiful. Good Luck to her. She is such a sweetheart. I'm so glad to see that she actually did something productive with the money.
Fabulous studio! I'm so happy for her!
TLO said..God, we forgot how gorgeous this dress was. We're curious about how it wound up in the Smithsonian.
Chloe Dao's work was featured at the Smithsonian in a 2007 exibit called "Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon: Vietnamese in America since 1975".
Good for her! She really is a talented, hard-working designer and I don't think she gets enough credit for it. By the way, I love love love that dress.
Chloe's studio looks FAB!! I would LOVE to see what is hanging on those clothes racks.
That blue gown is so gorgeous. One of my favorites of all the seasons!!
Congrats, Chloe!!!!!
----StkrShock
Her store is really beautiful, I'd love to see her designs up close.
Congratulations, Chloe!! I'm really impressed. The store and the studio are HUGE!
Her store is really cool. As a Houston resident, I've been there. And she's in a great location--one of the best parts of town. Now, if I could only afford any of her stuff, it would be super awesome...
For more pictures of the store and designs click here, kittens!
XO
TLo
It's great to see how Chloe used her time on PR and the prize money to build her business. Her garments are beautiful and wearable.
What a success story. Though I think Chloe would have been successful without PR, given her work ethic, the exposure, contacts and $ must have been a great boost.
I was always a big fan of Chloe. Just her personality is warm and fun. And she's also a very talented designer.
She is following her dream and can't be happier for her. She didn't let PR define her success, but used her win to advance what she wanted.
And yes, her workspace is definitely fierce.
Oy vey, that cutting table alone is to die for.
Girl's got a good head on her shoulders.
So, what does Diana Eng have to do with things? Is she working with Chloe? Was she just randomly there? Am I missing something?
Can anyone in Texas comment on the Lot 8 store? Anyone out there had a chance to visit and meet Chloe and check out her recent designs?
Go Chloe!
Chloe is awesome and she's so sweet too. I love her designs, I've bought a few pieces at her store and also on QVC, and I always get a lot of compliments whenever I wear them.
"Sewing Siren said...
TLO said..God, we forgot how gorgeous this dress was. We're curious about how it wound up in the Smithsonian.
Chloe Dao's work was featured at the Smithsonian in a 2007 exibit called "Exit Saigon, Enter Little Saigon: Vietnamese in America since 1975"."
I didn't know that, that's so cool. See, I'm half Asian :)
Well Chloe and "Miss Diana" are good friends. so she probably was just visiting
Frank
Stubenville said...
OMG! Isn't that the infamous, in the words of St. Tim, "But Nina, I wanted her to look like she has a big butt" dress?
No, that was her white dress in the final challenge.
I love Chloe so much! She's so
cute, and her clothes are awesome.
Good for Chloe. My guess is that she will be the most successful PR winner. She was smart to pursue her vision, not of being a NY designer, but of keeping her existing retail store and moving into mass market by mans of QVC and now retail outlets. That $100,000 was a good investment in the future.
It also shows that capitalizing on the win takes time.
Her store is gorgeous. We had no idea it was so huge. Now you know where that prize money went.
Didn't she have the store before being on PR?
Brooklyn Bomber said...
Her store is gorgeous. We had no idea it was so huge. Now you know where that prize money went.
Didn't she have the store before being on PR?
It was a much smaller store. I love Chloe, she has always been nice and gracious to all the designers and fans of the show.
Dearest TLo,
Thank you SO much for the link to the slideshow of Chloe's shop. The red gown with the black sash in the window is absolutely MAG!!!
SIGH.....
----StkrShock
Wholesale...nice.
I might not be able to afford it, it probably won't fit and if it did, I would have no place to wear it, but damn, I am definitely going to find Chloe's stuff and try it on.
I love her finale dress, but it has that same big butt seam as an earlier challenge's dress. It's just not as noticeable because all the crazy stuff above it draws attention away from the ass-framing.
You know, Bravo ought to hire you two for a new show where you guys go and do follow-ups on the live of our favorite PR contestants.
It's so nice to see Chloe and Grace again on your blog. Remember the flower, garden or whatever challenge? They worked fabulously together.
The fabrics she's working with are gorgeous. I especially like the butterfly print, even if it is a bit youthful.
Guccigirl:
"Chloe is awesome and she's so sweet too. I love her designs, I've bought a few pieces at her store and also on QVC, and I always get a lot of compliments whenever I wear them."
Ditto. My favorite is the fuscia silk blouse with the stone embellishments in the cleavage. So flowy. It never fails to get raves. Hell, STRAIGHT men on the street have stopped me to compliment it. I loved that butterfly dress from the new line. I wish I could still show that much skin. *sigh*
Grace really worked that gown. GORGEOUS! Chloe deserves all the success she's realized and I wish her even more great good fortune. Couldn't have happened to a nicer person as far as I'm concerned.
Wow, what a beautiful store. I've never been to Houston, but maybe I ought to try and figure out a reason to go down there! Glad to see she is doing so well.
LUV huh!!! Always have.
I think she is the classiest (and smartest) winner PR has produced. I hope her new wholesale line is a smash.
--GothamTomato
Chloe's store is a perfect reflection of her personality and design aesthetic - clean, simple, bright, accessible. She seems like such a sweet person, and definitely has put her fame and winnings to good use. I'm sure she will have a long and successful career and I wish her all the good fortune in the world. Thanks for the update, TLo!
~Kate (I can't remember my blogger password!)
She's great. I love how she always says "we," giving everyone some credit for the work.
im so glad to see that chloe has made wise use of her fame from winning the show. she's accomplished so much and has a great deal to be proud of. her new clothes look great - exactly what women really want to wear.
and that blue dress is still killer. timeless.
Good for Chloe, but seeing that pic again, hey, I want to see Grace, that fab model of hers - where is she keeping herself? I loved when she posted something here.
"Elizabeth said...
Can anyone in Texas comment on the Lot 8 store? Anyone out there had a chance to visit and meet Chloe and check out her recent designs?"
Meet Chloe, no. And I haven't been in there in a while, either. But I do have to say that when I went, I was very impressed. She has a sort of timeless aesthetic. Her stuff is just all very classy. If I could afford it, I'd totally buy my prom dress from there.
And for the area she's in, her store is huge. I can't imagine the rent on that place--I guarantee you that's where a good portion of her winnings went. It's in a really lovely shopping area called the Village, which is near Rice University (meaning that it's a fairly hip place). There are lots of other boutiques in the area, but I don't think any others are as large as hers. Parking's not great, though. Still, she's in one of my favorite parts of Houston. That whole area is totally worth a visit if you go to Houston.
Seriously, her dress is at the Smithsonian? Wow!
Kudos to TLo on that title - ROFL!
It's been a while since I've been to Lot 8, but I like what she's changed around.
I'm still crazy about that dress, and I wish she sold copies of it.
juunanagou18 said...
It's been a while since I've been to Lot 8, but I like what she's changed around.
I'm still crazy about that dress, and I wish she sold copies of it.
Junnanagou18, you should check out Chloe's online store at lot8online.com. It appears copies of the dress *are* avalable.
I misssss season two so so much. Chloe was never anyone's favorite ala Laura Bennet or Chris March, but she was fantastic, more hard work then personality. So happy to see her successful.
I dare you to compare one thing that Christian or Jeffery made to that dress on Grace....
Well ?
Oh and one more thing. Here is a news flash...women are supposed to have butts. Lovely, curvey butts. Men like them and they are very convenient to sit on. That dress does not make Grace's butt look big, it makes her look like a WOMAN. It is supposed to be a different butt from that of a prepubescent boy.
My problem with the butt seam isn't that it makes things look bigger. It makes Grace's rear look droopy, like her butt cheeks are hanging halfway down the backs of her thighs. Highlighting curves is great. Making curves into droops, not so great. I love Chloe. I just think she has butt issues the way most PR designers have boob issues.
Elizabeth said...
Can anyone in Texas comment on the Lot 8 store? Anyone out there had a chance to visit and meet Chloe and check out her recent designs?
Haha, I used to drive by her store a few times a week, and every time I would have to remind myself not to drool over the window displays too much -- but rather to focus on the road!
Lot 8 is really lovely -- as someone else said, a great reflection of Chloe's aesthetic and personality. I haven't bought anything from it, but I did go inside to try on some dresses (that were on sale -- not too pricy that way) and Chloe was there! She smiled at us and said hello before heading to the back to work, presumably.
All the clothes in there were beautiful. They struck a great balance between being interesting/on trend and actually being pretty and flattering. It's definitely worth visiting if you're ever in Houston.
Actually, I also randomly saw Chloe while I was walking to school one morning. She was out running, wearing sweats and everything, but still looked just as pretty as she did on TV (jealousy!). This was totally strange because it happened about a year ago, not while Season 2 was on, but I had just happened to be watching the season 2 DVD, like, the night before it happened. It took me a minute to realize that I hadn't just imagined seeing her!
First, let me say that I like the title of this post. Cute!
I'm so happy for Chloe's success, and I think she's my favorite winner. I bought one of her tops on QVC. It was a gamble--I'm small and thin, and I bought a tunic top with bell sleeves and a big print (stuff I tend to avoid), but it looks fab on me. I get so many compliments whenever I swear it. I love Chloe's style. I'm going to be in Houston for a wedding early this summer, and I'm totally going to check out her store.
Elizabeth said...
Can anyone in Texas comment on the Lot 8 store? Anyone out there had a chance to visit and meet Chloe and check out her recent designs?
Ive been to the lot 8 pre and post PR2
before she was on there was just as great as after , i think she rented out the store that was behind hers and expanded her store and included a salon. Her store is also in the middle of the rice village which is a very high end part of house so i can only imagine how much her rent is.
I went to a fashion show that chloe was hosting at her store about a year ago - me and my friend arrived about 40 min early and the line was already loooping around the building. Inside I got to have a quick chat with chloe and she is exactly like she seemed in the show, warm, inviting, friendly ...and really short (im 6'2 so i looked like a freak next to tiny little chloe)
she really has a good head on her shoulders and I wish her all the best
"Cedar said...
I'm so happy for Chloe's success, and I think she's my favorite winner. I bought one of her tops on QVC."
Me too. Chloe is a great designer and couldn't be any sweeter. I bought a few tops on QVC too and I love them.
I've visited Chloe's store and the employees are helpful without being overbearing or smarmy and her clothes are fabulous! I can't wait to see more of her stuff everywhere. The winning dress looks more green in person and is even more breathtaking.
I could actually afford some of her stuff (that was on sale) and am thrilled to own a Dau.
She deserves all the success in the world!
She sells a few of her pieces online:
http://www.lot8online.com/chloe.htm
I can't wait to see her wholesale collection! I love Chloe's designs.
K.
great update! i was never a huge chloe fan, but it looks likes she's doing really well for herself! love that space!
speaking of old contestants.. how bout a JAY update? :) i'm anxiously awaiting his documentary, and would probably (ok, definitely) spend my saving on a Jay McCarroll original design..
The exhibit her dress is a part of is actually a traveling exhibit. It's in CA right now. The website http://www.vietam.org/ gives more information and you can even see a glimpse of her dress.
Elizabeth:
"Can anyone in Texas comment on the Lot 8 store? Anyone out there had a chance to visit and meet Chloe and check out her recent designs?"
My family lives in Houston (and I used to), so I spent Christmastime around the area, and somehow managed to coerce my family and friends into pooling together to buy me a Chloe Dao original for my birthday/Christmas.
Her store is gorgeous, the people who work there are attentive (maybe too attentive sometimes; I like shopping in peace), and Chloe herself walks around saying things like, "Oh, that looks GREAT on you!" It was probably the best compliment I've ever gotten, just because of who it came from. And she is wonderful.
Her recent designs are very sweet, but in a high fashion kind of way. I bought my sister this coat/cloak thing for Christmas, and she's basically obsessed with it. If you ever get a chance, I'd recommend visiting the store in person.
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