Statement Makers

Pamela Reynolds, one of our 2013 Statement Makers, describes how she is sartorially inspired:  "A great fashion experience for me is to walk down Madison Avenue in New York — that's as much of an event as anything, because you see everything — or to sit in the window at Can Can and watch people walk through Carytown. The fashion experience is all around us."

"All around us" is certainly the case in Richmond right now. From retail pop-ups, fashion events and marketplaces happening almost every weekend to Richmond-based clothing companies and designers consistently receiving national attention, Richmond has turned the corner as a fashion-conscious town. Back in March, Southern Living even designated Richmond as one of the top seven most stylish cities in the South.

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Watch arts booster and fashion maven Pam Reynolds discuss gala outifits she has donated to the Valentine Richmond History Center.

Last year, we launched our first Statement Makers awards, and this year, we asked some of those recognized to serve on a panel to choose this year's recipients. Participating on the panel were 2012 Statement Makers Evangeline Poindexter, Steve Granger and Rachel Albright. Joining them were The River's Melissa Chase, JAK salon owner Ken Langston, Schwarzschild Jewelers' Rozana Sovine, VCU's interim chair of the Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising Donna Reamy and Editor-in-Chief Susan Winiecki. Nominees, and ultimately those selected as 2013's Statement Makers, possessed a combination of three traits: They are risk-takers in fashion; they are innovators in their professional lives; and they give their free time to worthy causes.

Style Mavens: Deborah Boschen and Libby Sykes

Through their 20-year partnership at Carytown's Pink, Deborah Boschen and Libby Sykes embodied the yin and yang of fashion; Boschen the petite blonde with a sixth sense for trends, and Sykes the raven-haired, statuesque stunner with a more relaxed sense of style. Together, they dressed the hippest Richmond women in cutting-edge looks. In August, Boschen ventured out amicably on her own, opening Verdalina , a new boutique downtown on Broad Street that focuses on green and sustainable fashion. Boschen envisions the Verdalina customer as someone like her, "a woman who needs to look put together, but creative," she says. While one would never guess Boschen's age (59) by looking at her, "I like to have my age out there because it shows that you can do it," she says. "You can reinvent yourself at any age." Sykes, 58, who has always managed the business side of Pink, now finds herself at a crossroads as the shop's sole owner. Look for a new e-commerce website, a customer loyalty program and a collaboration with Ledbury this fall. Sykes also hopes to use Pink's new website, and the store's prime location in Cary Court, to highlight and support local women business owners.

Libby Sykes

Best piece of fashion advice you've received?

You need to feel comfortable in what you're wearing. I'm not a size 2, 4, 6 or 8, and sometimes I have been self-conscious about that. Also, to wear tighter jeans. I didn't think I could wear skinny jeans, but I put them on and they looked great.

One guilty clothing pleasure?

When I told my daughter about this question, she said, "What about those 5-year-old Uggs you can't give up?"

Deborah Boschen

One guilty clothing pleasure?

Recently, I bought this voluminous vintage French nightgown that I like to wear out despite my husband's concern that I look like I just escaped from an institution.

Best fashion-related event you've attended, and why?

When the Maharaja exhibit was coming to a close last year, VMFA hosted a Bollywood-themed evening in the marble hall, and the Indian community came out in their brilliantly colored saris and traditional dress. Techno music was thumping, Bollywood films were projected, and everyone crowded on the dance floor, throwing shapes against the pink marble hall. It was a fashion explosion of colors, textures and patterns coming together, and it was spectacular, like fireworks. —JH

Quality Construction: Jim Napier

During his 37 years in the real-estate business, Jim Napier has been a member of the board of directors for the Virginia Association of Realtors, and he served three terms as a director and as president of the Richmond Association of Realtors. Currently chairman of the board of Central Virginia Bank and serving on the advisory board for VCU Massey Cancer Center, Nap-ier sponsors the Music for Massey concert series to raise awareness of pediatric cancer issues. A longtime fan of Americana music, Napier learned a few chords from Richmond musician Gary Gerloff before his untimely passing in 2009. "I thought, ‘What am I waiting for?' So I went out and got a guitar. It's an enjoyable release."

Best piece of fashion advice you've received?

"Cheap is expensive."  That is, if you get something not of good quality, you end up replacing it sooner, and so it ends up costing more.

Who are your favorite designers, and why?

Cole Haan — a perfect example of good quality. They last. You get many, many years of use out of them, and they get better the longer you wear them.

One guilty clothing pleasure?

I buy custom-tailored suits. When I first made that step over to that style [I thought], yes, it's a little more expensive than what I could traditionally buy, but I became enamored of it. —HK

Sharp Man: Johnny Hugel

After moving to Richmond in 1998 to study information systems at VCU, Johnny Hugel fell for the big-town/small-city vibe. He helped design the offices of digital agency Mobelux, where he also serves as a producer. He's also director of the nonprofit Feast RVA, which supports local creative projects through fundraising dinners. He books comedy shows under the name Hit Play Productions, sells vintage clothes as SharpMan, and helps to curate a vintage, handmade local pop-up market called Well Worn.

Who is your style icon?

Growing up I never would have thought I'd have this answer but, my dad. In fashion's cyclical way, I'm finding that a lot of the clothes I'm drawn to are ones that he sported when he was my age.

Best piece of fashion advice you've received?

"Dress for the job you want, not the one you have." Not only did that impact the way I presented myself to the world on a daily basis, but it opened up a world of work, life and romantic opportunities.

Who are your favorite designers, and why?

I like designers and makers who use quality materials to make a long-lasting product. The American-made vintage stuff that really holds up in terms of quality and design would be Brooks Brothers, Gitman Bros., Levi's. —HK

Front and Center : Yolanda Lee

Yolanda Lee knew hair was a big issue for black women, but it wasn't until she cut off her own to learn how to swim, and decided to film the results in the documentary It's Only (a) Natural, that she realized just how big. After she chopped her locks, she found she got less work as an actress and model. Still, she proudly wears her hair naturally, with her short cut accenting her large eyes and complementing her funky wardrobe of thrift-shop finds and vintage items borrowed from her elderly aunts' closets. She's the elegant woman at the front of the house at Mama J's in Jackson Ward, which she co-owns with her husband and her mother-in-law, Velma Johnson.

Best piece of fashion advice you've received?

When in doubt, take it off. Usually it's that last bracelet or extra necklace you put on.

Who are your favorite designers, and why?

I'm not a label person. If I pick it up and like it, I will wear it. I just wear what looks good on me.

One guilty clothing pleasure?

My husband's socks. I'm always stealing his socks. —JH

Passion for Fashion: Pam Reynolds

Through the tireless volunteer work she has done as a board member of every major arts organization in Richmond (including more than 20 years as a VMFA trustee), Pamela Reynolds is not only one of Richmond's most influential patrons of the arts, but also its most recognizable. Her distinct personal style is a reflection of her insatiable passion for fashion and art and her deep knowledge of the history of both.

"Nothing is original," she says, "everything goes back to something" — except perhaps Reynolds herself, whose style truly is unique. Though her day-to-day attire is always creative, she is best known for the eye-popping ensembles she has commissioned for major arts-related galas. (Her silk scarf dress for VMFA's 1996 Fabergé Ball and the paper dress she wore to the opening of the museum's McGlothlin Wing in 2010 are part of the Valentine Richmond History Center's costume collection.)  "Making an effort to dress for an event is my way of saying thank you," she explains.

Who are your style icons?

There are so many people throughout fashion history that have inspired me. I am sort of complicated in my fashion tastes. I admire people who can dress simply and look good. That's just not me.

Who are your favorite designers, and why?

I don't want to be driven by a name — not that I don't enjoy names — but I like to mix them up. It just depends on what you like. —JH

Mod Meets Punk: Angela Bacskocky

A recent contestant on Lifetime's Project Runway, Angela Bacskocky, 33, is preparing to show her new line, Martyr, during New York's Market Week and during Virginia Fashion Week in Williamsburg on Oct. 12.

Bacskocky entered VCU's fashion design program at age 25 and interned for the late designer Alexander McQueen in London. Though she was voted off Runway after just one episode, she was invited to participate in the American Cancer Society's Cure by Design event in September. Bacskocky, whose mother recently battled breast cancer, says, "I don't mind at all being a designer with a cause."

Who are your style icons?

Audrey Hepburn, in her 1960s Givenchy. For day to day, Twiggy with her '60s mod, and then there's this other part of me that looks to punk — the Sex Pistols and Johnny Rotten.

Best piece of fashion advice you've received?

Stop wearing every color of the rainbow all at once.

Best fashion-related event you've attended, and why?

London Fashion Week in 2007. It was the first real runway show I'd ever seen, and I was working backstage. … It was all so fancy, with champagne and all these English "It girls." It felt really fabulous, and instantly I felt stupidly dressed. —JH

Lauren Lover: Bradford D. Mackey

Bradford Mackey is a 44-year-old husband and father and a career insurance professional. He shares his enthusiasm for health and fitness through community partnerships, workshops, demonstrations and group training sessions. He's provided fitness advice to the congregants of Cool Springs Baptist Church Recreation Center in Mechanicsville.  Mackey also serves as the volunteer trainer and running coach for the local organization Sistas Do Run, which encourages a healthier lifestyle among young African-American women.

Best piece of fashion advice you've received?

Always dress like a gentleman, and find a great tailor.

Who are your favorite designers, and why?

Ralph Lauren and Hugo Boss. I love Lauren's classic Americana style. I believe he is the greatest American designer of all time. Hugo Boss is all about the cut and form and looking runway-ready. They take chances but never so much that it comes off as trendy.

Best fashion-related event you've attended, and why?

As a VCU alumnus, I always enjoy attending the VCU fashion show put on in the spring by its students. —HK

A Comfortable Creative: Gabriel Ricioppo

Gabriel Ricioppo grew up by the surf in Virginia Beach, and that engendered a laid-back attitude. Today, he's a busy man as creative director and co-owner of Carytown-based Need Supply Co., which has created its own niche in a crowded retail marketplace. The clothier, founded in 1996, made Inc. magazine's Top 5,000 List this year, coming in at No. 723. The company was also recognized by GQ magazine last year as the best e-commerce site on the Web and one of the top 25 shops for men in America, while its Meet the Maker events bring together those who create the fashions and those who live and work in them.

Best piece of fashion advice you've received?

Be comfortable in whatever you wear. I took that as a mental state, not necessarily physical.

One guilty clothing pleasure?

I'm actually really simple with what I wear, a lot of blue or white oxfords. If there was one thing, it might be my fondness for Common Projects shoes.

Best fashion-related event you've attended, and why?

We were in Copenhagen for fashion week last January, and we had front-row seats for the Wood Wood runway show. That was pretty fun. The whole night was a blast; it's my favorite city to visit. —HK

Bridging Decades: Angelica Rosales

Angelica Rosales moved to Richmond in 2005 to study art at VCU but, she says, "My life took a different path." Literally.

While riding her bike in the Fan, she made a fateful turn down an alley, where she saw the art deco mural painted on the side of Halcyon Vintage Clothing. She propped her bike against the store, walked in to explore and never left. Today Rosales, 27, manages Halcyon and serves as a buyer there. When not helping customers "bridge history with modern fashion," she works as a mentor to teenage girls with the Visual Arts Center's SOHO program.

Who are your favorite designers, and why?

Celia Birtwell, for her distinctive free spirit in her prints. Rachel Comey, for her aesthetic that always seems to play so well with vintage. Even more so, anyone inspired, wacky, and who just goes for it.

One guilty clothing pleasure?

A tattered old army-green T-shirt.  I found it swimming in a reservoir called "Prettyboy."

Best fashion-related event you've attended, and why?

I've been loving what Richmond has to offer these days. You get a little bit of culture, gossip, free spirit and attitude. That's Richmond, Va., in a nutshell. — JH