Former 10 Most Beautiful Turns Fashion Designer on Lifetime’s 24 Hour Catwalk This Week

Ashley Burghardt, local handbag designer and one of the 10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas 2010, is making her second TV debut this week. (She previously appeared on MTV’s Made.) Ashley will star as one of the competing designers on Lifetime’s 24 Hour Catwalk, which features a panel of judges, a team of sewers, and four designers who are asked to create a three-piece collection in one day. (It’s tougher than it sounds.) A fresh batch of designers arm up for battle each episode, and this week, the Ashard Richley handbag designer contends. Hurry up and buy a purse so you can say you own one of her original designs. (I just discovered there’s a “Raya” clutch in her collection–interesting–if you fancy ruffles.) Tune in to Lifetime (I can hear my boyfriend rolling his eyes at work) on Thursday, February 16, at 9 pm.

What’s in Designer Abi Ferrin’s Bag?

photography by Matthew Shelley, design by Charlotte Tobin

You know Abi Ferrin as a local fashion designer, but she’s also a serious philanthropist, family girl, and certified scuba diver. When we invited her in to spill her purse, we discovered her goods are as interesting, well-rounded, and colorful as she is. Take a look.

Sak Saum for Abi Ferrin bag

1. Journal for “life logging.” “The goal is to get some system of organization.”
2. Passport. “It might not be the best place for it, but I know where it is.”
3. Solstice Salon. “That’s where I get cut, colored, feathered, sparkled, and all things beautified.”
4. Abi Ferrin frames from Morgan Gianni at Fashion Optical. “He has a gift for knowing people’s faces.”
5. Scuba diving card. “I’m freshly scuba certified.”
6. Orbit gum. “It’s my favorite flavor: mint and bubblegum in one.”
7. Photos. “This was from a really fun wedding.”
8. Emergen-C. “For a daily energy boost.”
9. We Can Do It! card case. “I use it as a wallet and for my business cards.”
10. Blessed5x necklace. “This is from a client. She used to come in with the most awesome jewelry. She makes them with antiques, brass, and layered pieces.”
11. (clockwise): Chanel Teint Innocence foundation, Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté in number 20, “Spicy Pink”; YSL Golden Gloss (“I’m so addicted to it now”); Mary Kay lip gloss in “Fancy Nancy”
12. Buttons. “They’re Cambodian buttons from the Freedom Project. They get sold on garments, but I carry them around and give them away for good luck.”
13. Photo. “She’s my little niece. My sister’s pregnant with her second, so next year, I’ll have two photos.”

Peek into more purses.

If You’re Making Dinner for Valentine’s Day, You Need This

Aprons in "Swirled Roses" and "Plush Hot Pink" (photography courtesy of Haute Hostess)

If you’ve skipped perusing our list of restaurants and their V Day menus in favor of cooking a homemade meal with your honey this Valentine’s Day, you should pick up one of these Haute Hostess Aprons by Elizabeth Scokin. These rose-themed chiffon smocks are lined with matching satin and tied with a chic, black ribbon. Find them for $350 at Stanley Korshak. No need to look like a mechanic in the kitchen, ladies.