Haute coutre designer Kelle Thompson 'blessed' by Mobile-based fashion career

Some of Thompson’s designs for Mobile royals are also included in the art center’s exhibit.
The designer’s legacy in the world of fashion is one that is well-earned. His stories about his studies sound like a romantic novel set with where else but Paris as its backdrop.
After a four-year career in the U.S. Air Force, Thompson said, he and his wife, Mamie, took a trip to New York, where he was convinced he would study at the Parsons School of Design. However, that plan was derailed after he saw an article in the Mobile Press-Register about fashions from the house of Christian Dior.
"I actually wrote that designer a letter and asked about where I should study. I was shocked when he responded and suggested a school in Paris, the same school where Yves St. Laurent studied."
Thompson said he applied to Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture and was denied.
"But I wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer. I built a portfolio and sent it back to the school with my application again."
Thompson later became a part of an elite international class of students consisting of 24 people from 12 nationalities.
"It was a unique experience. And it was hard being away from my wife, but she visited me at Christmas," Thompson said.
Taking fashion design classes while studying to master the French language was rigorous, but Thompson said he has no regrets.
In 1964 he set up shop on Dauphin Street in Mobile and the rest is an alluring history of exquisite and one-of-a-kind designs.
"I have been very blessed. God gave me a gift of having a flair for color and an eye for design. I’ve never gotten up and went to work," Thompson said. "I went to my hobby."
Thompson was once told by a client that there is one problem with his clothing — it never goes out of style.
"But that’s what haute couture is really all about. I was taught in an era when designers made clothes to last forever."
Thompson said he is still creating haute couture fashion the way he learned it decades ago.
"We still design from scratch, beginning with sketches and making patterns for each individual."
When asked if he will ever retire, Kelly said, "I hope not. I love what I do, and when I die I hope I’m on the dance floor dancing."

Susan’s Makeup and Skincare

As you open the door to Susan's Make Up and Skincare, located in Syosset on Jackson Avenue near Rite-Aid, you hear bursts of laughter coming from the back and the sultry beat of Brazilian music.
Intrigued, you make your way there by passing shelves lined with fashion accessories and cosmetics.  Suddenly you come upon a fully operational beauty salon.
Owner, makeup artist, and colorist, Susan Cohen, is chatting up her clients with funny stories and quips as she mixes hair colorant for these giggling ladies. It feels like you just entered a scene from a good chick-flick like Steel Magnolias.
The beauty business comes naturally to her; she comes from a long line of salon owners -- her mother, her aunt, and her brother.    
"30 years ago I came here from Israel," Cohen said.  "My first job was at Bloomingdale's spritzing ladies with Yves St. Laurent perfume. I did so well selling, that the company sent me to 'YSL School' and taught me the business.  I went on to work for them and various other high-end beauty companies over the years."
After dabbling in her own private label cosmetics line, Susan was told about a 27-year-old beauty supply business for sale in the Syosset area. She jumped at the chance.
"I have been here now for seven years and during the early years I pulled many all-nighters setting up my salon," she said.
When asked where she lives, she jokingly replied, "Here!" It's like a Cinderella story; a hum-drum business blossomed into a thriving establishment.  
After streamlining her product lines and recently re-doing her salon with the help of a contractor, there is one thing she won't give up: the torn and worn purple salon chair.
"It's been with me since the beginning," she said.  "It holds many memories."
Starting Monday, December 13, and for the next four days, Susan and her business partner Alfred Elsner are inviting the town to stop by from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. for some sips, snacks, and socializing.
They are launching Phyto Sintesi, Cinecitta, Immunocologie, and La Biosthetique; exclusive skin-care lines not generally found on the Island.  Come by and sample a serum or meet the woman behind it all….you can try to catch up on some gossip too, but remember: a good beautician would rather dye than tell

David Hockney's excellent iPad paintings are now on show

David Hockney's excellent iPad paintings are now on show. "David Hockney's new show is alive. Every few days he creates a painting with his iPad's Brushes application, then emails it to identical devices on display at Paris's Pierre Berge-Yves St. Laurent Foundation, where his "Fresh Flowers" exhibition runs through January 30. As of this writing, there are over 300 pictures and counting."