The Fortunate 500: Fashion stars
People who dress Austin fashion social scene
By Jean ScheidnesMay 12, 2005
 Photo by Matt Rourke/AA-S business/fashion/charity/education |
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Hoffpauir noticed that upper-crust ladies of Austin tended to dress rather uniformly and stiffly. With a background in fashion merchandising, she increasingly supplanted the store's gift selection with apparel that she felt more authentically represented the lifestyles of Austin, she says. That approach to dressing well, plus a strategy of welcoming eightysomethings as much as twentysomethings, proved to be a winning combination. The Garden Room has nearly quadrupled in square footage, and it is now a leading fashion establishment in a vibrant city.
"Austin has been very good to us. I have a certain quality of life that I think is only possible here. At my age, you start to think about what you can give back," she says.
Hoffpauir feels the Austin market is tough to crack, and she enjoys sharing her eye for style and her business acumen for the benefit of Texas designers. She works with students in the University of Texas' retail merchandising program, and every year, she judges the apparel design majors' final projects. Last year the Garden Room sponsored an open call for designers to present their creations to a panel of style mavens and get guidance, some of which resulted in significant business opportunities for them. The Garden Room also contributes to fashion shows to benefit groups including Ballet Austin and Helping Hand, and participates in the Junior League's Christmas Affair.
The Christmas Affair Ball is one of Hoffpauir's favorite parties, and she loves a good party, especially parties with several generations of people, including weddings. She enjoys formal presentations of high schoolers and college students and hearing about their activities. "I love to keep up with the kids of this town."
"I am just basically a very social person. I enjoy being around people," she says. "I always like to know what draws people to Austin, where they're from, what they do. My husband loves people, too. We're Southern."
Corey Hoffpauir is a landscape architect. The two met at Louisiana State University, moved to Austin from Dallas in 1971 for his career. They have two grown children and live near Pease Park. So why not just write checks and relax at home, enjoying the empty nest?
"If you just write a check, you don't really understand an organization. (Whereas) if you go to Hospice Austin and see how heartwarming it is, you don't ever want to not support them." The hospice might be her favorite philanthropy, she says. "It means a lot to me, having a history of losing parents to cancer."
"In New Orleans or Baton Rouge or Atlanta, some of the activities are so closed. You have to be born into a certain family. I don't think Austin has ever been like that. Anyone who wants to help a cause is welcome." Amid such populism, she marvels that in Austin, she's had the chance to mingle with two presidential families, the Johnsons and the Bushes. "Austin exposes you to a lot."
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