She’s been compared to a Bond Girl and posed as a PaperCity cover girl awash in a stack of Warhol Brillo boxes at The Menil Collection. She’s also been a patron and collagist for a mammoth Texas art volume, as well as wife to Craig Massey and stylish mom. Is there anything Tatiana Massey can’t do? This month, she adds trend-spotting fashion retailer to her creative credentials. Not interested in the demure, but with an eye for the cutting-edge, progressive and important, this Russian-born beauty and former model has carved out a spacious expanse of The Brownstone for her showroom and very happening hive. The memorably monikered Laboratoria mirrors her global vision of fashion and its most contemporary practitioners and is stocked with unique talents you need to know, which are found in few U.S. retailers: Brit gal Holly Fulton’s hand-screened dresses and statement necklaces; sumptuous gloves, armlets and demi-gloves by Swedish label Imoni (an unforgettable find, around $300); and sunglasses with attitude by New Zealand’s Karen Walker and Paris talent Thierry Lasry. Lacy transparent blouses and a vinyl skirt by Australian brand Lover also mix with American small-batch collection Sea and up-to-the minute Moscow designer Alexander Terekhov. Adding to the allure are curated offerings by Texas visual artists Angelbert Metoyer, Susan Plum and Luis Arsenio Gonzalez. Joining Massey in these endeavors is recently minted fashion-school grad and textile expert Rachel McKenny. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm, Laboratoria is a stunning reflection of its creator’s bold and beautiful aesthetic. 2803 Westheimer, corner of Virginia, 832.407.2832; laboratoria-shop.com.
IMAGE: Tatiana Massey in Laboratoria. Photo by Jenny Antill.