This Houston Lawyer Brings Upcycled Style and a Giving Heart — Getting To Know Best Dressed Hall of Famer Roslyn Bazzelle Mitchell

The Philanthropy in Fashion Houston Best Dressed honorees represent a cross section of backgrounds, interests, and ages with two unifying characteristics. Each has an altruistic interest in contributing to the Bayou City and each has a defining style. The philanthropic femmes will be saluted on September 17 at a Post Oak Hotel luncheon benefiting March of Dimes.

In this new PaperCity series, we are profiling each of the 2025 Houston Best Dressed honorees leading up to the PaperCity Philanthropy in Fashion Houston Best Dressed Luncheon. Second up: Best Dressed Hall of Famer Roslyn Bazzelle Mitchell.

Roslyn Bazzelle Mitchell’s Fashion Leadership

Attorney, dedicated community leader, entrepreneur and woman with boundless energy, Roslyn Bazzelle Mitchell enters the Houston Best Dressed Hall of Fame this year, having been named to the Best Dressed ranks for the third time. In addition to her leadership interests with Hermann Park Conservancy (board chair), Jack and Jill of America (founding chair) and the Women’s Resource Center, this stylish femme is proud to be an advocate for up-cycling fashion.

That carbon footprint reduction effort is part of the business model for RoKi Design silk scarves, a business Mitchell co-established in 2020. As the website notes of their products, you can expect “Accessories and home goods handmade from authentic vintage scarves and up-cycled luxury fabric.”

Bazzelle Mitchell makes no bones about tapping into upscale, gently worn fashion.

“I love to shop pre-loved/vintage (clothing) and have acquired some amazingly unique items through second hand resellers, such as Oscar de la Renta Encore and the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary Reflections on Style Luncheon & Chic Boutique,” Bazzelle Mitchell says.

The Oscar de la Renta gown that she wore for the PaperCity Philanthropy in Fashion photo shoot for the September issue was a glorious find at Encore.

Bazzelle Mitchell has had a litany of leadership roles in fundraising for her favored nonprofits including Tee Up for Teach, the Heart Ball and Fashion in the Fields. She also chaired the 25th anniversary gala for Project Row Houses. Upcoming, she will chair the concert benefiting the National Museum of African History and Culture, part of the Smithsonian.

The Style Survey

Favorite designers: Oscar de la Renta and Houston’s Christy Lynn, Amir Taghi

Style icon: Emma Grede, Mellody Hobson, Meghan Markle

Your go-to outfit: Anything with a RoKi silk scarf

Fragrance: Twilly d’Hermès

Books on your coffee table: Roar!: A Collection of Mighty Women by Ashley Longshore, Oscar de la Renta: His Legendary World of Style by Andre Leon Talley, The International Best Dressed List: The Official Story by Amy Fine Collins.

Travel destination that inspires: Piazza del Duomo, Florence, Italy

Favorite hotel in the world: The Fairmont Banff Springs

Bonus question

Something most people do not know about you: “Most people think I am a transplant from the East Coast, came to Texas for college and never left,” Roslyn Bazzelle Mitchell says. “However, I was actually born in Nassau Bay, at the Nassau Memorial Hospital and was the last baby born there before it was closed by the FHA.”

Tickets for the PaperCity Philanthropy in Fashion Best Dressed Luncheon and Neiman Marcus Fashion Presentation benefiting March of Dimes are available here.