The most famous dream closet in modern cinema is that of a certain ‘Sex and the City’ columnist in New York.
This Dallas closet is better.
Way better.
edited from an interview by
BRADLEY AGATHER MEANS
photographs by
STEPHEN KARLISCH
Two bedrooms and a bath gave their lives for it. It took six months to plan. It is 60 feet long. It is also where Meredith Musselman, the daughter of oilman Jim Musselman, keeps her own amazing clothes and those of her late mother, the elegant, effervescent Shelly Musselman, who was the co-owner of Forty Five Ten. The younger Musselman inherited more than her mother’s McQueens and Margielas: “She, like her mother,” says Gonzalo Bueno, who designed the closet and the interiors of the house that goes with it, “is just as beautiful inside as she is on the outside.” Here, FD fashion editor Bradley Agather Means goes inside.
BRADLEY AGATHER MEANS: This closet is any girl’s dream! What inspired it?
MEREDITH MUSSELMAN: The design was completely inspired by my mother’s incredible wardrobe that I inherited, after her death [in 2011]. She had some of the most unbelievable pieces I have ever seen. I wanted to make sure they had a proper home.
BAM: Are there any designers who dominate your wardrobe? Any pieces that are particularly special or favorites?
MM: There is a little bit of everything. Since it is definitely an amalgam of my and my mother’s clothing, you basically have a Forty Five Ten museum from its opening days to just last week. Favorites will always be Rick Owens, McQueen, Narciso Rodriguez, Derek Lam, Martin Margiela, KaufmanFranco, Alberta Ferretti, Stella McCartney, Roland Mouret, The Row — honestly, you have to stop me.
BAM: Gonzalo Bueno of Ten Plus Three designed the closet and your whole house. How did you two work together? Did you give him specific direction?
MM: We worked together every step of the way, with him obviously leading the charge.
BAM: Did you run into any design challenges?
MM: If by design challenges you mean trying to fit an obscene amount of clothing into an already obscenely large space and still having trouble — then, yes, we did. My mother had more clothing than anyone I know and I am not much better, so we had to do some major clearing out and donating, which ended up being a very therapeutic and wonderful part of the process.
BAM: Gonzalo told me that you made it fun, and that laughing with you was the best therapy he could ask for. He also said there was so much to edit and select. Did you have to sacrifice space elsewhere in the house to get the closet you wanted?
MM: We had to get rid of two bedrooms and the Jack-and-Jill bathroom between them. That was most definitely a sacrifice.
BAM: The closet is part Poliform from Scott + Cooner — a mix of larch wood and lacquered doors, with leather pulls and bronze glass — and part custom-designed by Gonzalo. What are some of your favorite elements?
MM: We had bronze-glass doors installed in the central section of the closet, and that is where we put nicer gowns and evening wear as a way to distinguish those pieces from the rest. We also had special LED lighting installed throughout; when you open the doors, motion sensors illuminate the particular area you’re in. One of my most favorite elements is the vanity in the center of the closet. Gonzalo designed the whole thing. It is beyond glamorous: ivory- lacquered wood, bronze metal framing and an antique- mirror top. I’m telling you, this guy knows what he’s doing.
BAM: This is really a collector’s closet. Is there a method behind your organization? Do you arrange by designer? Color? Season?
MM: Honestly, Terri Beverley [of Custom Spaces]and I have worked tirelessly to keep it meticulously organized. We have most definitely dabbled in all forms of curation — designer, color, season — and all work beautifully — for a while. The truth is, daily life is just too hectic, and if I were to try to keep it perfect all the time, I would go crazy.
BAM: In case of fire, what is the one item you’d grab?
MM: That is an impossible scenario for me. I would grab my gold Moschino dress, my white Margiela booties and as many Rick Owens jackets as I could muster. Suffice it to say, I might not make it out alive.
Don’t miss the rest of Meredith Musselman’s house in the October issue of FD.
