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BONNIE ROSEMAN Walk into the strikingly bright palette of blues and yellow living room of couturier Bonnie Roseman, and you are assured of a tonal high energy visit. Hues of azure and Mediterranean turquoise coexist with the jolt of lipstick shades. A studio upright piano painted in glossy cherry red stands its ground near Chippendale style dining chairs alternating from cerise to canary yellow. An artist from Telluride picked up on the sunshine aspect of south Florida. Vivid tones define the designer who revels living in color. She explains that they bring good luck. Artsy installations dangle from beams and handmade ornaments dot available space, further defining the creative nature of this collector. An architect/chef from Napa whipped a miniscule kitchen into working order. Everywhere you turn is a photo op for the creative soul to relish. Former California girl with dreams of designing fabulous fashion does so here in Palm Beach. In a charming 1948 coral Spanish abode Bonnie and renowned jazz singer husband, Tony Messina, live out a vibrant lifestyle with their frisky Coton de Tulear, Jazzman. He is referred to as their couture dog. How fitting for a designer such as Bonnie who goes to clients' homes, assembles wardrobes and dresses a stylish roster from celebs to the social crowd in town. She brings her fluffy canine, who sits close by quietly watching, as clients choose their swatches and have private fittings as if she were a Vogue editor. Twenty-one years ago Roseman saw a niche in the fashion market that needed filling. Custom fit, gorgeous fabrics, personal service and accessories to finish off a look. She started out driving to those who knew of her talent. As word spread so did the mileage on her car. Taking her traveling boutique from the West Coast and stopping in various cities along the way, she would design and fit a group of friends who loved the service. They would telephone another posse of ladies who would show up and prolong her visit. This pattern would repeat itself wherever she would park her car full of daywear and cocktail attire. Before long, she was dressing the "Who's Who" coast to coast. As she was building up a nationwide clientele word reached local networks in major cities. Roseman's broad smile via a vivacious personality would appear on the Good Morning shows and the ladies would tune in. The screenings reached an apex when she appeared on the Today Show with Jane Pauley in 1990. She showed how to fine-tune a pre-existing wardrobe with designer pieces. By using a Polaroid camera and chronicling "looks" she gave her customer visual proof of successfully assembled outfits. Once the Polaroid Corporation recognized the brilliance of her work, they put a marketing strategy into play, signed her as their national spokeswoman in the fashion industry. Touring the country, flying first class instead of driving, the boutique was a spectacular coup. Bonnie Roseman's fame spread as her mission was to incorporate the camera that made instant pictures key. This campaign promoted Polaroid in the style arena, using it in layouts and shoots- Andy Warhol couldn't have done without it. Editorial write-ups appeared in People and Delta Sky magazines. Newspaper clippings chronicled her travels: the Aspen Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Houston Chronicle, The Hartford Courant, the Palm Beach Daily News and The New York Times. For a gal who started as the Cadillac of boutiques, she covered serious ground. The word was out... the exclusive couturier was on her way. By bringing fashion to the customer a bond developed as Roseman would pull from their closets and redefine outfits. Meshing couture with sportswear created upgraded choices. She introduced seasonless fabrics in a myriad of colors, including unique linings. Working with a variety of figures, she fine-tunes silhouettes that work. Patterns can be adjusted according to figure types. Buttons are hand bound. When Pauline Trigere saw Roseman's work she said, "I haven't seen workmanship like this in years." Working with the great fabric houses in Europe creates the edge. As her signature four-ply silk is her specialty, she combines a shell with palazzo pants in chiffon, topping off with a scarf. A light weight wool crepe jacket pulls the assemblage together. Adding collars and cuffs in a plethora of colors gives a multitude of options, thus creating accent touches. An outfit takes on another personality when details count and are snapped on. Once you are guided by her innate fashion sense, you are armed with taste and savvy to stand out at the Norton Museum of Art's prestigious event, the Vernissage. Today the couple travel with Jazzman in tow. A month in California Bonnie oversees business while Tony has singing engagements. Summers in Nantucket are perfect for relaxing and catching up with clients. They spend two months working and creating in their pied-a-terre in New York, finally ready for the return to Palm Beach, their little piece of heaven. Every stop along the way gives inspiration to design. Choosing a three-quarter length pinstripe jacket and pant in winter white for a client, she exclaims, "Now you're ready to hang out at Versailles!" You cannot walk out into the cerulean sky unaffected from meeting Bonnie Roseman, experiencing her upbeat personality and seeing her delicious colors and sensual textures. This is first class design in every jet stream. Log onto the website: www.bonnieroseman.com, or contact her at 1-800-434-7898.
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