Featuring 13 trendsetting Texans, DFW Style Daily’s Best Dressed 2013 were revealed to a sold-out crowd at Galleria Dallas on September 26th. Click here for the full list of honorees and exclusive behind-the-scenes photo shoot videos!  

  Dawn Mellon Plano, Texas Fashion Stylist & Columnist Wardrobe by Nordstrom, Galleria Dallas Hair & Makeup by Toni & Guy Photography by Sylvia Elzafon With special thanks to The Grill on the Alley  

  DFW Style Daily: How would you describe your personal style? Dawn Mellon: “Trendy, and at the same time, age appropriate.” Name a person or persons who helped shape your personal style. “The first person who shaped my style was my mother. She was always so glamorous, in my opinion. Her personal motto was, ‘If you can't get dressed up to go, it's not worth going.’ She really impressed upon me the importance of always looking your best. “I also would have to say that I was influenced by my mother's sister, my aunt and my Godmother, as well as my grandmother and her sister, my great aunt.  Each one of them influenced me in her own way. My Godmother was nine years younger than my mother, and one of the most beautiful women I've ever known. Everything about her was perfect - her makeup, her hair, her outfit - everything. “My grandmother (step-grandmother, to be exact) is the person I hold accountable for developing my love of shopping! The day after she would take my sister and me shopping, the bell would ring, and some kind gentleman would be at the door to deliver all the clothes and shoes she bought for us. Thankfully, I didn't know that this 'delivery service' wasn't offered to everyone. “Finally, my great aunt had a very simple sense of style compared to the other women in my family, but I never saw her wear a pair of slacks. She wore a dress, pantyhose, and heels every day, and she always took great care of herself. I remember visiting her in the hospital shortly before she passed away. At that point, my great aunt had slipped into a coma, but her hair was perfectly coifed, her nails were manicured, and her skin was like porcelain.” Do you have any wardrobe items passed down from previous generations? “My grandmother passed away when my mother was nine years old. She had this beautiful rose gold watch encrusted with diamonds and rubies (my birthstone), and on the back the engraving reads, ‘I love you. Christmas 1940.’ I remember my mom would only wear this watch on special occasions, and I thought it was the most beautiful time piece I had ever seen. Then, when I was older and learned the meaning behind it, knowing how much I loved it, my mom gave it to me to enjoy.”  

  What was the first item of clothing you remember purchasing for yourself? “Gloria Vanderbilt jeans - oh, my! They were $50 back in the early 1980’s, a small fortune by today's standards, but a must for any fashionable teenage girl.” Do you follow any hard-and-fast wardrobe rules? “I try to wear clothes that fit my body type. You can never go wrong with clothes that fit well and flatter your figure. I must confess, however, I still can't wear white after Labor Day or before Memorial Day.” Let’s head back in time for a moment. Do you remember a favorite ‘first day of school’ outfit? “While I don't have a favorite 'first day of school' outfit, I do have a favorite Christmas outfit from third grade. It was an off-white silk blouse with long, puffy sleeves and a beautiful ruffle down the front, paired with eggplant-colored crushed velvet hot pants and a matching vest. I wore white tights and white patent leather 'go-go' boots. I had bangs, and my long hair was curled. I thought I had arrived!”  

  How did you feel when you learned you had been named one of Galleria Dallas and DFW Style Daily’s Best Dressed 2013?  “Speechless. Literally, at a loss for words.” What aspect of this program is most significant to you? “The fact that the proceeds from the ticket sales benefit Dallas Can Academies and, even more important to me personally, the Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas. Both my Grandmother and my Godmother took their own lives. I, along with most of the women in my family, have battled, or continue to battle, depression and anxiety. I am delighted that simply being recognized for the way I dress is helping, in part, people in crisis who might otherwise feel that ending their lives is the only option they have.”  

Click here to view an exclusive video featuring Dawn Mellon’s Galleria Dallas photo shoot!