The violetinis were flowing at the opening of new ’09 boutique The Violet Hour last week, causing this journalist to fear a bit for the gorgeous, expensive frocks. Shoppers packed in to get a preview of new lines exclusive to the store, including celeb-favorite Karen Zambos Vintage Couture and Sex and the City designer Mara Hoffman, and to peruse the charming “Boyfriend Rack,” an armoire full of vintage men’s jewelry, T-shirts, and button-downs.
Located in the Sunset Ridge shopping center, the spacious boutique has an Old-World charm, with deep plum-colored walls trimmed in white, antique wooden furniture, a glittering chandelier, and an eclectic mix of prints, vintage paintings, and movie posters. Dressing rooms are big enough for a small party, with whimsical lines of poems written on each mirror in lipstick — changed. Indeed, owners (and sisters) Camilla Basse and Amber Long are literarily inspired — they named the shop after a line in a poem by T. S Eliot. The violet hour is the time when it’s neither day nor night, when all the magic
happens.
Purchase a Violet Hour bracelet at either Sunshine Cottage or the Southwest School of Art and Craft, and 25 percent of your purchases through Saturday, April 5, will benefit those two causes. 6346 North New Braunfels, (210) 829-0388, shoptheviolethour.com.
