South's Best Tastemakers 2019

Hometown: Houston, TX

Find Her: @lonestar.looking.glass

Known For: Boho style with a shot of Texas flair

On the Horizon: Partnerships with tourism boards across the country to enhance travel coverage on her blog, Lone Star Looking Glass

Southern Style Defined: “It’s refined & relaxed at the same time. There’s no other place where it’s completely natural to pair cowboy boots with a chic sundress. Southern women may slip on their heels for a dinner party, but they’ll have no problem taking them off to run through the cool grass chasing lightning bugs on a hot summer’s night with their children.”

Closet Crush: “If I had to wear one shoe for the rest of my life, it would be a pair of Tecovas cowboy boots. The Austin-based boot brand creates cowboy boots in silhouettes that will never go out of style. Each pair of boots is handcrafted in over 200 steps by artisans in León, Mexico, to ensure the boots will last for years to come.”

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Find Her: @sidandannmashburn

Known For: Classic style and thoughtfully curated shops across the country

Currently: “Figuring out how to continue to do retail well in this strange and exciting time. We just had a class from SCAD come over, and I gave them a tour of the office. The class was called”Non-Traditional Retail.” I laughed and said, ‘Oh my goodness...Non-traditional retail is now traditional!’ Instagram, website, Facebook, trunk shows, pop-ups … we love our brick-and-mortar stores but there is a lot going on out there!”

Atlanta Escapes: “Any of the restaurants on Buford Highway here in Atlanta. It is famous for its ethnic restaurants: Mexican, Vietnamese, Chinese—all of them super authentic and local and cheap! It feels like you are going way out of town … to Cambodia, Shanghai, or Mexico City. Fantastic. We never see anyone we know there, so it feels even more like we are far away!”

Hometown: Houston, TX

Find Her: @authentically.b

Known For: Bold, bright personal style and natural hair and makeup tutorials

On the Horizon: Growing an initiative called Influencing in Color, which she started with 3 of her best blogger friends, to encourage social change and promote inclusion and diversity.

Dream Collab: “I'm a teacher, so my dream collaboration would be to collaborate with Target on an education-based partnership. I love what they are already doing to help families, teachers, and schools, so joining with them on something to give back to communities would be amazing!”

Real-Life Inspiration: “I'm deeply moved by hearing the stories of other people who are authentically & unapologetically taking up spaces in a bold way. What they have gone through, where they come from, their interests and profound positions on the world are just amazing! It definitely makes me buckle down and do more in areas where I can.”

Hometown: Houston, TX

Find Her: @houseofharper

Known For: Her lifestyle blog, HOUSE OF HARPER, where she shares creative entertaining hacks, clever home solutions, and plenty of ideas for family fun.

On the Horizon: Quarterly ‘Open House’ events (hosted by Knapp) that are designed to connect like-minded women and facilitate offline conversations about everything from business to wellness

Go-To Designer: “Hunter Bell is a friend and neighbor, and I love her designs as much as I love her personally! She understands the lifestyle of a modern working mom who has a million to-dos, but also wants to look put together. I love pairing her feminine tops with my Levi 501s for a playful look that can take me from a meeting to a playdate with my boys.”

Hometown Hidden Gem: “Canterbury Court [in Corsicana, Texas] is my personal favorite! The owner travels to Europe 4-6 times a year and brings back the best treasures.”

Hometown: Nashville, TN

Find Her: @ceri_hoover

Known For: Last-forever, love-them-forever leather goods

In The Works: "I’m working very hard to use more sustainable materials in my collection this year. It’s always a struggle and a constant work in progress, but I’m getting closer to my goal. I hope to include leathers made in Tennessee from a tannery just outside of Nashville. Very exciting!"

Current Collaboration: “Wes Webb (@iamweswebb)—He is an amazing wood sculptor, and we are collaborating on wood handles for my Simone style this spring, using "found" wood from the side of the road. I can't wait to release this collection!”

What Excites Her About the South Right Now: “I think the South is really showing the world that it is the ‘soul of America.’ If the Midwest is the ‘backbone,’ the West Coast is the 'face', and the East is the ‘brain’ (and maybe the wallet), then the South is the soul, and I like that I'm here in it.”

Hometown: Greenville, SC

Find Her: @dorothy_shain

Known For: Approachable contemporary art marked by zippy colors and splashy patterns

On the Horizon: A new space that will house her studio, offices, and a showroom that will eventually be open to the public. Plus, a foray into textiles and tiles.

Hometown Hideaway: “Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery. Best place in town to grab a coffee and a chocolate chip scone, peruse the local groceries, pick up a local bundle of flowers, or just hang outside with your pup.”

What Excites Her About the South Right Now: “The amazing female-owned brands and women makers. I love the stories and soul behind each of them. I also love how Southern women come together: It is an unbeatable network of support and inspiration.”

Hometown: New Orleans, LA

Find Her: @tresamericain

Known For: Infusing Louisiana life with “a little French finesse”

On the Horizon: More digital stories and features on her blog, Tres Americain

Favorite Follow: “Amber Interiors (@amberinteriors) is a favorite account for interior design inspiration, but also because its founder, Amber Lewis, is a hoot and shares the funniest Instagram stories.”

Something to Celebrate: “I'm completely smitten by the [growth of] diversity that's occurring in Hollywood, as well as in the small business world. There are so many talented people shaking up industries and making positive change like never before. We're here for it!”

Hometown: Washington, D.C.

Find Her: @louloubaker_

Known For: Whimsically illustrated playing cards (She’s even designed a custom deck for royals!)

On the Horizon: A spring launch of custom-designed linen products

Southern Style Staple: “Florals everywhere, on everything. There could never be too many florals, in my opinion, with both clothing and décor.”

Favorite Brands: “For my 16-month old son, I am absolutely loving Beaufort Bonnet. I cannot get enough: polos, overalls, swim trunks, rash guards. For myself, I absolutely love Ann Mashburn. When I am not wearing floral sundresses in the summer, I go for classic and clean, which Ann Mashburn captures perfectly.”

Instagram Muse: “I find so much inspiration from interiors: the colors, pairings, patterns. I have been enjoying @theglampad recently.”

Hometown: Dallas, TX

Find Her: @officialzindagi

Known For: Beautiful jewelry and apparel that are hand-crafted in India

On the Horizon: Events and shows + collaborations with like-minded designers and brands at home in Dallas—“It feels like the right place to be right now.”

Personal Mantra: “My mom always reminds me to place everything in God's hands and work really hard, with excellence.”

Style Sense: “I very rarely pay attention to trends or what everyone is wearing. I focus on what feels right to wear because I believe style is very personal, it's a creative outlet, and there are no rules to follow.”

Wish-List Collaboration: “It would be my dream (and an honor) to collaborate with blogger Blair Eadie from Atlantic-Pacific. I absolutely love the boldness and grace in her style. She's so cool!”

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Find Her: @crosbybymollieburch

Known For: Classic clothes in bright, happy prints

On the Horizon: The grand opening of CROSBY’s first storefront in Inman Park in Atlanta on March 22 (“Everyone is invited!”)

Look Good, Do Good: Each season, Burch designs a print inspired by a human trafficking victim’s story. The print’s proceeds go to Wellspring Living, a nonprofit that works with human trafficking survivors.

Southern Bucket List Stop: “Marfa, TX. I’ve coveted Gray Malin’s photographs of the Prada Marfa store for many years and am dying to see it in person (and take photos of it of course!). With the town’s focus on art and creatives, I know it would be such an inspirational place.”

Hometown: Taylor, MS

Find Her: @niettmetals

Known For: Delicate handcrafted jewelry

On the Horizon: A spring collection of homeware and clothing designs under Place of Way, the shop name Harlow shares with her husband

Advice to Remember: “Watch and learn.”

Southern Bucket List Stop: “Chattanooga, TN, for its ability to offer both a city trip and outdoor excursion in one visit.”

What Excites Her About the South Right Now: “All over the country, we are seeing an increase in entrepreneurs and new, small businesses. Specific to the South, however, many of these are the very first to do so in their town or even their state—in some cases, even the region. This is exposing more people to new ideas, ways of doing things, and in some cases, working to bridge generational gaps.”

Hometown: Charleston, SC

Find Her: @ibumovement

Known For: Ibu, her hand-picked collection of luxury goods from artisans all over the world to promote economic self-sufficiency

Just Launched: Her brand's first line of exclusively designed ready-to-wear, called Ibu World. The collection focuses on one dress, interpreted 25 ways to celebrate textile techniques from around the globe.

What Excites Her About the South Right Now: “The vibrancy of valued traditions being elevated and transformed, especially the crafts of the hand, the music of the land, and of course, the soul writing that we have always loved.”

Words to Live By: “First, embrace what you have been given, however humble, and then create something new and glorious out of it.”

Hometown: Charleston, SC

Find Her: @venitaaspen

Known For: Her content-creation company, the Aspen Agency, plus her modeling work for brands like Old Navy, the Gal Meets Glam collection, and Neely & Chloe

Coming Up in 2019: "I know with one of my careers (modeling) that I am the person that another brown girl can look up too, but I want to do more than that. I want to be able to empower all abled and differently abled bodies to do whatever they want to do, and not let the stigma that holds them back from doing so."

What Excites Me About the South Right Now: "What excites me about living in the South right now is the strong push from my generation for positive change. The South is a place that has been all about tradition, tradition, tradition, which isn't a bad thing. But not all tradition is good tradition, and our generation isn't afraid to say that!"

Hometown Heroes: "Park Circle Creamery has the best ice cream ever. Online boutique Motherland Essentials keeps my skin moisturized for the winter months. And Fresh Future Farms has best produce in the city, plus her goal to empower children to eat right and teach them how to grow their own food is a beautiful thing."