April's Fashion Slice

Dreams of Dresses...

 

Now, let's get this straight.

Glossy shop windows and Vogue magazines put aside, the true flavor and fun of this blog is The Slice. Interviewing Columbia's Ladies of Style is truly a delight (cherry on top!) and for April there is no exception.

Though her true passion is Fall Fashion (cashmere, layers and boots, Oh my!) Lee Lumpkin, owner of high end dress shop The Ivory Tower, exudes a certain je ne sais quoi and sweetness that, to me, is like Spring. She was invited to September's Fashion Week in NYC by Nicole Miller, is Chair of the Columbia Classical Ballet, writes grants for ballets and travels frequently to California, New York, Nevada and other parts of the US to collect unique pieces for her Tower on Devine street.
 
The day that I went to The Ivory Tower the sky was rumbling and there were light showers. I ran up to the rose colored boutique in my rain boots and knocked on the thick glass door. It was our second time meeting, our first encounter having been over Illy Cafe at the Gourmet Shop.

Lee greeted me warmly. "Ask me anything you want!" She said. "Sit down, sit down. And would you like some wine?"

As a child, Lee gained sales experience from working at her family's retail shop. "I'm a sales girl!" she exclaimed to me in that bubbly enthusiasm that is so Lee.

But while sales was her passion Lee didn't study fashion. Nor did she study merchandising. "I have two Masters," she explained. "One in Education and Counseling and one in Psychology."

And maybe that is why The Ivory Tower has such soothing vibes. It's not just the comfortable chairs nor the cashmere scented soy candels. Unlike other high end boutiques, The Ivory Tower is welcoming, not intimidating. She taps into a psychology of shopping and it works.




Lee and her collection of "longs"


At The Ivory Tower you can find an array of luxury items. From fine crystal champagne flutes to the perfect gala gown, The Ivory Tower brings to Columbia the coziness of high end shopping. Hence, the vino.

When I asked her why she did not pursue a career in education, Lee explained, "I remember being in an interview with the superindendent of the school board. I was fresh out of graduate school, excited, young and with long painted finger nails," making a motion excentuating her hands.

"Well, the superintendent also had long bright painted nails and at the end of the interview she told me "The next time you go to an interview, you can't have nails like that. I can, but you can't."

And so Lee jilted that career opportunity. She decided to follow her childhood dream and open a dress shop.



An array of textures and colors can be found at the Ivory Tower



"Something happened. Someone that I loved dearly passed away and I inherited some money. It wasn't a huge sum, but it was enough for me to get started."

It was 1977 when The Ivory Tower settled its first location across from Dutch Square Mall. Lee still vividly remembers the excitement of signing the lease for her shop.

"I knew that I had to box myself in by signing the lease. If I didn't, I would never own my own dress shop. I would never own my own business."

The next thing she knew, Lee was off to New York City in pursuit of elegant, moderately priced dresses. She found what she was looking for and on her way back, Lee had quite a collection of couture.

"On the flight back I noticed the man sitting next to me wasn't that interested in talking, but I'm afraid that didn't stop me!"

"I opened up to him and told him how worried I was and that I didn't know how I would start making my payments for my dress shop, that it was my first time owning a business, etc. Well, thats when he told me who he was."

Sitting next to Lee on the airplane was Chisolm Leonard of CoS Bank.

"He told me to come and see him in Columbia, that he would give me a loan."

The Ivory Tower, open Tuedays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 12-7 by appointments, is located at 2614 Devine Street between Devine Foods and Fluff n' Puff. There one can find glitzy high end couture, eclectic accessories, delicate housewares, and some peace of mind, too.