Kelly Gale Amen Featured in June Issue
of Houston Chronicle's Gloss

June 29, 2009

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Kelly Gale Amen

A crisp white shirt worn with a custom-made vest, striped socks and rolled-up jeans is the signature look for this interior designer, a style he has favored for more than two decades.

Amen, whose talents include painting and furniture design, dresses for comfort. But that is not to imply simplicity. Silver bracelets and necklaces, sterling earrings, the occasional diamond drop earrings and rings are part of his fashion repertoire.

Admitting a weakness for stylish footwear, Amen counts 75 pairs of shoes in his closet, including many two-tone spectators. And then there are the 70 pairs of jeans custom-embroidered by Houston’s Derric Karl Vincent of Saint Vincent Clothing. Amen typically cuts them off or rolls them up to just below the knee.

The designer also puts a twist on those patterned vests — he has them tailored so the backs are made from the same fabric as the front — eschewing traditional silk so they look more finished and complete.

Despite the flamboyance, Amen contends, “If you wear what you love and love what you wear, you wear the clothes, they don’t wear you.”

Photo by Michael Paulsen/Houston Chronicle

Kelly Gale Amen's casual look, on a Pierre Paulin's "Pumpkin" ottoman from Ligne Roset. Amen has his vests custom-made so they have wool backs and his jeans custom-distressed by Houston artist Derric Karl Vincent of Saint Vincent Clothing.