Glad Rag ‘fairy godmothering’ is second nature to Ivy Saxon
By Michael Harrelson, editor, HottyToddy.com
michael.harrelson@hottytoddy.com
It takes more than just designer clothes to meet the fashion aspirations of the Ole Miss sorority set.
Along with the glad rags that are part of the famous fashion parade at home football games in The Grove and at the myriad social occasions on every Greek girl’s social calendar, it takes a commitment to finding and carrying the latest designer apparel, in just the right color, fabric and style, and more –– a fashion retailing touch every bit the equivalent of the proverbial fairly godmother of legend.
Based on its more than ten years of success in a city where fashion stores, boutiques and shops abound, Miss Behavin’, located in the Thompson House on the historic Oxford Square, meets all of these prerequisites and then some.
The store has been a favorite of the sorority set, local fashion conscious women and Rebel football fans of the female persuasion since 2002, when Ripley native Ivy Saxon opened the high-fashion boutique that takes its name from the University of Mississippi’s more endearing, less mischievous alter ego –– Ole Miss.
“We’re bringing some of the glitz, the glamour and the fun of L.A. and Las Vegas fashion to Oxford with Miss Behavin,’” says Saxton, the scion of a long line of Mississippi businessmen and businesswomen, including her mother, Susan Vance, the owner of two My Favorite Shoes locations in Oxford.
She describes the look of the store she envisions as the flagship of a chain of women’s fashion stores she plans to open in the future as, “truly modern, with a color scheme that incorporates whites, grays and metallic tones that highlight the clothing and the merchandise itself.”
Other focal points of the store’s interiors include track lighting, dressing room exteriors that feature a bronze block mirror design, original artwork, and a modern but classic chandelier imported from the Netherlands.
“Our objective for customers walking in to Miss Behavin’ is to make them feel special, comfortable and inspired by the surroundings,” Saxon says.
Although the store offers mid-price-range fashions for women of all ages, Saxon says Miss Behavin’ has been a particularly big hit with the young women on Sorority Row at Ole Miss. And for good reason, too.
“We cater to them,” Saxon says. “We have the fashions and the accessories that they need for their parties, such as a basic black dress for Prep Night and more colorful outfits for Skit Night. When we go on buying trips, my staff and I get into the mindset of high school girls at Homecoming time. And we make sure that we carry sweaters that cover your arms at church. Any woman can walk into the store and walk out with something they like. Our fashions tend to be sexy without being provocative. They are affordable, and they are timeless.”
The fashion brands featured at Miss Behavin’ also represent a who’s who of American designer fashion houses, Saxon says. Among the store’s more than 1,100 unique fashion items are designer dresses, gowns, tops, coats and fashion accessories from national designer houses such as ark&co, Dillon Rogers, GLAM, House of Harlow, Joe’s Jeans, Line & Dot and Lucca Couture, among many others.
Whether it’s the “style book” that each of the store’s retail sales women must create and constantly update to stay out front of the constantly evolving fashion world, or the store’s commitment to working with every customer to help her develop her own unique style statement, it’s all in a day’s work at the store that thrives on its motto, “Make Rules, Break Rules, Fashion Rules!
