Fashion forward Austinites are in for a treat December 9 as Dina Chávez premieres her latest work, SixChel, at a special holiday trunk show at Maya Star.

Chávez the quintessential local, having studied costume design at UT, and later fashion design at the Academy of Arts in San Francisco, giving her a well-rounded approach to the industry.  Her Holiday Collection featuring a rich color palette includes black lace, sequins and leather trim, and will be comprised of 10 pieces with only two to three sizes of each available, so you won’t want to miss this opportunity to see what she has in store.

“Ultimately, women want to be comfortable and feel great in their clothes, not wear a costume,” Chavez said. “In order to keep a balance between the two, I have to always ask, ‘Can this skirt be worn with a tank top?’ Or ‘Can this blouse be worn with jeans?’ If the answer is yes, then I consider it fashion. Personally, when I work with private clients, it gives me the opportunity to create gowns using my background in costume design and that provides a creative balance between costume and fashion design.”

Taking inspiration from French culture, Chávez finds her muse within the arts, historical couture and the essence of the French Woman. Being of Mexican-American descent, Chávez feels a strong personal connection to the artistic cultures between France and Mexico from the early 1900s into the 1950s.

“This Holiday Collection is a transition of my Resort Collection from this past year’s Austin Fashion Week,” she explained. “The collection is based on the idea that the fashion of Marie Antoinette was a political stance, since she was not allowed to voice her opinion. This fascinates me because I believe this is still present in today’s society. It seems that no matter the power or importance of the woman, her attire is always discussed more than her ideas or her expertise. I wanted to create a collection that combines femininity with strength, simplicity with decadence, and conservatism with sex appeal, to show that women are a combination of many characteristics and yes, we will express our opinions.”

SixChel is derived from “six” her astrological number and “chel” the Mayan goddess Ixchel, who wove a beautiful cloth to catch the eye of the Sun god, so we can only imagine the stunning looks she plans to unveil  Wednesday evening. If you’re going to be in Austin, try to catch this holiday trunk show. It’s open to the public, but you’ll need to RSVP here. When you get there, tell them where you heard it from.