Beverly Gianna walks through the door of a State Street mansion where the Friday Afternoon Club is holding its monthly lecture, wearing a stylish all-black outfit – a cover girl look for the trim redhead who was the vice president of communications for New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau (NOMCVB) for 30 years before retiring.
Retiring? She never embraced the word. Instead she went on to earn a master’s degree in theological studies from Spring Hill College in Mobile, and a second master’s degree in Liberal Arts from Tulane University.
Beverly was perfectly attired to fit in with the well-dressed group of woman at the lecture. The stylish ladies would have made a good lineup for a fashion show.
“I dress for comfort and flexibility,” she is quick to point out when I remark about how stylish she looks. “Actually, I didn’t have time to go home and change from the class I was attending at Loyola University, so I just came in my ‘school clothes.’”
School clothes indeed. Her outfit included a handsome wool knit long-sleeve dress with a pleated skirt, topped by a sport jacket Dominic (her attorney husband) purchased for her as a gift five years ago.
“It was a cold day, and rather than wear a heavy overcoat, I wrapped a black scarf around my neck,” she says, “I purchased the dress for a trip because I thought its simplicity would allow it to do double duty going from daytime to dinner on a dressier night.”
When queried further about her all-black outfit, Beverly quickly answers, “I do like black. Even when I travel internationally, I never check a bag. It isn’t a problem because I take basic black clothing and shoes, with a little color for my accessories.”
She also shares that her two favorite evening gowns are black.
“I just attended a debutante affair in Mobile and wore one of the black gowns.” The formal clothes section of her closet has been greatly pared down since her days at NOMCVB. Beverly is definitely the poster woman for a perfectly organized closet in her fashionable St. Charles Avenue home. “I separate shirts and blouses by color and also by long or short sleeves. Skirts are apart from pants, and dresses are divided from suits.”
Naot and Munro are her favorite shoes.
“I like both brands because they are very comfortable,” she says. Naot was founded in 1942 in a one-room factory in Israel. Today it is an international business and Israel’s leading manufacturer of shoes. Munro is a family operated shoe company based in Arkansas.
And how does Beverly organize her shoes?
“I separate first by color, then by dress or sport, and my handbags are organized by daytime and evening.”
Since she shares her favorite shoe labels, it is interesting to note that she says she doesn’t really shop for clothes by labels, and then hastens to add, “I do have Elie Tahari dresses that I especially like; her clothes are traditional and timeless.” She also likes J. Peterman pants. “Preferably the style pleated at the waist with a belt. I also like to wear socks much of the time, and my collection is not limited to black; it does include all colors and designs.”
Today Beverly works as an ombudsman and advocates for residents in several nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the Jefferson, Orleans and St. Tammany area. She also still finds time to continue her education – this time at Loyola University.
You would be wrong to think Beverly never steps out of her black comfort zone.
“My sweet husband of 44 years bought me a great present for my last birthday,” she says in delight, speaking about her new pair of red-soled Christian Louboutin shoes. “Oh,” she pauses and quickly adds, “I guess I need to confess the shoes are black.”
