Closets: Collecting Chic

This emerald ring was commis sioned by a Palm Beach matron, created in India, and bought by the Lakes at Coe & Channel in Uptown.

Sure enough, the unassuming suburban exterior opens into a highly stylized interior, including three (out of four) bedrooms that have been converted into her closets.

One of the rooms includes a climate-controlled archive that houses her personal collection of vintage Bonnie Cashin leather coats, cashmere sweaters, long leather gloves, even a turkey-feather cape. Cashin was the founding designer for Coach and designed a ready-to-wear collection that was sold through Neiman Marcus—Lake is now director of the Bonnie Cashin Foundation. A second dressing room includes a sitting area that features a gallery-worthy rotating installation of fashions. Across the hall, there’s a boudoir with black walls and sea-foam green furniture. It is loosely based on the aesthetic of Marie Antoinette’s cabinets at Versailles.

Lake’s primary influence is her own lineage. She inherited the aqua furniture from her grandmother, Elizabeth Iverson, who was married to the president of Donaldson’s department stores and to whom Lake bears an uncanny resemblance—just look at the painting in the room. “She was so grand in a classic manner,” says Lake.

An academic by trade, Lake lived both in LA and New York before returning to her hometown. She’s currently working on her dissertation and writing a book, both of which are about Cashin. She also recently cofounded Odette & Odile, a company that holds seasonal sales of hand-selected finds. To receive news about future sales, e-mail your contact info to odetteandodile@hotmail.com.

A Bonnie Cashin ensemble. The funnel neck is one of her staple styles, as is the sash, which also can be worn as a turban. Five essentials Stephanie Lake can’t live without: * Antiques—hunting and shopping at estate sales with my husband. * Vintage kimonos for morning espresso at home. * Anything less than a four-inch heel. * “Door knocker” cocktail rings. * Roasted almonds and prosecco.