Fashion  ·  Style  ·  Dallas
The Maker · Issue 016
A

Petite Paloma  ×  Veronica Beard · Highland Park Village

Red, Bold
& Texas‑Born

Ava Ingram Launches Her Cowgirl Boot at the Heart of Dallas Fashion

Ava Red Midi Cowgirl Boots on display at Veronica Beard
The Ava Boot on display · Veronica Beard, Highland Park Village
Ava Ingram holding her boot at the launch
Ava Ingram, designer

Some boots are made to be worn. The Ava Red Midi Cowgirl Boot was made to be remembered — and its designer had every intention of making sure Dallas knew it.

On a warm Texas afternoon in Highland Park Village, designer Ava Ingram stepped into Veronica Beard's pristine boutique with something unmistakable on her feet: a boot that was entirely her own. The launch of the Ava Red Midi Cowgirl Boot by Petite Paloma wasn't just a product debut — it was a declaration.

Petite Paloma, the boutique footwear brand that has quietly built a loyal following among women who refuse to choose between comfort and aesthetic conviction, tapped Ingram to put her name — and her vision — on a boot that speaks the language of the American Southwest without whispering it. The result is a midi-height cowgirl silhouette in a rich red suede, adorned with signature fringe cascading from the shaft and delicate floral cutout appliqués — bold, deep, and unapologetically alive.

"This boot is for the woman who walks into a room already knowing she belongs there," Ingram said at the launch. "Red is confidence. The cowgirl shape is heritage. Together, they're exactly who I design for."

01
The Evening

A Launch Worthy of Highland Park Village

Veronica Beard's Highland Park Village location is no stranger to landmark moments. The brand — known for its polished, wearable luxury and a certain effortless confidence that Dallas women have claimed as their own — provided the ideal backdrop. Warm light filtered through the boutique's windows onto curated racks and a small crowd of editors, stylists, and devoted customers who arrived early to see what Ingram had created.

The boots were displayed at the center of the room, styled simply — letting the red do what red does best. Two distinct silhouettes graced the table: the signature style with floral cutout appliqués in rich suede, and a taller version with a gleaming metallic gold collar — each commanding the room in its own way.

Petite Paloma boot collection at launch Ava Ingram with a guest at the launch

Left: The full collection on display  ·  Right: Ava Ingram with a guest at the launch

"I wanted a boot that felt completely at home in Texas and completely at home at a dinner table in Paris. Red makes both of those things possible."
— Ava Ingram, Designer
02
The Look

Navy & Red: The Night's Most Deliberate Choice

Ava Ingram didn't arrive at her own launch in a red dress and call it done. She made a more interesting choice: deep navy from head to hem, with the Ava Boot providing the sole — and soul — of red. The pairing was studied, intentional, and quietly brilliant.

She wore the Veronica Beard Johanan Lace Trim Camisole in Navy — a sleek, navy camisole with a delicate lace trim neckline that adds just enough femininity — tucked into the brand's Felina Mini Skort in Navy, with its structured skirt overlay and polished button-trim detail. Both pieces from the very boutique hosting her launch — a choice as much tribute as style decision.

Together, the navy tones created a visual canvas that made the red boot the undeniable focal point. The lace of the camisole introduced softness and texture; the clean lines of the skort added structure and leg. The Ava Boot did the rest — grounding the femininity of the ensemble with something bold and rooted.

"I dressed for the boot," Ingram explained simply. "Navy and red is one of those combinations that never overreaches. It's classic, but you can turn it into something unexpected when the red is this particular shade and that shape."

  • Contrast LogicNavy as the base lets the red boot read at full intensity — the darker the canvas, the more luminous the accent.
  • Texture PlayThe lace camisole introduces softness that balances the boot's Western edge without diluting it.
  • Silhouette StrategyThe mini skort exposes the full length of the boot shaft — deliberate to highlight the midi height Ingram designed.
  • Brand IntegrityWearing Veronica Beard head-to-toe at a Veronica Beard launch was a gesture of respect that translated as genuine confidence.
  • ProportionsThe structured skort hem hits mid-thigh, making the transition into the midi cowgirl boot seamless and uninterrupted.
  • MoodThe full look reads Texas-modern: confident, feminine, rooted in heritage but entirely of the moment.
03
The Collaborators

The Women Who Made It Happen

A launch like this doesn't happen in a vacuum. Behind every great boot and every perfect venue are the women with the taste, the vision, and the conviction to make it real. Two brands. Three founders. One very red evening in Dallas.

Kelsey, founder of Petite Paloma
Founder · Petite Paloma
Kelsey

Kelsey built Petite Paloma on a simple conviction: that small-footed women deserve footwear that is luxurious, handcrafted, and entirely uncompromising. Her partnership with Ava Ingram on the Ava Boot is the natural extension of that mission — bringing a designer's personal vision into the Petite Paloma universe with full creative freedom.

Veronica Miele Beard and Veronica Swanson Beard, co-founders of Veronica Beard
Co-Founders · Veronica Beard
Veronica Miele Beard
& Veronica Swanson Beard

Sisters-in-law and co-founders, the two Veronicas launched their eponymous brand on the idea that women deserve clothes that move with their real lives — polished enough for the boardroom, relaxed enough for school pickup. Their Highland Park Village boutique was the natural home for the Ava Boot launch: a space that celebrates exactly the kind of woman this boot was designed for.

04
The Takeaway

What Dallas Wore Home

By the evening's end, a steady line had formed at the register. The Ava Red Midi Cowgirl Boot had done what great design always does: made women feel something the moment they saw it, and feel even more when they put it on. Several guests left the boutique wearing their pair out the door, boots still box-fresh and already perfectly at home on the brick pathways of Highland Park Village.

For Ingram, the launch was both a professional milestone and a personal one. A Texas woman introducing a Texas boot to the women she grew up watching define Texas style — that's not a press event. That's a homecoming.

The Ava Red Midi Cowgirl Boot is available now at petitepaloma.com. The Johanan Lace Trim Camisole and Felina Mini Skort in navy are available at veronicabeard.com and in-store at Veronica Beard, Highland Park Village, Dallas, TX.

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Petite Paloma  ·  The Ava Collection
Highland Park Village · Dallas, Texas · Veronica Beard