It was a delight to speak with Yvonne Denise Lawrence, the Black stylist/designer of Diamond & Pearls Fashion, who was featured at Runway 7’s NYFW shows last week. She was so excited and insightful, while explaining how folks are working out their fashion options today. The show was fabulous.
The fall’25 Diamond and Pearls collection was inspired by Lawrence’s grandmother, Georgia Bell, who raised her after her mom died a car accident. A licensed cosmetologist, Bell was born in Oakland, Calif., and now resides in Sacramento. She loves to style famous stars and create designs for her clients. She designs for women who want their own styles, and to look good in everything they wear. The look is what works for you, and your body. “My customer is the bold, the classy, and the sassy,” Lawrence said. “Now I’m doing the work of my dream.”
Lawrence recalled that when she was ‘n the seventh grade, “all of my friends wanted to search my closet, because I always went to school fashionably dressed.” She loved to dress her friends, which is why she chose the name “Diamond & Pearls” as the name of her collection. Eventually opening up her own boutique was always the goal, even though she worked in corporate settings until she was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 (she is thankful to have been in remission since 2020). She worked as a retail store manager,until she decided to go into business for herself.
Diamond & Pearls opened in 2002 as a hair salon. Before that, Bell worked at some pretty well-known salons in Oakland. She decided to style and dress her clients, who were also her models. Since she was a professional in both beauty and fashion, Diamond and Pearls came alive.
“Today’s women shop in [their] own closet or in thrift shops for clothes,” Lawrence said. “They don’t make clothes the way they used to.”
You can find sustainable styles in natural fabrics like silk and cotton in thrift shops around the city and country. Yes, you must look, and be through in your search. “I design fashion styles, not a trend,” Lawrence noted. “There’s a difference: A trend passes by quickly, while fashion and style are within you. It’s about how you want to dress and look, which will be a part of you forever.”
None of Bell’s clothes in the Runway 7 lineup were new; they were vintage. “Pieces came out of a thrift store or someone’s closet, “ she revealed. As the Diamond and Pearls models strutted and posed on the runway, every look was fashionably up-to-date and impressive. The umbrellas were a nice touch during the finale. The print strapless gown belonged to her 5’10” grandmother and was designed years ago.
In addition to owning and operating Diamond and Pearls, Bell trains women with disabilities, teaching them about the fashion industry. “Also, I donate my merchandise … to women who need clothing.”
She mentors cancer patients, as well as women who have experienced domestic violence. “Just listening to their stories and being a go-to person for them, I’m part of their community: you’re the community, she’s the community, he’s the community; we are the community. So for me, it’s a no-brainer.”
The Diamond and Pearls collection is available at www.diamondsandpearlsfashion.com, @Von_Denise23, or by contacting fashionsbyvondenise@gmail.com
Fashion & Beauty editor Renee Minus White is the author of “Maybe: My Memoirs” and an original member of the Chantels, the 1950s doo wop female singers’ group who recorded “Maybe.” Her book is available at Amazon.com.