By any measure, a 30+ year career as an uber-successful model, representing top fashion and beauty brands like Chloe, L’Oreal, Neutrogena and Pantene, plus shooting an international campaign with the likes of George Clooney, would be enough for anyone to take their foot off the pedal. Not so for model Dara Tomanovich, who checked all those big-goal boxes and many more, yet still harbored a secret dream of someday creating a fashion line.
“I still remember when I was seven, and my mother bought me a pair of purple heels. They were a size too small, but I loved wearing them. It was my first time suffering for fashion!” That experience, plus her mother’s skills as a professional seamstress and her father’s debonair style, made a deep impression on Dara growing up in Toronto. She went onto develop a keen fashion sense, hunting down the best cuts, colors and quality, curating a killer wardrobe of her own.
Fast forward to 2019, when Dara fell head over high heels for a handsome golf fanatic and found herself spending a whole lotta time on the green. What she didn’t find: functional sports clothes that flattered the female physique. Just like that…an idea was born. By 2021, she branded Devon Halsey, the name inspired by one she used to protect her identity during high-profile gigs. By 2022, she finalized her designs for standouts like the Jackie O-inspired cashmere, cotton “JoJo sweater,” a “Lexi Sweater Puffer” with a deliciously form-fitting silhouette, and a to-die for “Driver Jacket” that morphs into a waterproof vest, bolero and crossbody bag. By 2023, those looks and more made a splash on-line and in golf-pro boutiques around the country.
What did Dara learn from her first foray into fashion? “I can grow the brand to include golf-inspired clothes that extend to dressing for tennis, pickleball and more aspects of a fashionable woman’s active and diverse life.”
Which brings us to Devon Halsey’s Fall, 2024 collection, featuring fresh looks destined to become must-haves for women craving a functional-meets-fabulous style. Get ready for… a super-cute “Skilt” (Dara’s fun word-mash up of skirt and kilt!)… a glam tennis dress called “The Taylor” (as in Miss Swift, who Dara thinks would look on-point wearing it!)… a Gucci-inspired, breezy bubble-skirt, a snatching full-body trainer and more, all in an array of colors from “Beaujolais” to “Blu” to an alluring “Jade” to “Vapor Grey” and beyond.
Spend time in the Devon Halsey showroom and Dara’s enthusiasm is contagious. While vamping and showcasing the wow-factor of each outfit, she says, “I want to empower women of all sizes to feel confident and stylish by offering premium quality, fashion-forward apparel. Put more simply, I want any woman wearing my clothes to look damn good!”
If the growing buzz around Devon Halsey is any indication, that’s another big-goal box Dara can soon check. In the meantime, she’s unafraid to pound the pavement…or putting green…or tennis or pickleball court. She’s hosted trunk shows from the Hamptons to Palm Beach, and last summer, set up shop at the PGA in Frisco, Texas. While big brands, like Lululemon, were M.I.A., there was Devon Halsey and its tireless creator, Dara Tomanovich, flashing her million-dollar smile and spreading the word, making her fashion dream—and the dreams of countless women who’ve longed for such elegant and sporty designs—come true.
