Where Are They Now? with Cicada’s Anne-Marie Varnell Gordon
Where Are They Now? with Cicada’s Anne-Marie Varnell Gordon
By: Emma Greene
Entrepreneur and mother Anne-Marie Varnell Gordon brought a new way of thinking about clothing to Oxford, Mississippi in 1998. Gordon owns Cicada, a women’s clothing store that offers highly stylized apparel right on the Square. Gordon is celebrating twenty-five years of business this August.
At only 21 years old, Gordon began her entrepreneurial endeavor while pursuing an undergraduate degree at the University of Mississippi. Inspired by the successful new businesses she saw opening in her hometown, Dallas, Texas, Gordon thought one of those concepts could work here in Oxford,
Originally established as a day spa and yoga studio, Gordon made the transition into women’s fashion in 2001. Cicada now serves as the only store in Oxford that carries forward-thinking clothing brands such as Ganni, Isabel Marant, Marla Aaron, Veja, and many more. Cicada is now a mainstay for locals and tourists alike.
“I started with a phone, a front desk, a massage therapy table, and some candles,” said Gordon.
“Day spas were popular in Dallas at that time, so I decided to go to massage therapy school on the weekends,” Gordon said. “Not long after, I opened Cicada as my own practice.”
Gordon’s day spa led her down a path of health and wellness which she still maintains today, instructing early morning pilates classes at Core Fitness.
The transition from massage therapist to fashion retailer was not as straightforward.
Gordon took her first step into fashion when she began selling sleepwear in the lobby of her spa shortly after its opening. Cicada’s founding year of 1998 was also that of Sex and the City’s premiere, and Gordon realized there was nowhere in Oxford to buy some of the brands featured in the show. Cicada’s sleepwear and apparel became so popular that the noise from her retail customers began to affect Gordon’s spa services. Thanks to the overwhelming popularity of the products and the support from the Oxford community, Gordon was able to expand her inventory and begin selling ready-to-wear clothing.
In 2005, Gordon sold the day spa portion of Cicada to Tony Capomazza of La Rousse Salon & Spa. Oxford’s love for the high-fashion styles offered at Cicada allowed Gordon’s business to evolve. Undeniably a pillar of the fashion community here in Oxford, Cicada has even been recognized as one of the best boutiques in the South by Vogue.
Eighteen years after becoming a full-time retailer, Gordon is delighted to wear the “many hats” of boutique ownership. Although many days require her to sit in the store’s office running numbers, the storytelling aspect of her job is where she feels the most content.
“I love when I get to re-merchandise the store,” said Gordon. “Re-merchandising is moving all the inventory around to tell stories, little vignettes.”
“I love [it] when I get to dress a mannequin. I love to start thinking outside the box. I love to think of how you can mix patterns and prints and textures and dimensions. I find that fascinating.”
“Typically, we try to buy classic pieces,” Gordon said. “We’re going for style, not trend. Quality, treasured pieces that you'll have forever. One of the greatest compliments I could get would be somebody saying, ‘I got this from Cicada like 10 years ago and I still love it just as much.’”
Gordon models the same timeless ideology in her own wardrobe, donning mostly “black, neutrals, and stripes,” closet heroes which she says haven’t changed in years.
Dorothy Jean Hicks, manager of Cicada, who Gordon describes as the “salt” to her “pepper,” works alongside her as they curate each season’s buys.
“My style is comfort, but Dorothy Jean wears more fun colors, bright patterns, and glitter,” Gordon said. “We're a good team in that respect. She keeps the shop beautiful and she also stops me from buying all black.”
In addition to Gordon’s insatiable desire for knowledge and inspiration, she attributes her twenty-five years of success to her numerous mentors and loving husband.
The first step to success in her book is, “identify[ing] your weaknesses and ask[ing] for help when you need it.” For Gordon, this meant seeking out advice from mentors and additional education at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons School of Design.
To those who hope to assume a similar position to Gordon, she says, “Find people that you can learn from. Learn as much as you can, but don’t be afraid to make mistakes – you can learn from them as well, (just try not to make them too much).”
Cicada’s 25th-anniversary dinner party photographed by Ruth Emmerich, Square’s Creative Planner.
In its quarter century of business, Cicada has transformed Oxford, Mississippi’s fashion scene. Through trial, error, and many successes, a 21-year-old student paved her own way, inspiring a generation of our university’s students and Oxford locals alike. Gordon serves as proof that with ambition, no object is beyond reach.
A special thank you to Anne-Marie Varnell Gordon for taking the time to share her story with us.
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Photos courtesy of Anne-Marie Varnell Gordon and Cicada Boutique.