Fashionistas 'WOW' at Philanthropic Tootsies To-Do

Daniel Ortiz
Fashionistas 'WOW' at Philanthropic Tootsies To-Do

Karishma Asrani, Jay Lakhani, Courtney Harmon

ONE OF THE season’s most fashionably philanthropic events, the Women of Wardrobe’s (WOW) Summer Soiree returned to Tootsies last week, welcoming 300 guests who raised more than $15,000 for Dress for Success.


Touting fall collections from Love the Label and Deepa Gurnani, the gathering had guests wishing for cool weather — and catching up about where they spent the sizzling summer — while sipping Madame Zero Champagne and cocktails with Agavales tequila. Among the bites provided by local purveyors like Armandos, Kin Dee and Guard and Grace were cups of shrimp ceviche and bite-size empanadas; all was savored while a soundtrack of tunes spun by DJ Paul Paxton played in the background.

A swag bag was given to partygoers upon their departure, featuring items from Equinox, ALTO, Lemon Laine and more.

Next summer will mark the 20th Summer Soiree, which directly furthers WOW and Dress for Success Houston’s mission to empower women to achieve economic independence through networking, professional attire and developmental resources.

Mandy Bynum, Monica Guerra

Anna Kaplan, Trina Silva

Olivia Awo, Kaitlyn Dhindsa

Norman Lewis, Lauren Levicki Courville

Kristen Torrez, Catarina Bill

Annie Ghormley, Melanie Mabry

Jessica Arledge, Victoria Garcia, Hilary Baars

Caitlin Fleming, Katherine Orellana, Michael Vo

Parties

Houston Ballet Principal Karina González as Titania and former Soloist Aaron Robison as Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream (photo by Amitava Sarkar, 2014); and González with former Principal Joseph Walsh in Welch's Tu Tu (photo by Ron McKinney, 2010)

STANTON WELCH IS now in his 20th season with Houston Ballet. It’s a cause for celebration, and the Company’s 2023-24 season is exactly that: a celebration of creative storytelling, as well as his and new co-artistic director Julie Kent’s shared commitment to bring top-notch classics to the stage alongside newly commissioned works by emerging choreographers.

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Art + Entertainment

Alonso, inset, and her acrylic-on-canvas painting 'Birds'

BASED IN HOUSTON, Cuban-American painter Erika Alonso is a self-taught, self-described “painterly painter,” with a playful and very idiosyncratic take on abstract expressionism, mark making, and automatism, where the artist works quickly and intuitively, relying upon the subconscious to guide the artistic process. Her work can be found in numerous private collections across the United States and Europe, including that of beloved Houston collector and art fanatic Lester Marks. On Friday, Sept 8., from 7-9pm at Lanecia Rouse Tinsley Gallery, Alise Art Group's Art House presents Alonso’s solo exhibition Birds Are People Too (And Other Thoughts . . . ).

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