Dress for Success Toasts 25 Years with Record-Breaking Bash

Dress for Success Toasts 25 Years with Record-Breaking Bash

Nancy Levicki, Roseann Rogers, Lauren Levicki Courville

IN ITS 25-YEAR existence, Dress for Success Houston has equipped and empowered more than 100,000 women and children — a milestone that was celebrated with a massive cocktail party at The Revaire.


A sell-out crowd of 550 attended the annual fall Rendezvous, chaired this year by Ellie Francisco and Trini Mendenhall. It honored the Pauline Altman Foundation for its commitment to furthering education of women through grants and scholarships, and also featured the voices and stories of DFS Houston clients: Eight women, made even more beautiful by stylists from DryBar and Sephora, shared their journeys and accomplishments onstage.

A delicious spread of savory bites was served up by some of Houston's best restaurants, including Arnaldo Richards' Picos, Daily Gather, Hamsa, Guard and Grace, Relish, CAPS Supperclub and more. And Kristine Mills Band provided the evening's soundtrack.

The amazing auction had people talking — and bidding! Items like trips to Spain and Vail brought in $100,000, and raffle-ticket sales garnered an additional $12,000, thanks to prizes like a Diamonds Direct tennis bracelet. In all, the evening raised a record-setting $850,000 for DFS Houston, which provides women in need with professional attire and development tools, as well as a network of support.

Eric and Allie Danziger

Trish Morille, Nancy Levicki

Gary and Rebekah Reaves

Nick and Carrie Fersen

Arthur and Philamena Baird

Jeff and Amanda Polich, Tammy Rogers, Krista Bortsell, Lauren Anderson and Chris Stanaway

Niloufar and Amir Molavi

Monica Richards de Osberg and Jason Osberg

Mia Gradney, Lauren Anderson

Philip Royalty, Trinidad Mendenhall, and Ellie and Michael Francisco

Parties
Leadership in Action: John Kuykendall Traded Newcaster Dream for Success in Luxury Retail

John Kuykendall, Showroom Manager, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove

How did you get to where you are today? Growing up I had envisioned myself as a news anchor, living in NY and enthusiastically saying into the camera “Good Morning America!”. To this day, I am still a news/political junkie. My mother owned fur salons so specialty retail, luxury retail was in my blood through the family business. Eventually, mom shuttered the stores and I was recruited to a large specialty retailer. Over the next 30 years, I was in commissioned sales on the sales floor, became a department manager, worked my way up to buyer and store manager. Although I never became a newscaster, I did live in NYC for a few years. But Texas is home and with aging grandparents, I felt the pull to come back to my roots. A headhunter approached me. I never envisioned myself in the high-end appliance market, but there are so many similarities. Clients want a memorable experience; whether shopping for diamonds and fur or remodeling their kitchen.

Keep Reading Show less

THE TRUFFLE MASTERS is returning for its 11th year on March 3rd. Now a Houston tradition of sorts, the competition sees top chefs creating a dish using black truffles all benefitting Southern Smoke.

Keep Reading Show less

A new look from the soft landings collection

FROM THE OWNERS of popular Montrose haunts Traveler’s Table and Traveler’s Cart is another jetset-focused business. Owners Thy and Matthew Mitchell launched Foreign Fare in the fall of 2023 with long-haul travelers in mind. The pieces are wrinkle-free and designed to be functional as well as stylish. The line was recently featured in Travel & Leisure as a “first class look.”

Keep Reading Show less