At Dress for Success and Women of Wardrobe's annual Summer Soiree, generously hosted by Tootises, fashion-forward attendees dressed in pretty pastels, bold patterns and lots of ruffles — many designed by Houston's Hunter Bell, who showed off her fall line alongside jewelry by Claudia Lobao. Chairs Karishma Asrani, Courtney Campo, Allie Danziger and Melissa Sugulas welcomed guests to the event, which toasted the 20th anniversary of Dress for Success, and raised more than $20,000 for the org.
Two Nights Only! Famed New York Bar Pops-Up Downtown, with Proceeds Benefiting Kids with Cancer
Mar. 12, 2024
EMPLOYEES ONLY — OFTEN referred to simply as EO by regulars — opened in Manhattan’s West Village in late 2004 and remains one of the Big Apple’s most popular bars. Come March 26-27, the Four Seasons Hotel Houston’s intimate speakeasy-style bar Bandista will host the award-winning Employees Only team for a takeover.
"We are excited to welcome our friends from Employees Only to H-Town,” said Tom Segesta, the hotel’s general manager, in a press release. “Their talented team will bring our guests a taste of the Empire State’s finest cocktails.” The Employees Only team slated to come to Houston includes bartender Dimitrios Vasilakis, bar manager Frank Maldonado and general manager Jonathan Yutzy.
At $25-$35 bucks, drinks shaken, stirred and served by bartenders of Employees Only, a perennial favorite on the elite World’s 50 Best Bars rankings, are for the true cocktail connoisseur. The reservations only pop-up at softly-lit hideaway Bandista will offer 90-minute seatings available between 5PM-midnight.
Anticipate five inventive cocktails on the menu, including the spicy-sweet Besos Calientes (El Tesoro Blanco tequila shaken with house-made grapefruit cordial, fresh lime juice and dashes of habanero bitters) and creamy Last Leaf (Patrón Anejo tequila with clarified coconut milk, pumpkin, caramel and spiced pear).
Part of the proceeds will be donated to Camp H-Town, a sleep-away camp hosted by the Four Seasons Hotel Houston in partnership with the University of Texas MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital for children diagnosed with cancer.
If you haven’t had the chance to visit Employees Only in New York, here’s a little background. The bar is discreetly located in a picturesque neighborhood with tree-lined cobblestone streets, and inside, a psychic is often found greeting (and offering readings) to customers. The bar was part of a small group of establishments in New York that helped revive speakeasy-style bars serving craft cocktails. EO also has bars in Los Angeles and Singapore.
The Bandista team plans to hold its own pop-up at Manhattan’s Employees Only in early 2025, according to a spokesperson.
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'Arabian Night' Christens Thompson Hotel, Breaks Fundraising Record for Mercury Orchestra
Priscilla Dickson
Mar. 12, 2024
EVENT CHAIRS KENNY and Gaby Owen were thrilled to welcome hundreds of Houstonians to Mercury Chamber Orchestra's annual gala, this year held at the brand-new Thompson Hotel off Allen Parkway.
In addition to being one of the first mega events held at the glam newcomer, the fundraising fete, which adopted a theme of An Arabian Night, made headlines for breaking Mercury's fundraising record. It brought in more than $420,000 thanks to an exciting auction (items included a tour of Chinatown led by Chris Shepherd, and a week-long stay at Casa Angelina in Zihuatanejo, Mexico) and a raffle, which featured a pair of DeBoulle diamond earrings.
Divine Décor Design brought in elegant flowers, furniture and more, transforming the Thompson's Vesper Ballroom into a mystique-filled setting that provided the perfect backdrop for a dinner of Moroccan-spiced steak, Mujadara rice, and zaatar asparagus.
After dinner, Artistic Director Antoine Plante led the chamber orchestra in a moving performance of selections from Mozart’s Ronda Alla Turca, Tchaikovsky’s Arabian Dance, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, and Dizzy Gillespie’s A Night in Tunisa.
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