The Sexy Party!

Amy Johnston, Vivian Weiss

In what was surely the best party of the sultry summer social season, the city’s original Hotel ZaZa in the Museum District joined with Veuve Clicquot last week to celebrate Houston CityBook’s “Sexy Issue.” It was called The Sexy Party.


A crowd of about 300 gathered poolside to pick up their copies of the mag, sip only-the-best bubbly and take in the red-hot swim/lingerie fashion show everybody’s buzzing about. A buff and tatted DJ spun overhead, from a balcony overlooking the scene, which was fragrant with chic, low-slung, all-white florals by Lexis Florist.

Produced by fashion pro Todd Ramos and featuring a slew of models signed with event co-host Page Parkes, the runway show wrapped around the mood-lit pool and touted European styles. The show highlighted sophisticated, unabashedly racy women’s looks from “in” boutique Maison Jolie, a CityBook partner and also a co-host of the bash.

Jewelers Bella Madre and Christina Greene, and milliner Gabriela Dror, also provided pieces for gals. Men’s apparel — ranging from resort-ready and dapper to, at times, scandalously scant — sampled looks from M Penner, Manready Mercantile, Guyz N Style and Target. J&S Audio Visual and Impressive Events graciously lent production support, featuring the latest in French sound tech by Devialet from Iconic Systems.

Guests included Heart of Fashion founder Vivian Wise, philanthropist and fashion and lifestyle blogger Beth Muecke, CultureMap editor Steven Devadanam, and international soccer star Brian Ching, whose ballyhooed new Pitch 25 Beer Park opened for business the next day in EaDo.

Party People

Lillith's Lullaby and Coven's Calling cocktails at The Cursed Cauldren

THE VEIL IS thinning! So sayeth the Instagram page of The Cursed Cauldron, a brand-new, Halloween-themed pop-up bar scheduled to pour beginning Friday, Oct. 13, through Oct. 31. From 4pm to 2am daily, The Cursed Cauldron will transform the popular late-night restaurant industry hang Ninja Ramen, located at 4219 Washington Ave., into an immersive, Instagram-worthy environment, serving handcrafted, eye-popping Halloween-themed cocktails infused with herbs, spices and local artisanal syrups from Levels of Grandeur.

Keep Reading Show less
Food

Lautenbach’s Orchard Country, a winery and market in Fish Creek

AFTER SUCH A brutally hot summer, Houstonians likely crave — even more intensely than usual — a picturesque fall. You know, apple-picking and crisp evenings and beautifully colored leaves and the like. Find a satisfyingly stereotypical destination in Door County, a quaint yet cultured region of Wisconsin boasting 300 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline.

Keep Reading Show less
People + Places