String Together

Music lovers gathered to celebrate two suite symphonic organizations. Mercury’s 10th annual gala marked the grand opening of the beautiful new Revaire venue, and raised more than $400,000 for the orchestra. The decor, courtesy of A Fare Extraordinaire, included live greenery and blooms of saturated colors. Meanwhile, chairs Robin Angly and Miles Smith channeled the glamour of the 1940s and 1950s for the Symphony Ball, held at the Post Oak Hotel. The Balinese Room-themed event — which included the auction of unique items like a wild-hog hunt int he Hill Country, and private tours of the Buffalo Bayou Cistern — was followed by a raucous afterparty, with beats spun by DJ Kalkutta.


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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.

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UPON ARRIVAL AT Maroma resort on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, a beautifully dressed attendant, briefcase and tablet in hand, ushers guests to their respective rooms. “Here’s your welcome amenity,” she says, gesturing to ceramic vessels on the coffee table with one hand as she completes the check-in process with the other. “It is tequila.”

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People + Places

THE CORINTHIAN WAS the scene for a haunted happening benefiting Children’s Museum Houston. The decidedly adult bash was filled with dark allure, gothic glamour, and generosity to the tune of $1.14 million, the second-highest total in the event’s history.

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Parties