Per the magazine's custom, the holiday edition highlights festive seasonal style, with special attention to Houston's top jewelers. Also in the issue, editors sought to herald the recent opening of the new House of Creed luxury fragrance boutique in the Galleria in a special way.
The end result is a unique fashion portfolio, in which each model wears glittering bling paired with great clothing in one photograph — and, in an image set on the opposite page, great jewelry paired with nothing but a Creed fragrance.
"We borrowed this concept from another fashion magazine from years ago," notes Editor Jeff Gremillion. "This was the perfect time to update it and make it our own. Creed has long been the favorite perfumery of Houston's tastemakers, and we thought this was a bold, artistic way to cover the arrival of the new store.
"And we also thought it was an excellent way to do justice to the beautiful jewels we were lent by the city's best jewelers," Gremillion adds. "The pieces are amazing and deserve some attention all on their own. Just sparkle and bare skin."
The cover model dons diamonds from Valobra Master Jewelers and Creed's Silver Mountain Water. In the spread inside the issue, stunning jewels from Deutsch Fine Jewelry, Lesley Ann Jewels, Zadok Jewelers, Hublot, Tenenbaum Jewelers and IW Marks Jewelers are also featured, along with other fragrances for women and men from the centuries-old French firm's line.
Ashkan Roayee took the photos in his studio at the Silos at Sawyer Yard in the Washington Corridor. CityBook's Patrick Magee art directed, and Todd Ramos was the stylist. Edward Sanchez oversaw hair and makeup.
The new issue of Houston CityBook will begin arriving in mailboxes and on newsstands all over the city starting tomorrow. HoustonCityBook.com is updated daily with news and notes on the culture of the city.
Having debuted in the fall of 2016, CityBook entered a dense media landscape in Houston, in a famously challenging time for the print industry, and has faced an array of "100 year" challenges in its infancy — including floods, freezes and a worldwide pandemic. But, a half-decade in, the Houston-based small business, which also produces a fast-growing daily-news website and has a unique commitment to publishing only content specific to Houston, is a leading lifestyle brand in the fourth-largest city in America.
"My partners and I couldn't be prouder of what we've accomplished," says CityBook Media CEO and magazine editor Jeff Gremillion. "We've been embraced by the city we all love so dearly. It's hard to think of anything more rewarding for any professional or business owner."
The cover of the anniversary issue was curated to evoke a sense of occasion, Gremillion notes. Model Khay Pope appears in a stunning black Valentino gown, photographed by Askkan Roayee at the brand-new Blossom Hotel in the Medical Center.
"Throughout our first five years, we've shot at compelling locations throughout the city," says Gremillion. "Oftentimes, we're the first to do." Those locations have included the Houston Zoo, the Houston Museum of Natural Science and grand hotels just before they've opened to the public. "In fact, all of our covers and fashion spreads are shot in Houston. None of our competitors can say this."
The new issue also includes a retrospective of some of the magazine's best portraits and documentary images from its first five years, as well as a rare, intimate profile of Oscar Wyatt and other exclusives.
Explore CityBook's Five Years Through Photographs:
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