Every once in awhile, Houstonist gets an invite to a sneak peek on how the other half lives, parties, and rubs elbows. Last night, as IMG's Fashion Week visited the Bayou City, Houstonist was on hand to take in the newest spring fashions, and peruse among Houston's elite.
Parked in a series of tents in front of the Waterwall, we arrived with our ultra-fabulous "Platinum $1200 tickets", which apparently gets you in to an entrance about 10 feet closer than the general public. Imagine our horror when we realized we would walk through the "VIP" doors into the same room as everyone else! Seriously?! We were PLATINUM!
We quickly got over our ticket-induced snobbery, and into the champagne cocktail party. The party, sponsored by Sephora, Moet champagne, and AT&T Wireless, featured products by, uh, Sephora, Moet, and AT&T. We were quite satisfied talking to the flirty, adorable AT&T rep who nearly had us convinced us to buy a new Blackjack device, but decided we better "work the room." Plus, we were hoping for a fabulous device in our gift bags, before we splurged for the Blackjack.
As we made our way through the interesting hors d'oeuvres (yes, pea soup in a shot glass!), we felt as if we had stepped into the pages of Houston Modern Luxury's Society Pages. More Farbs that you could throw a stick at, the Holthouses, our favorite local TV host, Ms. Perky Whitney Casey (who we discovered is quite the Houston Dynamo fan), and many more of Houston's social scenesters packed the room.
click below to continue reading...you don't wanna miss the gift bags!
The fashion show also brought out Houston's up and coming fashionistas and party kids, including Delaney Dunn Dichoso, owner of Rice Village's trendy boutique Brown Eyes Blue, along with former partner Ryan Petty. The always elegant friend of Houstonist Lisa Gochman and Chris Beverly, both of The Gochman Social Gazette, 002 Magazine's Publisher Alex Martinez and Fashion Editor Carla Valencia, and the GHCVB's Lindsey Brown.
As we washed down our tuna tartare, we were ushered into the main runway room and escorted to our seats. So where does a "platinum ticket" get you seated? Apparently, 2nd row, with Ms. "I flew coach for him Erica Rose" to our right, and the adorable couple Eric, owner of Croissant Brioche French Bakery & Cafe in Rice Village, and his super cute partner, Josh. Behind us, sat Premiere Promotions owner, and former model Stephanie Talafuse, and her husband Gil, Mercedes Benz of Houston North General Manager, and social philanthropist Walter Weibel, and his wife the beautiful Valinda. To our right, front row, of course, was PaperCity's poster child, Becca Cason Thrash (who even got a response from Naomi Campbell as she yelled at the runway, "Fabulous!", and Naomi answered back with, "thanks, girl!" Who knew that would have worked?!)
As the show began, the lights dimmed and a video montage of NYC began, slowly morphing into the Houston skyline. Naomi Campbell appeared on the screen, and soon exited stage left to a roar of applause. And with that Houstonist's first fashion show began.
So why do people come to runway fashion shows? It's not like the couture fashions will ever be seen on racks in Houston. We discovered the show is merely a backdrop for smoozing and photo ops. The highlight of our evening was a model's stumble (sweet!) and, yes, Houston sees another Nipple Gate, as one of the model strutted all the way down and all the way back baring her entire left breast. Well worth the $3 valet tip.
Like us, we bet you are probably not as concerned with the new spring fashions, as you are the infamous "gift bag." So we'll get right to it. As we exited the show, we were handed a black Sephora bag, and as we rummaged through it, fully expecting to find toys such as mobile phones, Swarovski crystals, and other sponsor swank, we half-heartedly enjoyed the pink shimmery tiny lip plumper tube. Sorry boys, just some make up samples, and a Houston Mag. Oh well, at least WE didn't pay $1200 for it!
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