SI in H-Town

Sports Illustrated celebrates 2017 Swimsuit Issue with Simone Biles at H-Town festival

Sports Illustrated has picked Houston to celebrate the launch of its 2017 Swimsuit issue with a music, food and culture festival next month.

Labeled “VIBES” by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, the first-of its-kind event will take place at Post HTX, which was the site for last month's Day for Night Festival. The SI festival will feature live performances by Diplo and Miguel, a food festival curated by James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Shepherd and special appearances by Sports Illustrated swimsuit models.

Among models in the new issue: Olympic Gold medalists Simone Biles and Aly Raisman. The two gymnasts were photographed for the magazine by James Macari in various Houston locations, including the North Houston Skate Park and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden.

"Aly and Simone represent all that is beautiful and strong and inspiring in women today," said SI Swimsuit editor MJ Day. " I love seeing them shine in an entirely different way in the Swimsuit issue and being able to share these gorgeous and powerful images with the world. These women, their beauty, and what they can achieve know no limits."

“VIBES” will kick off February 17 with a meet-and-greet with the models, a nighttime food festival featuring Underbelly's Shepherd, Terrence Gallivan and Seth Siegel Gardner of The Pass & Provisions, Uchi chef Tyson Cole, Georgia chef Hugh Acheson, and Chicago chef Graham Elliot. A VIP performance by Miguel will conclude the evening's festivities.

The festival lineup continues February 18 with a concert featuring Houston musicians, followed by headliner Diplo.

Tickets are available at SI.com/SwimsuitVibes. VIP All Access admission for both days is $250, VIP for one day is $150; general admission on February 18 is $35.

The Houston event caps off the launch week of the 2017 Swimsuit edition. It will be revealed earlier in the week at live-streamed red-carpet launch party in New York.

Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman strikes a provocative pose in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue 2017.

Aly Raisman in Sports illustrated 2017 Swimsuit issue

Photo by James Macrai/Sports Illustrated

Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman strikes a provocative pose in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue 2017.

festivals

COWGIRL CORE

Western boutique Flea Style rides back to Houston with rodeo-ready looks

Photo courtesy of Flea Style

Founder and CEO Brittany Cobb brings Flea Style back to Houston, returning to the city where she first began at The Houston Flea.

Just in time for rodeo season, Flea Style is making its long-awaited return to Houston, giving shoppers a new River Oaks destination for boots, belts, and beautifully decorated hats.

The Texas-born brand will officially open its newest storefront in River Oaks on March 7, which is a full-circle moment for founder and CEO Brittany Cobb, who got her start in the Bayou City at the Houston Flea at Silver Street Studios. Since then, Flea Style has become a nine-location retail brand worn by celebrities including Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, Leon Bridges, and Post Malone.

“I’ve been looking for a Houston location for about five years,” Cobb says. “Each visit, I just never found the right spot that worked for the business at the time. Last fall, I visited, determined to find something, even if just a pop-up, to open by rodeo season. That’s when I finally found a location that checked every box and truly felt like our long-term Houston home.”

With the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo attracting stylish crowds to NRG Stadium through March 22, Cobb made sure Houston shoppers would have access to exclusives. The River Oaks location is launching with a small collection of vintage women’s cowboy boots, a special collection of kantha quilt capes and jackets, and 30 custom-decorated hats.

Flea Style’s new River Oaks storefront opens March 7, just in time for rodeo season.Photo courtesy of Flea Style

“We’re offering an incredible selection of vintage women’s cowboy boots,” Cobb says. “It’s only our second location to carry them, and we’re launching with about 40 pairs. We’re also bringing our fan-favorite Belt Bar, featuring blank belts and vintage buckles. Our Houston customer loves vintage and one-of-a-kind pieces, so I specifically shopped at the market with them in mind.”

Cobb tells CultureMap returning to Houston feels like she never really left. “The Houston shopper is so special to me, and to the company, because they’ve been a part of my story since before our first retail location,” Cobb says. “We go way back to my days as a collector, early entrepreneur, and a young mom starting my business. I’m so excited to be back in Houston to continue our story, face-to-face, and help our shoppers and fans create unique styles with pieces that aren’t offered anywhere else in the city.”

The Houston opening also coincides with a huge milestone for Cobb. She will release her debut book, How To Style A Hat, with a foreword by Miranda Lambert, on April 21.

Flea Style, 1963 W Gray St. 7019, Monday - Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Flea Style

Founder and CEO Brittany Cobb brings Flea Style back to Houston, returning to the city where she first began at The Houston Flea.

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