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    Wearable Art

    TSU University Museum gala showcases wearable art and honors iconic Texas artist

    Clifford Pugh
    Jun 15, 2016 | 9:00 am

    Art intersected with fashion in a big way at the For The Sake of Art gala and runway show at the Omni Hotel Friday night. The biennial fundraiser for The University Museum at Texas Southern University honored iconic Texas artist Kermit Oliver, a TSU grad whose work is a campus highlight,and avid Dallas art collector Shelby Marcus, who has championed Oliver's career.

    It also provided an opportunity for creative designers to whip up wearable art based on Oliver paintings. The 10 finalists, selected by a panel of judges, thrilled the crowd with a runway presentation that showcased unique and innovative looks of wearable art.

    First place went to Deanna Santiago, who created a pink paper dress of Bible verses topped with a see-through coat of pressed flowers. Nevelyn Williams, who by day is a security guard at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, took second place for a colorful skirt and blouse made with a pressed technique that was so beautiful it moved celebrity judge, designer Kevan Hall, to tears. (Other judges were designer Cesar Galindo, artist Michelle Barnes, fashion blogger Beth Muecke, and yours truly.)

    Third place went to Andrea Giralt Brun, with a striking blue-and-yellow yarn-threaded skirt, sleeveless blouse, cape and matching purse. Most Creative Design went to Shirlette Thompson, who created a mini-dress of orange peels, while crowd favorite Carol Watson won the People's Choice award, based on audience texts, for a colorful reversible kimono ensemble.

    Gala chair Merele Yarborough and University Museum director Alvia Wardlaw were thrilled that the evening raked in more than $200,000, a record for the event. The well-dressed crowd, who were asked to dress in "artful black tie," lingered around the silent auction items, including two packages of tickets to Beyoncé's September concert at NRG Stadium, donated by her mother Tina Knowles-Lawson, one of the evening's honorary chairs.

    "All I can say is we've come a long way baby," Knowles-Lawson told the crowd, referring to the wearable art event, where she previously served as judge. "The creativity is unbelievable. Being a designer, I can appreciate how you can take hardly anything and turn it into something magnificent. That's what these people have done."

    Oliver, who is known to be extremely shy, was a no-show as his award was accepted by his daughter, Kristi Oliver Pullings, and brother Karl Oliver. But Marcus was quick to sing his praises. She noted how her now-deceased husband, Lawrence Marcus, had recommended Oliver to officials at Hermès, where he remains the only American artist to create scarf designs for the French fashion house. (Oliver and Marcus attended an intimate dinner at the Hermès River Oaks store Thursday night as part of the celebration.)

    "Lawrence saw in Kermit the things I had always seen," Marcus said. "I love Kermit Oliver's work."

    In tribute to Oliver and Marcus, the Sacred Ensemble, featuring soprano Shana Mashego, performed a moving musical tribute, "What Wondrous Love Is This," based on the Oliver work, The Resurrection.

    Also seen in the crowd were Dr. John and Lora Clemmons, Percy and Cheryl Creuzot, new Texas Southern University president Austin Lane and wife Loren, Hallie Vanderhider, Gayla Gardner, Yolanda Adams, in a beautiful blue gown designed by Hall, emcees Ernie Manouse and Joy Sewing, Winell and Doug Herron, Shelby Hodge and Shafik Rifaat, Roz and Alan Pactor, and Houston businessman Reginald Van Lee, an honorary chair whose foundation was a presenting sponsor of the evening, along with H-E-B. Van Lee, who spoke briefly to the crowd, had the best quip of the night as he promised a short speech.

    "As Kim Kardashian told her first husband, this will not take long," he said.

    Merele Yarborough, Alvia Wardlaw, Tina Knowles-Lawson.

    For The Sake of Art, Merele Yarborough, Alvia Wardlaw, Tina Knowles-Lawson
      
    © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    Merele Yarborough, Alvia Wardlaw, Tina Knowles-Lawson.
    fundraisersgalas
    news/society

    Recipe for Success

    Houston’s chicest support kids’ health at farm fashion show

    Joel Luks
    Jun 19, 2025 | 1:30 pm
    Recipe for Success Fashion in the Fields 2025
    Photo by Michelle Watson
    Founder Gracie Cavnar, center, with the participating chefs.

    On a picture-perfect spring afternoon, Houston’s haute families traded their city stilettos for stylish wedges and sun hats at Hope Farms, where fashion met philanthropy at the Seventh Annual Fashion in the Fields Brunch and Fashion Show. With Japanese umbrellas dancing in the breeze and the scent of ranunculus and rose wafting from centerpiece watering cans, the event proved once again that cultivating health and style are not mutually exclusive.

    The star of the show — aside from the petal-perfect runway looks — was the event’s uniquely multi-generational leadership. Elizabeth Phillips chaired the event alongside daughters Ariel Lopez and Brittany Faulk, with granddaughters Finley Lopez, Hallie Faulk, and Rose Faulk making it a family affair to remember. Sheree Frede, Sarah Phillips, and Sara DeJay Willis served as co-chairs, reinforcing the event’s legacy-minded ethos.

    And legacy was the buzzword of the day.

    “To see the next generation picking up the torch is deeply inspiring,” said Recipe for Success founder Gracie Cavnar, who’s spent 19 years growing the organization’s mission to inspire children to eat fresh, nutritious food. That mission took center stage — quite literally — when a pack of pint-sized models dressed by Itsy Bitsy Boutique (and some dapper dads in M Penner) pranced down the runway to collective awws and camera flashes.

    Recipe for Success Fashion in the Fields 2025
      

    Photo by Michelle Watson

    Founder Gracie Cavnar, center, with the participating chefs.

    The main event unfolded with spring collections from presenting sponsors Mason’s Daughter, Sachin and Babi, and City Boots, punctuated by sustainable style highlights from Magpies and Peacocks. ABC13 Houston anchor and style savant Miya Shay emceed with flair, serving commentary as vibrant as the garments.

    Of course, no fashion fête is complete without a fitting feast.

    Guests noshed on a Michelin-pedigree brunch courtesy of a chef dream team: Tommy Laczynski (Barcelona Wine Bar), Barbara McKnight (Culinaire), JC Ricks (Dandelion Café), Drake Leonard (Eunice), Felipe Botero (Le Jardinier), and Patti Delgado (The Original Ninfa’s). Glasses clinked over Down the Rabbit Hole cocktails, a botanical blend with carrot juice from Hope Farms and wines courtesy of 55 Seventy Private Member’s Club.

    The day’s emotional high came during Paddles Up, raising scholarships for Hope Farms’ summer camps. Cynthia and Tony Petrello led the charge with a $5,000 gift to fund a dozen weeklong experiences for local kids. Raffle winners walked away with floral subscriptions, design consults, private cocktail classes, and fresh produce deliveries. The Foundation also honored Chef Kevin Bryant as Chef of the Year and Samuel Jackson as Volunteer of the Year for their unwavering commitment to sustainable food education.

    Looking ahead, Lyndsey Zorich, a Foundation Advisory Board member and fashion entrepreneur, is already at work assembling next year’s dream team of stylish moms to chair the 2026 event.

    Among the stylish crowd were Beth Harp, Gayla Gardner, Celina Hellmund, Anita and David Garten, Rudy Guerra, Veronica Neal, Sara Morgan and Oscar Brown, Laura and Etai Funk, and Gina Gaston Elie.

    fundraisersfashion showrecipe for success
    news/society
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