shopping with heart

Houston young professionals take over Tootsies for wowing summer soiree

What: The Summer Soiree

Where: Tootsies

The scoop: More than 300 fab, fashionable, and philanthropic Houston ladies packed storied style house Tootsies for the 16th annual Summer Soiree. The chic event, put on by Dress for Success Houston (DFSH) and Women of Wardrobe (WOW), raised $22,000 for DFSH, which helps more than 43,000 local women thrive in work and life.

The WOW Summer Soiree has become the unofficial kickoff to Houston’s party season, and it showed, with guests dressing for the occasion in Hunter Bell’s fall line, CQY Denim, and Mignonne Gavigan. To spice up the party, each guest received a $25 Tootsies gift card for an inspired shopping experience. Tootsies, in turn, donated 10 percent of the evening’s sales back to DFSH.

Local do-gooders Amanda Boffone, Courtney Campo, Julie Longoria Chen, and Daniella Rodriguez served as stylish event chairs, while Mia Gradney, KHOU evening anchor and WOW co-founder, served as the energetic emcee. Partiers snapped selfies and mingled with VIP guests like Hunter Bell and Kara McCullers. Tootsies store director Shelley Taylor Ludwick, along with store owners Donna and Norman Lewis, welcomed the throng.

Guests shopped, noshed, and sipped from vendors including Armandos, Black Eyed Distilling Co., Citadel Catering, EggHaus Gourmet, Equinox, Graze, Green Fork, International Smoke, Macaron by Patisse, Modern Acupuncture, MyEventIsTheBomb, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Paloma Nails, RYDE, Shake Shack, SusieCakes, Tootsies, and Treaty Oak Distilling.

“It’s incredible to see how WOW has grown since we started it 16 years ago,” says Lauren Levicki Courville, Dress for Success Houston president. "‘Wow’ is exactly what people say when they learn about Dress for Success Houston’s mission and our growth of more than 20 programs ‘beyond the suit.’”

WOW assists Dress for Success Houston through fundraising and volunteerism. Currently, it is Houston’s largest all-female young professionals group with more than 200 ladies.

Who: The fab crown included Sukaina Rajani, Roseann Rogers, Karishma Asrani, Karina Barbieri, Katie Bode, Lexie Boudreaux, Rebecca Gentry, Tiffany LaRose, Susan Oehl, Lori Raijman, Julia Russell, Lexi Sakowitz, and a host of Houston fashionistas.

Jeannette Gonzalez (EggHaus Gourmet owner) and Maddison Smith.

Summer Soiree Dress for Success WOW Tootsies Jeannette Gonzalez (EggHaus Gourmet owner), Maddison Smith

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Jeannette Gonzalez (EggHaus Gourmet owner) and Maddison Smith.

College Bound

A Princeton moment steals the spotlight at Houston nonprofit's luncheon

Photo by Hung L. Truong

Diana Villatoro Sorto.

Ambition is contagious.

Photo by Hung L. Truong

Diana Villatoro Sorto.

And that was the ethos when Emerge supporters gathered at River Oaks Country Club for the organization’s annual Build the Village Luncheon, a polished midday affair centered on a simple but powerful idea: Investing in Houston’s next generation of leaders.

More than 400 guests filled the room for the program, including Emerge scholars, for a celebration of the organization’s mission to help high-achieving students from low-income communities gain admission to and graduate from the country’s top colleges.

Serving as co-chairs were Kate Dearing Fowler and Kate Schilling Kelm, who welcomed guests to a lively gathering. The luncheon honored Mia Mends, chief executive officer of Cushman and Wakefield Services and former Emerge board chair, recognizing her years of leadership, mentorship, and steadfast commitment to expanding opportunities for the organization’s scholars.

One of the afternoon’s most electric moments arrived when Klein Collins High School senior Diana Villatoro Sorto stepped to the podium and announced that she will attend Princeton University this fall. The declaration sparked an immediate roar of applause across the ballroom, the kind that ripples through a crowd and lingers for longer than expected.

The program also spotlighted Emerge alumna Marlee Morgan, whose story of resilience and academic success is an example of the organization’s long-term commitment to supporting scholars well beyond the college admissions process. Emerge’s work doesn’t end with an acceptance letter. It extends into helping students navigate college and launch meaningful careers.

The crowd’s enthusiasm translated into tangible support. Attendees raised more than $760,000.

On the scene were Paula and Reginald DesRoches, Farid Virani, Liz DeMontrond, Jack Blanton, Ann Stern, Elisa Villanueva Beard, and Ruth Lopez Turley, and many others.

shopping with heart

Houston young professionals take over Tootsies for wowing summer soiree

Jeannette Gonzalez (EggHaus Gourmet owner) and Maddison Smith.

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College Bound

A Princeton moment steals the spotlight at Houston nonprofit's luncheon