Hair-raising Celebration

Anna Wintour's favorite new Houston salon rocks the kasbah with belly dancers at wild opening

Patrons of Q [the salon] moved to a Moroccan beat at the recent grand opening celebration of the new salon and spa on West Alabama, near The Menil Collection. For one night, owner Joel Quinones and manager Brad Brandt turned the spacious patio into a Montrose kasbah with patterned rugs, plush sofas accentuated with bright scarves and pillows, multi-colored lanterns and areas for hookah partakers.

A couple of curvaceous belly dancers from BellaDonna Dance Company gyrated through the crowd, who sipped on champagne, cocktails and Moroccan-inspired appetizers from Melange Events.

The duo came up with the theme because the upstairs salon, with Jonathan Adler-inspired orange-and-white walls, ceramic elephants at every stylist station and mesmerizing artwork by Houston artist Ryan Geiger (one large painting displays the words "Everything"), seemed to call out for an out-of-box celebration. A handwritten note from Anna Wintour is displayed prominently in the salon (Wintour usually stops by while in Houston with her main squeeze, Shelby Bryan, who was raised here) and guests received a goodie bag filled with Stephen Knoll hair care and beauty products, which are faves of the Vogue magazine editor.

Offering the duo best wishes were Taylor and Shannon Recther, Tracy Vaught, Gaynor and Anthony Banham, Nicole Perdue, Killian and Douglas Gilbert-Smith, Alice Oehmig, Heidi Dugan, Caroline Coleman Stender, Lori Freese, Mandy Zuniga and Sara Dodd.

Also taking part in the fun were Peter Remington, Jeff Gremillion, Bill Hines, Victor Biega, Pam Mitchell, Greg Morago, Deborah Huston, John Dascoulias, Dan and Pamela Russ and Joan Tankersley.

Don and Pamela Russ at the Q [the salon] Moroccan-themed party.

Don and Pamela Russ at the Q The Salon Moroccan theme party September 2013

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Don and Pamela Russ at the Q [the salon] Moroccan-themed party.

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Party Watch

Contemporary Western art shines at Galveston museum fundraiser

Photo by Jacob McCready

Ryan Horton, Meredith Peebles, Taylor Crowder, Kara Przybyl McIver, and David McIver.

What: Art Untamed, A Night of Contemporary Western Art

Photo by Jacob McCready

Ryan Horton, Meredith Peebles, Taylor Crowder, Kara Przybyl McIver, and David McIver.

Where: The Lancaster Hotel

The Scoop: With cowboy boots traded for cocktail attire, more than 115 artists and art lovers moseyed into downtown for Art Untamed, an evening that lassoed the spirit of the West with a modern twist.

Now in its fourth year, the fundraiser benefiting The Bryan Museum was steered by a dedicated committee including Christine Glover, Linda and Bill Reeves, and Guylene and Jay Lendrum. The event spotlighted 32 Southwestern artists featured in the Visions of the West exhibit.

Guests sipped and mingled during cocktail hour, sizing up 73 pieces ranging from luminous landscapes to storytelling textiles. The live auction, led by crowd-favorite auctioneer Randolph Holford, delivered a flurry of paddles in the air, especially for Bob Stuth-Wade’s radiant Santiago Peak from Chalk Draw, Nathaniel Garza’s moody Three Reasons, and Echo Ukrainetz’s intricate batik honoring cowgirl trailblazer Lucy Mulhall.

The weekend kicked off at The Lancaster Hotel, where partner Jay Shinn hosted artists and VIPs at a reception in the historic property set to celebrate its centennial next year. During the festivities, museum founder JP Bryan captured the mood best.

“A collection is an expression of a soul; it speaks to where our heart is,” he said. “That is why the museum was founded, to share the important story of Texas and the American West through a world-class collection, outstanding exhibitions, and educational programming.”

The evening raised nearly $100,000 to support educational programming and outreach at The Bryan Museum.

Who: Lori Leal Wedemeyer and Barkley Wedemeyer, Sassy Stanton, Bill Pinckard, Mike Glover, Shara Fryer, Barry Silverman, Frank Rynd, Deborah and Monte Stavis, Kelly and Luis Zúñiga, Kara Przybyl McIver and David McIver, Dianne Reynolds, Stephanie and Brent Kindle, Penny and Townes Pressler, Linda and Jerry Dickson, Bob Leibrock, Paulina Padilla, Nocona Burgess, Vickie McMillan-Hayes, Ricardo Robles, and Bob Stuth-Wade.

museums fundraisers bryan museum visual-art