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    Shelby About Town

    Tilman Fertitta's swanky Mardi Gras sells out, Lucinda Loya lands in a national mag and Hilfiger gets Cheeky in Houston

    Shelby Hodge
    shelby hodge
    Jan 29, 2013 | 5:59 pm

    The winter issue of Interiors Magazine casts its glow across the talents of interior designer Lucinda Loya with a multi-page profile that has the remarkable talent soaring. With her work already praised in New York, LA and Houston, Lucinda is poised to expand her company even further.

    Expansion was surely on her mind last fall when she moved Lucinda Loya Interiors into posh office space at Houston Design Center and expanded her team to include four design assistants.

    Next up for Lucinda is the opening this spring of the Prestige Builders (Monsour Taghdisi's firm) showcase home for which she did the interiors. And then there are those considerations of doing a book and starting her own product line. Stay tuned for this is one delightfully driven lady.

    It's SRO for the San Luis Salute

    Tilman Fertitta is beaming. The proud pappa of Galveston's San Luis Salute Mardi Gras ball is telling friends that with 1,400 RSVPs, the benefit gala is a sellout. "Jazz! Jazz! Jazz!" is the theme of the black-tie bash that will headline Kool & the Gang with more music provided by Big Blast and the Party Masters.

    With Tilman and Paige Fertitta as hosts, tradition holds that this will be one deliciously raucous evening — all with a philanthropic note. The night will benefit the University of Texas Medical Branch's new Jennie Sealy Hospital.

    Hey big spender!

    Cheeky Vintage owners Tina Davis and Denise Hazen giddily report that Tommy Hilfiger designers were in town from New York and headed to their vintage boutique for design inspiration for the spring 2014 lines.

    Some of the pieces they chose included an iconic '60s Courreges windowpane coat, a Chanel pencil skirt and a Nina Ricci maxi. They also picked up pieces with graphic prints, stripes and polka dots. Visions of things to come.

    Tina and Denise are headed to NYC this week to exhibit at the renowned Manhattan Vintage clothing show, hoping to attract more designers and celebs.

    Oh what a night!

    Since they completed the entertainment addition to their River Oaks home, Jana and Scotty Arnoldy have frequently been rolling out the red carpet as they did Friday night for the late-night fete following the premiere of Houston Grand Opera's Don Giovanni.

    According to this gathering of opera patrons, the production was a hit. Witness the lively applause that followed as HGO artistic and music director Patrick Summers introduced the cast and creative team.

    Joining in the applause were Priscilla Angly and Miles Smith, Bobbie-Vee and Gerald Cooney, Molly and Jim Crownover, Anna Dean, Phoebe and Bobby Tudor, Lynn Wyatt, Amanda and Morris Gelb, Beth Madison and Glen Rosenbaum.

    Sight 'ems

    A rocking lunch crowd at RDG on Friday including — at various tables — Dominique Sachse, George Lancaster, Mauney Mafrige, Laura Greenberg and Marcy de Luna, the latter three enjoying a champagne-infused mutual birthday repast . . .

    K9s4Cops founder Kristi Schiller and K9s4Cops director Ryland Holmes lunching at La Griglia with board members Chip Lewis, the famed criminal attorney, and Josh Welch, the Oklahoma City criminal attorney turned photographer.

    Famed designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard with Lucinda Loya, whose work is spotlighted in the winter issue of Interiors Magazine.

    News_Martyn Lawrence Bullard party_March 2012_Martyn Lawrence Bullard_Lucinda Loya
    Photo by Daniel Ortiz
    Famed designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard with Lucinda Loya, whose work is spotlighted in the winter issue of Interiors Magazine.
    unspecified
    news/society

    Big Spenders

    Retro futurism meets philanthropy as Houston museum gala raises $3.6M

    Joel Luks
    Mar 12, 2026 | 10:30 am
    Houston Museum of Natural Science Gala 2026
    Photo by Daniel Ortiz
    Will Lee, Britton Daugbjerg, Ella Fertitta, and Jason Fertitta.

    Big spenders to the front, please.

    On a night when Houston’s black-tie crowd orbited the worlds of science, style, and a little retro-futurism, the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Futurama: A Stardust Odyssey Gala 2026 felt less like a traditional fundraiser and more like an expedition through the museum’s halls.

    Chaired by Randa and Charlie Williams alongside Susanne and Joel Bartsch, the gala welcomed more than 350 guests who arrived ready to lean into the evening’s mid-century futuristic theme. Instead of a traditional program, tables were scattered throughout the museum, an intentional design that encouraged guests to roam. Blooming Gallery’s décor channeled a bright, Jetsons-inspired palette before shifting into a copper-and-marigold Mad Men mood as the evening progressed.

    Let’s talk about the Vault Auction, as it had a gravitational force all its own, delivering a treasure trove of museum-worthy marvels and luxury collectibles.

    Among the headliners was a jaw-dropping 90–troy-ounce crystallized gold specimen from the Beta Hunt Gold Mine in Western Australia, with a $850,000 starting bid. A Chanel brooch centered on a GIA-certified yellow sapphire had a starting bid of $180,000, while a dazzling pair of earrings featuring Paraiba tourmaline, Mahenge pink spinel, and diamonds was valued between $800,000 and $1.2 million. The crown jewel of the display? “Rocks in a Box,” a museum-quality curated mineral collection assembled by HMNS curators selling for $1.8 million.

    Need a ride? We got you. A 1965 Jaguar XKE Series 1 4.2 Coupe donated by Stephanie and Frank Tsuru was up for grabs.

    Gulf Coast Entertainment’s Justin and The SwingBeats Quartet filled cocktail hour with jazz standards and retro pop. Later, diners gathered in Morian Hall of Paleontology and the Morian Overlook for a multi-course meal of elevated Southern fare.

    After dinner, the celebration shifted into high gear in the Grand Entry Hall. Joystix Entertainment transformed the space into a retro arcade with glowing pinball machines, Donkey Kong cabinets, and pool tables. Flamingo showgirls by J&D Entertainment strutted through the crowd. Guests danced to live music, sipped milkshakes, nibbled late-night mini grilled cheese sandwiches, and even tried their luck at claw machines filled with gemstones and minerals.

    The affair became the most successful gala in the museum’s history, raising $3.6 million to support educational programs, exhibitions, and outreach initiatives.

    Orbiting the scene were Mary and Ron Neal, Patty and T. Mark Kelly, Caroline and Jack Williams, Nancy and David Pustka, Cynde and Chris Stravros, Mary Helen and Pete Bowden, Meg and Dick Weekley, Al Walker, Joella and Steve Mach, Monica and Fox Benton, Lisa and Mike O’Leary, and Chandos and Ike Epley, alongside many of Houston’s leading philanthropists and community supporters.

    Houston Museum of Natural Science Gala 2026

    Photo by Daniel Ortiz

    Will Lee, Britton Daugbjerg, Ella Fertitta, and Jason Fertitta.

    news/society
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