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    Shelby's Social Diary

    Eva Longoria, Emmitt Smith, Steve Miller & Jerry Jones collide for the Texas arts party of the year

    Shelby Hodge
    shelby hodge
    Mar 7, 2013 | 7:27 am

    AUSTIN — With the dynamic talents of rocker Steve Miller, Asleep at the Wheel's Ray Benson and young cross-over violinist Charles Yang in play, Tuesday night's Texas Medal of Arts Awards gala morphed from sedate ceremonial evening into a high-voltage concert that had many in the Long Center for the Performing Arts jiving in their seats.

     

    The biennial salute to Texas talent and cultural leadership recognized individuals and entities from across the state with the prestigious award, including Houston Ballet and fine art sculptor James Surls, who has an enduring relationship with Houston. Several dozen Houstonians made the trip to Austin for the evening that was chaired by two H-Town power forces Kelli Blanton and Marita Fairbanks. As honorary chairs, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Tricia Dewhurst were front and center. Tricia is a board member of the Texas Cultural Trust, which presents the awards.

     

     

    The jolt of energy to the evening was provided by Miller, who performed his "Fly Like an Eagle" and "Abracadabra. "

     
     

    Any questions that Texas' vast talent pool runs the gamut from the deliciously ridiculous to the sublime were firmly put to rest with the cross-section of artists spotlighted including award recipients Eva Longoria, Greater Tuna talents Joe Sears and Jaston Williams, plus the Art Guys wearing white jumpsuits and cymbals (they clashed against one another as the William Tell Overture blasted from a boom box) and Chris Harrison, who is Blanton's cousin, a Dallas native and host of ABC's The Bachelor.

     

    Garnering much of the red carpet attention before the tented dinner and the ceremony that followed in the theater were Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and NFL great and Dancing With the Stars champ Emmitt Smith (accompanied by his glam wife Pat). They, along with close friend T. Boone Pickens, introduced award recipients Gene Jones (wife of Jerry) and daughter Charlotte Jones Anderson, recognized for their inspiration and guidance with the Cowboys Stadium art program.

     

    The jolt of energy to the evening was provided by award recipient Miller, who performed his "Fly Like an Eagle" and "Abracadabra" with 2011 Medal of Arts recipient Benson and musicians in one set and then joined Benson and Yang, who had his own stirring performance earlier, in the finale performance of Buddy Miles' blues classic "Texas."

     

    Rounding out the award recipients were Ricardo Chavira (unable to attend), Big Thought and director Gigi Antoni, the Kimball Art Foundation and Texas Monthly.

     

    Joining the festivities that included the official awards presentation by Laura Bush at a luncheon on Tuesday were Houston Ballet's Jim Nelson, Houston Ballet board president Jim Jordan, Ginger and Jack Blanton, Eddy Blanton, J.B. Fairbanks, Sara Dodd Spickelmier, Gregory Fourticq, Andrew Echols, Jonathan Glus, Cathy Brock, Jesus Moroles, Shara Fryer, Astrid Van Dyke, Merrill and Joe Hafner, Jean May, Shawn Stephens, Rainey Knudson, Molly Hipp, Marci and Steve Alvis and loads more.

    22, Texas Medal of Arts, March 2013, 5890, Marita Fairbanks, Eva Longoria, Kelli Blanton
      
    Photo by Jon Shapley
    unspecified
    news/society

    Silk and Sequins

    Cultural fashion takes center stage at Runway to Asia in Houston

    Joel Luks
    Jul 10, 2025 | 12:30 pm
    Asia Society Runway to Asia fashion show 2025
    Photo by Annie Mulligan
    Rekha Muddaraj, Shazia Sultan, Danny Nguyen, Zang Toi, Bonna Kol, Phoebe Tudor, and Leigh Smith.

    If fashion is a language, Runway to Asia spoke it fabulously fluently.

    The ballroom of The Post Oak Hotel shimmered with silk, sequins, and sartorial splendor as Asia Society Texas debuted its first-ever Runway to Asia style-studded affair — a glamorous gala-meets-catwalk moment where heritage was hand-stitched into haute couture.

    More than 300 guests filled the swanky venue for the event, greeted by models perched like living mannequins in Danny Nguyen’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection, each ensemble a fabric-forward love letter to cultural identity and avant-garde vision. This was a glamnifesto on what it means to wear your roots with pride and purpose.

    Leading the stylish charge were co-chairs Leigh Smith, Shazia Sultan, and Phoebe Tudor, who curated the afternoon like seasoned couturiers. Attendees noshed on a three-course lunch before the real feast began: a full-throttle catwalk presentation honoring two design dynamos — Danny Nguyen, Houston’s own silhouettist supreme, and international fashion luminary Zang Toi.

    Rekha Muddaraj, former KHOU 11 anchor turned emcee extraordinaire, welcomed the crowd with poise, passing the mic to Asia Society Texas president Bonna Kol, who framed the gathering as more than just fashion, but part of the nonprofit’s mission to celebrate cultural diversity through art.

    The applause crescendoed when Michael Buening, the organization’s director of performing arts and culture, announced the event had raised more than $300,000 to fund more than 20 annual programs.

    Pro tip: philanthropy always looks better in couture.

    Then came the honors. Nguyen was honored with the Texas Trendsetter Award, praised by Shazia Sultan for blending traditional elegance with avant-glam silhouettes. Meanwhile, Tudor crowned Toi with the Global Icon Award, charting his runway rise from Malaysia to Manhattan.

    Toi’s “Opulence of the Orient Express” collection brought the house down with 37 jaw-dropping looks: Ottoman-inspired caftans, midnight velvet suits, pearl-dusted evening gowns, and coat-dress hybrids that defied the laws of layering. Each ensemble whispered luxury and screamed craftsmanship.

    The raffle added a thrill of retail roulette with prizes including a luxe Hill Country escape, personal styling sessions with the honorees, and golden tickets to Zang Toi’s Fall 2026 New York show.

    Soaking in the scene were Sushila Agrawal, Nancy Allen, Fady Armanious, Kristy Bradshaw, Divya Brown, Tripp Carter, Theresa Chang, Anne Chao, Molly Crownover, Kari Dagley, Chloe Dao, Debbie Festari, Kathy and Marty Goossen, Brigitte Kalai, Mandy Kao, Sippi Khurana, Karen Kwok, Teri Lee, Kelley Lubanko, Christy Lynn, Petra Martinez, Sneha Merchant, Duyen Nguyen, Cabrina Owsley, Akemi Saitoh, Miya Shay, Sue and Randy Sim, Shawn Stephens, Y. Ping Sun, Ileana Trevino, Janae Tsai, Stephanie Tsuru, Heidi Turney, and Asha Virani.

    Asia Society Runway to Asia fashion show 2025
      

    Photo by Annie Mulligan

    Rekha Muddaraj, Shazia Sultan, Danny Nguyen, Zang Toi, Bonna Kol, Phoebe Tudor, and Leigh Smith.

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