Just as J.Crew was celebrating its new store in Highland Village Tuesday night so the Houston Young Professionals Chamber of Commerce was celebrating its new name, a better focus of its mission than the previous moniker Houston Young Professionals Society.
Scores of Cute Young Things prowled the yummy racks and stacks of spring fashions while the gents perused the striped shirts, plaid shirts and pastel-hued fashions in the generous men's department. Leading the pack was YPCC founder Freddy Goerges, explaining that the group's new name better represents the networking/business mission of the organization.
The festive mood was enhanced by the uniformed waiters from A Fare Extraordinaire, who swirled through offering champagne and all manner of hefty hors d'oeuvres such as the tasty buffalo burger sliders.
J. Crew hosted the party in the new 8,426 square foot space that features separate men's and women's entrances. The party crowd oohed over the dedicated Ludlow suit shop in the men's area and aahed over the ladies side where Italian cashmeres, linens and eyelets tempted as did the yummy offerings in the handbag and shoe salon.
With a 25 percent sale in progress, few went home without burgeoning shopping bags. Gabriela Gerhart, founder of The Motherhood Center, was one of the few who was window shopping. But she was so intrigued by the wearable, affordable fashions that she vowed to return over the weekend for serious retail therapy. Hallie Bauer of Westside Lexus was clearly taken with the J.Crew look. "I feel like I could literally buy everything in here and wear it for the rest of the year," she said.
An undercurrent of the evening was the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Man & Woman of the Year Campaign. Goerges is one of the candidates and he did spend much of his mingling helping raise the profile of that fundraiser. Campaign manager Helen Oettinger was among the guests.
Perusing the stylish fashions were Natalie Burus, Matthew Reeves, Emily Mohn, Alicia Hawkins, Pascale Schmitt, Erik San Miguel, Chaden and Dr. Michael Yafi, Amanda Christensen, Royce Taylor, Kaitlin Smith and Patrick Sims.
Natalie Brehm, from left, Freddy Goerges and Courtney Newman at J.Crew Houston Young Professionals Chamber of Commerce party.
