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    Shelby's Social Diary

    Hunks in swimsuits, Slim Ritas, a sexy designer and shop til you drop fun make for one wild midday bash

    Shelby Hodge
    May 18, 2014 | 8:08 am

    The luncheon chimes rang and rang and rang across the ballroom foyer at the Hilton Americas-Houston — to no avail. Even after 90 minutes of shopping the boutique alley at the Latin Women's Initiative fundraiser, few among the 650 women and sprinkling of men were willing to put away their credit cards and head to their tables.

     

    With a score of vendors offering everything from leather jackets to dazzling jewelry to children's clothing, the temptations were just too inviting to pass up. And with Lucy Corona's Slim Ritas and other bar offerings fueling spending bravado, there was just no stopping. The fun was thanks in part to Titanium Tequila, the event's tequila sponsor. Now how many ladies luncheons have tequila sponsors!

     

    Finally in the ballroom, guests were welcomed by luncheon emcee KPRC Channel 2 newsman Anthony Yanez. Joining him in the brief program were luncheon chairs Lucinda Loya and Ericka Bagwell and LWI president Rosi F. Hernandez. The jovial mood of the day turned serious briefly when Father Flavio Bravo offered the luncheon blessing and included a prayer for Father T.J. Martinez. The popular Jesuit priest and founder of Cristo Rey High School was a regular at the annual luncheon until being diagnosed earlier this year with late-stage stomach cancer.

     

    As is tradition, the luncheon menu is derived from recipes in LWI's award-winning cookbook Latin Flavors, making it one of the tastiest meals of the social season. Friday's feast included nopales salad with queso fresco, chimichurri-basted pork tenderloin, chicken pibil and for dessert warm guava empanada with cinnamon-dusted ice cream.

     

     Tootsies joined the party this year bringing in designer Rene Ruiz for a runway presentation of beautiful gowns that, as is tradition with the LWI event, included a handful of muscle-bound gents in bathing trunks. And as is tradition they were met with enthusiastic hoots and hollers.

     

    Applauding the runway scene were Lucia and Michael Cordua, Patricia Herrera, Ceron, Mayte Weitzman, Laura Murillo, State Rep. Carol Alvarado, Maria Bush, Gina Gaston, Tiffany Smith, Amy Lee, Alex Martinez, Alex Blair, Chree Boydston, Katy Caldwell, Karina Barbieri, Jessica Rossman, Elizabeth Petersen, Cyndy Garza Roberts and Nick Espinosa.

    Luncheon chairs Lucinda Loya, left, and Ericka Bagwell.

      
    Photo by © Michelle Watson CatchLightGroup.com
    Luncheon chairs Lucinda Loya, left, and Ericka Bagwell.
    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.

    fundraisersasia society texas centerfashion show
    news/society
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