Zoo Flock
Young professionals get wild in a Tootsies catwalk event, but they're not the real party animals
It was only a matter of time before the rising popularity of animal prints and beastly-inspired couture would trigger one flock to fly away from its nest. Houston Zoo's young professionals covey, known to the cool cats as Flock, spread its wings away from its home in Hermann Park and roved over to Tootsies on Wednesday for a feral fashionable fete.
Strutting their stuff for "Flock to the Catwalk" — apart from the au courant conservation advocates — were a screech owl, an African-crested porcupine, a baby alligator, a rainbow boa and a greater tenrec, the latter a cutie-pie of a hedgehog too adorbs for words.
The endearing creatures summoned their inner supermodel and struck poses for the camera while Tootsies human models showcased trendy wearables that nodded to the evening's motif. This inspired some to add to their wardrobes, particularly as the boutique was giving a percentage of the sales to the Houston Zoo.
The Lions Tail, a potation stirred by Ryan Rouse and Brad Moore from Captain Foxheart's Bad News Bar, was the "flocktail" du jour alongside frosty suds from Saint Arnold Brewing Company. The beverages coupled well with Mediterranean noshes courtesy of Phoenicia Specialty Foods and sweets by Eddie V's. The M Box photo booth provided by Yelp captured all the undomesticated fun.
Upon bidding adieu, guests received swag bags full of zoo and West Ave goodies, including a tiger striped cake ball by The Little Cake and a Jonathan Adler gift card.
Talking a walk on the wild side in the company of director of development Sarah Atwood, senior director of development Nick Espinosa and committee members David Rassin, Tamar Mendelssohn, Melissa Kuo and Denise Furlough were Catarina Cron, Carey Kirkpatrick, Amy Springs, Amy Lin, Lyndsey Zorich, Katharine Hayes, Jimmy Wu, Michael Mandola, Edward Sanchez, Kile and Zack Spelz, Kristina and Kevin Frankel, Bubba Mcneely, Erin Langley, Stephen Jones, Liz Gorman, Sarah Pendley, Bobby Tillman, Hannah Thibodeaux and Mylene Pham.