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    No TSA At This IAH Bash

    Partygoers whoop it up at Bush Intercontinental Airport, no TSA screening required

    Shelby Hodge
    Jun 27, 2016 | 11:15 am

    Yes, we were concerned that the invitation to The Centurion Lounge swank pre-opening party at Bush Intercontinental Airport would require shoes off, jackets off and a run through the metal detector. But not so. American Express had devised entry to the club not yet officially connected to Terminal D.

     

    That was last week. This week, the $7 million, 8,5000 square foot lap of luxury is up and running for Plantinum and Centurion American Express card holders.

     

    And what a party it was. Black SUVs and Town Cars picked up a number of partygoers and unloaded them at Terminal D where they were greeted by fetching young women in black, ready with guest lists and neck lanyards bearing AmEx passes.

     

    It was largely a media crowd that was invited to sample the luxuries of the seventh Centurion Lounge in the U.S. But a few celebrities made the scene including City Controller Chris Brown and wife Divya, uber stylist Ceron and shoe designer Joyce Echols.

     

    James Beard Award-winning chef Justin Yu was in the full-service kitchen working with executive chef Arist Bishop and Yu's special menu created for the Centurion's discriminating guests. On this night, the offerings included a sampling of the international fare available in the lounge including miso soup, panzanella salad, chickpea stew, zucchini bread and johnny cakes.

     

    A good bit of the furniture had been removed to make way for cocktail tables and for a performance space for The Tontons, who ramped up the already pulsating energy of the night with their rock sounds.

     

    The welcoming committee was comprised of Chris Cracchiolo, Membership Rewards and Loyalty Benefits vice president, Danielle Shriber, Centurion Lounge GM, and Betsy Cole, assistant general manager.

     

    The night included a generous open bar, bountiful food from the Oxheart chef's airport kitchen and fun with the GIF digital photo machine. Tripping this night fantastic were Mark Sullivan, Amy Johnston, Neal Hamil, Asli Omar, Yvonne Guidry, Ashley Areche, Erica Henley, and Sydney Brookes.

    Party animals cutting up with GIF digital photo opps in the America Express Centurion Lounge at Bush Intercontinental Airport.

    Party at Centurion 6/16, photo opp
      
    Photo by Michelle Watson/Catchlight Group for American Express
    Party animals cutting up with GIF digital photo opps in the America Express Centurion Lounge at Bush Intercontinental Airport.
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    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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