shopping with heart

Houston young professionals take over Tootsies for wowing summer soiree

What: The Summer Soiree

Where: Tootsies

The scoop: More than 300 fab, fashionable, and philanthropic Houston ladies packed storied style house Tootsies for the 16th annual Summer Soiree. The chic event, put on by Dress for Success Houston (DFSH) and Women of Wardrobe (WOW), raised $22,000 for DFSH, which helps more than 43,000 local women thrive in work and life.

The WOW Summer Soiree has become the unofficial kickoff to Houston’s party season, and it showed, with guests dressing for the occasion in Hunter Bell’s fall line, CQY Denim, and Mignonne Gavigan. To spice up the party, each guest received a $25 Tootsies gift card for an inspired shopping experience. Tootsies, in turn, donated 10 percent of the evening’s sales back to DFSH.

Local do-gooders Amanda Boffone, Courtney Campo, Julie Longoria Chen, and Daniella Rodriguez served as stylish event chairs, while Mia Gradney, KHOU evening anchor and WOW co-founder, served as the energetic emcee. Partiers snapped selfies and mingled with VIP guests like Hunter Bell and Kara McCullers. Tootsies store director Shelley Taylor Ludwick, along with store owners Donna and Norman Lewis, welcomed the throng.

Guests shopped, noshed, and sipped from vendors including Armandos, Black Eyed Distilling Co., Citadel Catering, EggHaus Gourmet, Equinox, Graze, Green Fork, International Smoke, Macaron by Patisse, Modern Acupuncture, MyEventIsTheBomb, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Paloma Nails, RYDE, Shake Shack, SusieCakes, Tootsies, and Treaty Oak Distilling.

“It’s incredible to see how WOW has grown since we started it 16 years ago,” says Lauren Levicki Courville, Dress for Success Houston president. "‘Wow’ is exactly what people say when they learn about Dress for Success Houston’s mission and our growth of more than 20 programs ‘beyond the suit.’”

WOW assists Dress for Success Houston through fundraising and volunteerism. Currently, it is Houston’s largest all-female young professionals group with more than 200 ladies.

Who: The fab crown included Sukaina Rajani, Roseann Rogers, Karishma Asrani, Karina Barbieri, Katie Bode, Lexie Boudreaux, Rebecca Gentry, Tiffany LaRose, Susan Oehl, Lori Raijman, Julia Russell, Lexi Sakowitz, and a host of Houston fashionistas.

Amanda Boffone, Daniella Rodriguez, Hunter Bell, Julie Longoria Chen, and Courtney Campo.

Summer Soiree Dress for Success WOW Tootsies Amanda Boffone, Daniella Rodriguez, Hunter Bell, Julie Longoria Chen, Courtney Campo

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Amanda Boffone, Daniella Rodriguez, Hunter Bell, Julie Longoria Chen, and Courtney Campo.

Horns Up High

Burnt orange spirit lights up Houston at Texas Exes scholarship gala

Photo by Jacob Power

Kisha and Jason Itkin, Sallie Alcorn, and Kurt and Tara Arnold.

It was an elevated burnt orange night at River Oaks Country Club as more than 300 Longhorn faithful gathered for the Texas Exes Houston Chapter’s Longhorn Legacy Scholarship Gala on April 10. The evening’s honorees, Kisha Itkin, Jason Itkin, Tara Arnold, and Kurt Arnold, were celebrated for their generosity and spirited support of The University of Texas at Austin.

Photo by Jacob Power

Kisha and Jason Itkin, Sallie Alcorn, and Kurt and Tara Arnold.

Greeting guests at valet was none other than Bevo, the famed Longhorn steer and unofficial mascot. Inside, a sculpted ice bar featuring the honorees' names and the Longhorn logo in vibrant burnt orange wowed the crowd. Underwritten by Mike Lowenberg of Lowenberg Law Firm, the frosty centerpiece offered a fitting nod to the honorees’ indelible mark on UT’s legacy. Meanwhile, a UT Tower ice sculpture, framed by a festive balloon wall by Topped Off Co., provided yet another irresistible photo op.

Leading the evening’s program was Cyndy Garza Roberts, who kicked off festivities with a stirring video. Athletics director Chris Del Conte praised Jason Itkin and Kurt Arnoldfor their invaluable ideas and steadfast support, reinforcing the honorees’ impact beyond just philanthropy. Texas Exes Houston Chapter president Kyle Griffin and event chair Tawnya Bell also shared personal stories, with Bell's emotional scholarship journey underscoring the night’s purpose.

Personal testimonies from UT grads and scholarship recipients Janelle Chavez and Will Florer inspired more generosity, culminating in a $330,000 fundraising triumph. Houston City Council Member Sallie Alcorn capped off the tributes with a mayoral proclamation from Mayor John Whitmire, officially declaring April 10 as Kisha and Jason Itkin and Tara and Kurt Arnold Day in Houston.

In true Longhorn tradition, the evening closed with all guests standing, horns up, singing "The Eyes of Texas, a fitting finale to a night brimming with spirit.

Spotted were Chuck Harris, Brien Smith, Rick Harsch, June Deadrick, Brock Niezgoda and Meg Hayward, Jackie and Scott Freeman, Luisa and Dr. Lucky Chopra, Ginger Cearley, Erin and Nathan Phelps, Kristen Griffin, Adam Pulaski, Stephanie Wilcox, Catherine Campbell, Al Riddle, Lauren Riddle, Michele Leal and George Farah, Winell and Doug Herron, Kristen Cannon, Niki and James Lassiter, and Amy and Segev Zadok.