Shelby's Social Diary

Booze, babes and cigars: Now this is football! Texans' white-out begins early at posh swankienda

The Houston Texans wild white-out weekend began on Saturday night exactly 16 hours before kickoff at NRG Stadium on Sunday. The inspired partying kicked off at Lucinda and Javier Loya's Memorial area swankienda where close to 200 fans descended to party in team white.

And we mean all white. Revelers dressed to the hilt in white, ranging from Lucinda's high fashion white lace togs by Alexis to party guests in white jeans and white Texans jerseys. The dashing Javier, minority owner of the Houston Texans, dressed in a white linen suit. The Loyas even had much of the furniture removed from their living room to import all white sofas and chairs for the evening.

"When everyone's wearing white, it's hard to figure out who's who."

"This is the start of the football season and we're celebrating the Houston Texans," Javier said. "We're celebrating with a tailgate party. And we decided to do a white-out because we're going to be wearing our white liberty jerseys on Sunday. So here we are at the start of another great season, hopefully."

If the Loyas' party is indication of the season at hand, expect big things. The couple brought in event planner Deborah Elias to orchestrate the high-octane party that included the sounds of 17-year-old DJ Alex Pleczko aka DJ Statik, the music of DiscoExpressions (famed heart surgeon Dr. Billy Cohen plays trombone), a disco dance-off emceed by the High Tech Texan Michael Garfield and loads of food and drink, the bar set off by a Houston Texans ice sculpture.

The crowd was a mixture of old friends and new with a good number of pals from Javier's youth in El Paso. As he surveyed the all-white tableau of gusty partygoers, he noted, "When everyone's wearing white, it's hard to figure out who's who."

Well, maybe not so hard. We spotted Gary Petersen, counting down the days until his wedding in New York on Saturday; Raquel Segal, just back from summering in Los Angeles; makeup and skincare entrepreneur Sunday Riley; and Vanity Lounge owners Diane and Michael Caplan.

By all counts, it was a glam crowd with loads of eye candy. As one gent observed, "So many babe, it's unbelievable. Cute babes!"

The merry throng overflowed from the swank contemporary interiors of the Loya home into the backyard where the pool was covered in acrylic for dancing, a Houston Texans logo centering the space. An open tent, hung with white glowing orbs, provided additional space where many of the gents with a taste for cigars puffed away. The University of Texas and Brigham Young game (disaster) was projected life-sized on an upper wall of the all-white exterior.

The party crowd included Mo's owner Johnny Vassallo and his bride Kristine, Ericka Bagwell, Gina Gaston Elie and Mario Elie, Liz and Tom Glanville, Chester Pitts, Stephanie Cockrell, Sue and Lester Smith, Caroline and Gregg Tyson, Jenee and Nick Stefanakis and Lori Shellist.

Sue and Lester Smith, left, with Lucinda and Javier Loya.

Photo by © Michelle Watson CatchLightGroup.com

Sue and Lester Smith, left, with Lucinda and Javier Loya.

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shock and awe

Dark elegance and spooky splendor raise $1.1M for Children’s Museum Houston

When the Children’s Museum Houston threw its annual adult fête on October 26, the Corinthian wasn’t just an event space, it was a full-on haunted playground for the city’s imaginative souls. Nearly 500 attendees — clad in mysterious black lace, horns, feathers, and flowing capes — stepped into a realm where goth and childhood wonder collided with spectacular results.

This year’s “Noir Ball: A Celebration of Haunted Elegance,” chaired by Whitney and Ryan Burns and Allison and Iván Chávez, made no bones about its moody vibe. From the moment partygoers floated in, the eerie ambiance—think chandeliers dripping in ghostly light and roses under glass cages—set the stage.

The masterminds at Bergner and Johnson Design turned the room into a scene from a spellbinding fairytale, where fog floated ominously across a grand fountain, dotted with rose petals and flickering candles. One could practically hear the spirits whisper.

And as any child knows, no Halloween is complete without a little shock and awe. At one point, lightning cracked and thunder rolled through the room. Even the sweet tooth found its haunting hour with Jackson and Co.’s darkly decadent desserts, including cake candles that might just have you second-guessing what’s edible. It was a feast fit for vampires, werewolves, and Houston’s social elite alike.

Adding to the festivities, ‘80s cover band The Spazmatics revived the dance floor with a high-energy, undead-worthy set, pulling every last creature of the night into their spell. With the iconic chandeliers casting an ethereal glow, the floor was alive with revelers reliving their MTV glory days.

Maleficent, Dracula, and Wednesday Addams mingled with the crowd, adding a dash of dark fantasy to the evening’s ambiance while paddle bids flew during the live and silent auctions chaired by Devorah Krieger and Elizabeth McIngvale-Mackey. Highlights included everything from a diamond necklace to a puppy duo courtesy of K-9 Angels Rescue. Guests vied with ghostly fervor for a bangle donated by Zadok Jewelers. After a close battle, Yana Rodilosso emerged triumphant

The evening raised a spine-tingling $1.14 million, the museum’s second-highest tally ever, all to fuel its mission to nurture Houston's young minds.

Among the undead were Alexandra and Alex Cabraie, Antoinette and Julian Duncan, Kathryn and Travis Boeker, Erin Smith, Bethany and Ben Buchanan, Courtney and Bo Hughes, Deanna Altenhoff, Darren Brasher, Stephanie Wilcox, Freddie Minahan, Heather and Mark Teshoian, Iona and Mike Avery, Veronica and John Griffin, Lacey and Matt Goossen, Ashley and Jonathan Sloan, Neil Badlani and Rekha Muddaraj, Cassandra and Ryan Dalton, and Matthew Mackey.

Photo by Alexander’s Fine Portrait Design

Ashley Sloan, Kathryn Boeker, Erin Smith, and Bethany Buchanan.