Shelby About Town
Armani lunching, Fertitta's Pleasure Pier & a footwear magnate make the socialscene
Roberta Armani and Bob Devlin took bows at the fashion luncheon at NeimanMarcus.Photo by Priscilla Dickson
Fall and winter 2010 Armani Black Label and Collezioni were shown on the runway.Photo by Priscilla Dickson
If all goes well for Tilman Fertitta, you can soon say goodbye to the FlagshipHotel, hello Pleasure Pier.
Donald J Pliner and Lisa Pliner, standing, held court in the Highland Villagestore.Photo by Roswitha Vogler
Shamaine Klein, from left, Dianna Haltford and sales assistant Kristina de laMiyar at Donald J Pliner.Photo by Roswitha Vogler
All eyes were on Armani in the couture salon at Neiman Marcus — and we mean Armani on the rack, Armani on the catwalk and Armani in the flesh. Make that Roberta Armani, niece of the famed designer, who travels the world representing the vaunted Italian design firm.
She hosted the chichi ladies luncheon where she schmoozed with top Armani customers and oversaw a runway collection of the 2010 fall and winter Black Label and Collezioni designs. Neiman's general manager Bob Devlin welcomed the classy throng.
Among the 48 fashion mavens sitting down to lunch at the chic long tables draped in black were Sharon Erskine, Becca Cason Thrash, Roz Pactor, Barbara Van Postman, Linda Messner, Marcia Baker and Claire Goosey.
They lunched on Italian-inspired fare — Caprese Salad, Zitti with Pomodoro and Limoncello mousse with Amaretto cookies — a sipped Proseco and Pinot Grigio.
Full speed ahead
Less than 24 hours after taking Landry's Restaurants private in a $1.4 billion deal, Tilman Fertitta went before the Galveston planning commission Tuesday afternoon to begin the journey of winning civic approval of his plans for yet another amusement venue on the island. Last fall, he announced preliminary plans to restore the old Flagship Hotel (badly damaged by Hurricane Ike) and add amusement rides to the pier. Those plans have changed and the dollar investment has doubled.
In the presentation headed for Galveston City Council at the end of the month, the plans have been modified to transform the site into a "Pleasure Pier." If all goes well for Fertitta, Galveston will have a $30 million waterfront amenity as entertaining as Chicago's Navy Pier, the Santa Monica Pier and New York's Luna Park.
It's been a busy few days for Fertitta. Saturday night, he and wife Paige hosted the Houston Police Foundation "True Blue" benefit dinner at their home, a rocking event that raised $400,000.
Designs on Houston
Just in time for the cool fall weather, a trio of designers landed in Donald J Pliner in Highland Village recently for a busy day of personal appearances. The famed footwear magnate, his wife and fashion designer Lisa Pliner and Houston-based jewelry designer Shamaine Klein gathered for a day of big sales benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities.
The Pliners readily jumped in the trenches as the shopping throngs surged. They fetched shoes and boots from the back shelves for eager customers, many of whom asked for Donald's autograph on the soles of their purchases.
A few days earlier Shamaine Klein and Lisa Pliner joined forces with hair stylist Cerón at Cerón Salon for an evening of socializing and drooling over Klein's dazzling baubles and over the fancy footwear that the Pliners sent over.
Sight 'ems
Suzanne Saperstein and Becca Cason Thrash lunching at Grotto where they toasted the fact that Saperstein and her ballroom dance partner just won top honors at the Caribbean Dancesport Classic in Puerto Rico . . .
Kimberly DeLape, Tena Lunquist Faust and the city's Gail Brown at La Griglia chewing over fundraising possibilities for the proposed Ann Young Adoption Center for pets, a project of BARC. At another table Dancie Ware, her mother DeeDee Perugini and Ashley Pierce head huddled and at other tables John Spalding, John Nau and Bain Pearson . . .
Donna Vallone, Karen Stall, Kristy Elliott and Gayle Kinney lunching at Caffé Bello where they discussed the Oct. 26 luncheon at Houston Country Club benefiting the Bobetta Lindig Breast Center at Memorial Hermann Hospital at Memorial City. Vallone and Stall co-chair that benefit with Ann Cazalot and Suzie Johnson.
