Hair-raising Celebration
Anna Wintour's favorite new Houston salon rocks the kasbah with belly dancers at wild opening
Patrons of Q [the salon] moved to a Moroccan beat at the recent grand opening celebration of the new salon and spa on West Alabama, near The Menil Collection. For one night, owner Joel Quinones and manager Brad Brandt turned the spacious patio into a Montrose kasbah with patterned rugs, plush sofas accentuated with bright scarves and pillows, multi-colored lanterns and areas for hookah partakers.
A couple of curvaceous belly dancers from BellaDonna Dance Company gyrated through the crowd, who sipped on champagne, cocktails and Moroccan-inspired appetizers from Melange Events.
The duo came up with the theme because the upstairs salon, with Jonathan Adler-inspired orange-and-white walls, ceramic elephants at every stylist station and mesmerizing artwork by Houston artist Ryan Geiger (one large painting displays the words "Everything"), seemed to call out for an out-of-box celebration. A handwritten note from Anna Wintour is displayed prominently in the salon (Wintour usually stops by while in Houston with her main squeeze, Shelby Bryan, who was raised here) and guests received a goodie bag filled with Stephen Knoll hair care and beauty products, which are faves of the Vogue magazine editor.
Offering the duo best wishes were Taylor and Shannon Recther, Tracy Vaught, Gaynor and Anthony Banham, Nicole Perdue, Killian and Douglas Gilbert-Smith, Alice Oehmig, Heidi Dugan, Caroline Coleman Stender, Lori Freese, Mandy Zuniga and Sara Dodd.
Also taking part in the fun were Peter Remington, Jeff Gremillion, Bill Hines, Victor Biega, Pam Mitchell, Greg Morago, Deborah Huston, John Dascoulias, Dan and Pamela Russ and Joan Tankersley.