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    Shelby About Town

    Classical music, Kim Kardashian, Salon Takeover and Chanel rock H-Town

    Shelby Hodge
    Dec 14, 2010 | 6:22 pm
    • Tabatha Coffey works her magic on Salon Vendome.
    • Barbara and Ulyesse LeGrange, left, and Virtuosi of Houston CEO Zarine andMeherwan Boyce at the Hobby Center.
      Photo by Fulton Davenport: PWL Studio
    • Leslie Tyler Fink and Kim Kardashian partying in Los Angeles.
    • Bouchra Adyel,left, Ali Bendella and Mimi Dinh join the Chanel-themed party atCoCo's Crepes & Coffee.
      Photo by Victor Quinterros Marquina

    If you saw Margaret Williams departing the Hobby Center the other night with an armful of yellow roses, you might have also seen Phyllis Williams, Barbara LeGrange and Monzer Hourani toting the same. They had just come from the launch of the Virtuosi of Houston's 15th season, consisting of a concert and an accompanying champagne reception.

    The flowers were presented in tribute to several of those who will take bows as honorees of Virtuosi's 2011 gala. This bubbly kickoff to the season and for the gala served to announce those who will take the spotlight on May 7. In addition to the femmes carrying the roses, Mary Kay and Michael Poulos, Donna and Bob Bruni and Nidhika and Pershant Mehta will be honored.

    Gala chairs Linda and John Barrett hosted the reception along with Virtuosi CEO Zarine Boyce and her husband, Meherwan Boyce. Virtuosi founders and conductors Franz Krager with wife Deborah and Andrzej Grabiec and wife Danuta joined in welcoming supporters of the youth orchestra, comprised for musicians aged 12 to 19.

    Playing off the high notes of the evening were Danielle and John Ellis, Cynthia Delaney and Allan Craft, Kathi and Bill Rovere, Joanne and Bill Crassas, Mary Anne and David McKeithan and Leslie and Harry Hadland of MetroNational.

    Salon Vendome on Bravo

    Soon enough, the tight-lipped crew at Salon Vendome that has refused to utter a word about Tabatha Coffey's visit in July will have their story told on Bravo. Tabatha's Salon Takeover took on the struggling salon on San Felipe in mid-summer and instituted various changes in look and operation. The program will air on Bravo at 9 p.m. on Monday.

    Have the six stylists and their salon benefited from Coffey's advice? Tune in Monday night.

    Partying Kardashian style

    Leslie Tyler Fink might have given birth to her third child, a girl, at the end of November, but little more than two weeks later she was on the red carpet in Los Angeles flirting with fame as she posed for a photo with Kim Kardashian and exchanged girl talk with the reality TV star. The occasion for their second party together was the launch event for Kardashian's signature watch line with the Brissmor Co. that took place at the Whisper Lounge in LA's shopping plaza The Grove.

    No worries about lingering baby fat or what to wear to the party for LTF. Two weeks after the birth, she tweeted photos of herself pouring into her original size two jeans. No small feat for any new mom. It's all part of her fashion, beauty and reality TV world that she is incorporating under Leslie Tyler Style Inc. Add CEO to her various titles.

    Channeling Chanel at CoCo's

    That would be Ali Bendella and Hicham Nafaa, owners of CoCo's Crepes & Coffee, who put the va va voom in Midtown for the fifth anniversary of their Euro-style coffee and dessert boutique. The more than 300 guests were advised to dress in Coco Chanel-inspired black and white. They partied against a backdrop of edgy fashion and the sounds of DJ Senega, checked out the Rolls Royce Phantom and sampled CoCo's menu.

    The bash followed a sort of Chanel No. 5 theme featuring five varieties of crepes, five-item goodie bags, five activities and five VIP hosts: Lucky Chopra, Tony Diaz, George Hermes, Caroline Kenney and Yuki Rogers. Obviously, little CoCo's couldn't host all 300 revelers so the party extended down the block to Chopra's new lounge Double Cross.

    Channeling a raucous Chanel were guests including John Khul, Paige Camus, Lori Geshay, Rasha Nasreddin, Troy Genzer, Russell Neinast and Pierre Vomero.

    Sight 'ems

    Cindy Clifford and 40 female powerhouses taking over the private room at Catalan for a year-end Clifford bash saluting friends and associates. Among those talking politics, holidays and family were U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore, City Councilwoman Brenda Stardig, State Rep. Carol Alvarado, Amegy Bank's Terry Morales, Houston Association of Realtors' Dana Kervin, Society for the Performing Arts' Priscilla Larson, METRO's Raquel Roberts and one brave guy — Jason Fuller, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's regional director . . .

    Sheridan and John Eddie Williams savoring the 'ritas and Tex-Mex at El Tiempo at one table, Manfred Jachmich, taking a night off from his Café Moustache, at another.

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    Big Spenders

    Retro futurism meets philanthropy as Houston museum gala raises $3.6M

    Joel Luks
    Mar 12, 2026 | 10:30 am
    Houston Museum of Natural Science Gala 2026
    Photo by Daniel Ortiz
    Will Lee, Britton Daugbjerg, Ella Fertitta, and Jason Fertitta.

    Big spenders to the front, please.

    On a night when Houston’s black-tie crowd orbited the worlds of science, style, and a little retro-futurism, the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Futurama: A Stardust Odyssey Gala 2026 felt less like a traditional fundraiser and more like an expedition through the museum’s halls.

    Chaired by Randa and Charlie Williams alongside Susanne and Joel Bartsch, the gala welcomed more than 350 guests who arrived ready to lean into the evening’s mid-century futuristic theme. Instead of a traditional program, tables were scattered throughout the museum, an intentional design that encouraged guests to roam. Blooming Gallery’s décor channeled a bright, Jetsons-inspired palette before shifting into a copper-and-marigold Mad Men mood as the evening progressed.

    Let’s talk about the Vault Auction, as it had a gravitational force all its own, delivering a treasure trove of museum-worthy marvels and luxury collectibles.

    Among the headliners was a jaw-dropping 90–troy-ounce crystallized gold specimen from the Beta Hunt Gold Mine in Western Australia, with a $850,000 starting bid. A Chanel brooch centered on a GIA-certified yellow sapphire had a starting bid of $180,000, while a dazzling pair of earrings featuring Paraiba tourmaline, Mahenge pink spinel, and diamonds was valued between $800,000 and $1.2 million. The crown jewel of the display? “Rocks in a Box,” a museum-quality curated mineral collection assembled by HMNS curators selling for $1.8 million.

    Need a ride? We got you. A 1965 Jaguar XKE Series 1 4.2 Coupe donated by Stephanie and Frank Tsuru was up for grabs.

    Gulf Coast Entertainment’s Justin and The SwingBeats Quartet filled cocktail hour with jazz standards and retro pop. Later, diners gathered in Morian Hall of Paleontology and the Morian Overlook for a multi-course meal of elevated Southern fare.

    After dinner, the celebration shifted into high gear in the Grand Entry Hall. Joystix Entertainment transformed the space into a retro arcade with glowing pinball machines, Donkey Kong cabinets, and pool tables. Flamingo showgirls by J&D Entertainment strutted through the crowd. Guests danced to live music, sipped milkshakes, nibbled late-night mini grilled cheese sandwiches, and even tried their luck at claw machines filled with gemstones and minerals.

    The affair became the most successful gala in the museum’s history, raising $3.6 million to support educational programs, exhibitions, and outreach initiatives.

    Orbiting the scene were Mary and Ron Neal, Patty and T. Mark Kelly, Caroline and Jack Williams, Nancy and David Pustka, Cynde and Chris Stravros, Mary Helen and Pete Bowden, Meg and Dick Weekley, Al Walker, Joella and Steve Mach, Monica and Fox Benton, Lisa and Mike O’Leary, and Chandos and Ike Epley, alongside many of Houston’s leading philanthropists and community supporters.

    Houston Museum of Natural Science Gala 2026

    Photo by Daniel Ortiz

    Will Lee, Britton Daugbjerg, Ella Fertitta, and Jason Fertitta.

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