Western Hat Maker Continues Her Houston Love Obsession, Turning a Montrose Hotel Into an After Hours In the West Spot

Hat designer Teressa Foglia and her artist husband Ty Hays just can’t get enough of Texas. Their latest foray into the Lone Star State took place at Houston’s hip Hotel Saint Augustine where they hosted cocktails for a throng and dinner for a select group. The evening spotlighted Hay’s newest collection “After Hours in the West” and Foglia’s limited-edition hat collection. All created in honor of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Some 100 friends, art lovers and influencers — let’s just say the cool kids — were invited to rally in the Montrose hotel’s lounge and listening room during the “Drop the Needle” happy hour when it’s strictly vinyls on the turntable. A dinner for 30 insiders followed in Saint Augstine’s Perseid restaurant. Chef Aaron Bludhorn was on hand to welcome the savvy clutch.

Ten of Hays‘ mixed media Western-themed works — employing at various times a mix of acrylic paint, lime wash, charcoal and graphite — were on view in the hotel and served as backdrop to the private dinner. Horses, Western hats and boots are featured in his often minimalist works.

“This collection reflects the stillness and strength of the West,” Hays tells PaperCity. “I wanted it to feel warm and lived in, with a sense of depth that quietly carries through the work.”

Foglia‘s pop-up rodeo collection featured Western inspired silhouettes bringing haute hat fashion to traditional Western style. And, yes, a number of the fashionable guests donned stylish hats from Foglia’s collections. Since first visiting Houston in 2022 and frolicking in Round Top, she and Hays have developed a certain love for Texas.

“After being displaced from our home during the Palisades fire we found ourselves embraced by the Texas community, particularly in Houston, which deepened our connection to the state and solidified its place in our hearts,” Foglia says. “We have always loved spending time here, and since opening our Houston store nearly four years ago, it has been such a meaningful opportunity to be back in the city for the upcoming Rodeo season.”

PC Seen: Mark Sullivan, Carson Brown, Chiara Casiraghi, Kaleta Blaffer Johnson, Roshan Sharma, Mary Uptegrah, Dan Zimmerman, Hannah Swiggard, Lauren Gray, Greg Aston, Ann Lee Phillips, Courtney Mashburn, Ally Shell, Tiffany Halik, Greg Aston, Elizabeth Kurpis, and Jennifer Cope.

Teressa Foglia and her artist husband Ty Hays will be part the shopping bonanza at The Horseshoe during Round Top Antiques Fair, which begins this Thursday, March 5 and runs through the March 28th.