With Texas 100 Percent Reopening, Beloved River Oaks Fashion Extravaganza Adds Tables
A Chance to Buy Coveted Items From the Closets of Houston's Best Dressed Ladies
BY Shelby Hodge // 03.09.21The Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary is gearing up for the April 13 'Reflections on Style' luncheon and fashion show and the Showroom shopping that follows. (Photo by Shelby Hodge)
With Governor Greg Abbott opening all Texas facilities to 100 percent occupancy, the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary is moving forward with table sales for the annual “Reflections on Style” luncheon fundraiser. Previously due to COVID-19, the number of tables for the event in the River Oaks Country Club ballroom had been limited to 20 and those were sold.
Now, 11 more tables in the ballroom and a handful of tables in the ballroom foyer are available for the April 13 fashion extravaganza.
That number still remains shy of the 40-plus tables that were packed into the ballroom in previous years.
Luncheon chair Gayle Eury, auxiliary president Maureen Higdon and Salvation Army Area Commander Major Shelley Bell have announced added safety protocols to the fashion show presentation including mask requirements, hand sanitizers and single-only dressing rooms. No more group dressing rooms as had been in past years.
Patrons of the wildly successful event will recall that “Reflections on Style” is a two-part fundraiser. The first is the River Oaks Country Club day that includes the fashion show, orchestrated by Lenny Matuszewski and Tamara Klosz Bonar; luncheon; and shopping the crème de la crème fashions, that event chaired by Gayle Eury. The second is the Chic Boutique Showroom where shopping the full collection of clothes, organized with the assist of Jeanne Ruberti, runs April 14 to 17.
While fashions are still being collected from the closets of some of the city’s best dressed ladies, Eury and River Oaks Country Club Chic Boutique chairs Laura McWilliams and Suzie Wilson gave PaperCity an early peek at the wealth of items already donated for the sale.
And what a collection it is, continuing the tradition of amazing designer deals that have hearts of even the most sophisticated fashionistas palpitating. Akris, Valentino, Chanel, Carolina Herrera, Dolce & Gabbana, Sandro and Alice + Olivia were among the sightings. Minks, fur-lined jackets, fur-lined raincoats and a Chanel evening coat caught our attention.
Accessories for both the River Oaks Chic Boutique and the Showroom include handbags, belts, shoes, hats, scarves. Think Hermès, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Jimmy Choo and the like.
While one donor is contributing a $20,000 couture Ralph Lauren gown, Tootsies is donating an Andrew Gn cocktail dress, and Elizabeth Anthony is contributing a number of jackets from Robert Quaglia, there will be numerous other labels to be found particularly at the Chic Boutique Showroom, located at 3701 W. Alabama at Timmons Lane. We saw clothing from Chico’s and Talbot’s along with vintage pieces from a range of designers and pocketbook-friendly labels. Sarah Burchfield and Alison Gemp are chairing the showroom.
Reservations for the luncheon should be made with Stick Delaup at ddelaup@hotmail.com.