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90 MASKED CRUSADERS BY CATHERINE D. ANSPON. PHOTOGRAPHY MIKE HERRERA AND EMILY JASCHKE. O utrageous cosplay was the order of the evening when the Orange Show Gala, 37th annual edi- tion, went down at Crowne Plaza NRG Hotel. Four hundred in their Day of the Dead finery — Frida Kahlos and skeletons aplenty — came together in one of the most creative renditions ever of this iconic art party. Themed Ofrendas y Flores and capably chaired by the fierce and fun foursome of Tracy and Glen Larner and Misty and Surena Matin, the night featured high-voltage dancing to the Celebrity All Star Band enacting a tribute to Earth, Wind & Fire. The highlight of this clever costume party, though, was provided by the guests, who went all out with elaborate ensembles, Dia de los Muertos masks and face painting, to render themselves nearly incognito. The cocktail hour and silent-auction viewing — stocked with collectible works by Texas legends such as the late Bert Long Jr. and James Bettison, as well as living notables including Rachel Hecker, Annabel Livermore, Richard Stout, Dandee Warhol, and David Lackey — was an occasion for a grand promenade of caped crusaders, winsome ghouls, and other imaginatively scary looks. After nearly two hours of cocktailing and bidding, guests settled at tables approaching the nine o'clock hour. The night's successful bottom line — more than $400,000 — funds some of Houston's most memorable art traditions and institutions, including the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art and its neighboring Smither Park, The Beer Can House, and the Art Car Parade. (Save the date: Saturday, April 13, 2019, for the 32nd edition of the world's largest Art Car Parade.) GHOSTS, GOBLINS, AND GHOULS: Orange Show founder and chairman emeritus Marilyn Oshman; board prez Sue Payne with a group of bewigged Orangettes; the caped Don Mafrige Jr., channeling Dracula and Zorro; gallerists including Laura Rathe, Franny Koelsch Jeffries, Dan Allison, Cressandra Thibodeaux, Heidi Vaughan, María Inés Sicardi, Sharon Lott Graham, Deborah Colton, Gus Kopriva, and soon-to-reopen Nancy Littlejohn; The Menil Collection direc- tor Rebecca Rabinow; Cartier Houston store director Kari Gonzales and husband John Dagley; Pamela George and Paul Easterwood; Julia and Will Robinson; Penelope and Lester Marks; Ann Hyde Smither and John Kerr Smither; Jackie and Bass Wallace; Valerie and Lance Rosmarin; artists Sharon Kopriva (designer of the collectible artwork fronting the gala invitations), Janice Freeman, and Magda Boltz-Wilson and Ed Wilson; J. Michael Solis, impressively in corset, platform heels, and towering coif; and auction chairs Star and Jack "Art Guy" Massing, whose dramatic air-brushed faces made them among the most striking couples of this fall fête. SEXY SKELETONS AND GHOULISH ICONS RATTLE AND ROLL AT ORANGE SHOW GALA. Chair foursome Surena & Misty Matin, Glen & Tracy Larner Jack & Star Massing Emily Porter, Vivian Langford Terri Alani Lynette Wallace, Curry Glassell, Marilyn Oshman, Andy Lubetkin Don Mafrige Jr., Elizabeth Petersen Shannon Hall Valerie & Lance Rosmarin Penelope & Lester Marks Ann Hyde Smither & John Kerr Smither Julia & Will Robinson J. Michael Solis Guillermo Hernandez & Amber Eagle David Brown Heidi Vaughan Edward Sanchez, Curry Glassell, Monica Gilliam