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in this ISSUE A P R I L 2 0 1 4 | S T Y L E | FA S H I O N | S O C I A L 4 , 6 , 8 P O P. C U LT U R E . G O S S I P. A pril is an important design and art month in Houston and at PaperCity. We're getting ready for the PaperCity Design Awards, which is technically April 1, but all the excitement falls in the weeks before, as I write this letter: The judges turn in their results, a PowerPoint presentation of the winners' beautiful projects is finalized, a script is written, and all the arrangements are made for the judges to fly in. Sheri Roane (she and husband Grant own Houston Design Center) is planning menus, flowers, rentals and pondering A/V systems for the HDC showrooms, where the awards will be presented. Close to 200 design professionals entered this year's awards, and four well-known designers lent their judging skills: Alexa Hampton (NYC), Jay Jeffers (LA), Celerie Kemble (NYC) and architect Michael Imber (San Antonio). This year, we also recognize breakout architects and designers, furniture and accessories designers, craftsmen, preservation and restoration efforts, and other mostly unsung heroes of the design world. The award of "Most Exhausted" should go to Ms. Roane. Also of import on the calendar: Dallas Art Fair opening night is April 10 and runs through April 13. Although called Dallas Art Fair, this is very much a Texas fair. See this month's special section devoted to this amazing production and labor of love. Meanwhile, April 23 through 27 is Lawndale Design Fair, where we always see and hear new things. As artist Aaron Parazette, whose specially commissioned work is featured on our Art + Home cover (page 33), so artistically says: BUY ART NOW. Holly Moore, Editor in Chief holly@papercitymag.com 20 Style: Sneaking around 12 22 14 10 Party: Sheiks and sheikas at Ballet Ball Parties: Memorial Park Conservancy's Green Gala; Discovery Green's fifth birthday; Hats in the Park for Hermann Park Pick of the New: Fresh places to shop, gaze and graze 24 28 30 33 42 Party: Todd and Ceron's New Year's New York nuptials Fashion: Spring beauties 44 Style: Chatting with Julian Schnabel Party: Channeling Palm Beach at Root Ball kickoff at J. McLaughlin Party: Brilliant Lecture Series and Tenenbaum & Co. welcome Betty Buckley, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton. Decoration: What's new in the design world 49 52 58 64 66 Style: Paging art historian David Brauer Party: DiverseWorks' Fashion Fête: Art of the Runway SIMON GENTRY P atience is something I sometimes lack, even though my dad always tried to drill his mantra of "Haste makes waste" into me. Patience and long-term vision often seem to go together, and when applied to the real estate business — retail centers in particular — the outcome can be truly amazing projects. Look at Ed Wulfe plodding away on Boulevard Place for years, delaying the ground-breaking till the time was right. And now, it's a beautiful addition to the city. Same with Oliver-McMillan and their River Oaks District. Years in the making, having patience till the time was right, and now — if you've driven by lately — you can see that it will be well worth the wait. Finally, your patience has paid off: The amazing Dallas Art Fair is here again, starting April 11. Join in: Attend panel discussions and look and buy some great art. See you there. Jim Kastleman Publisher jim@papercitymag.com Party: Presenting The Momentum Award, Driving Style 38 56 Style: Round About Round Top Design: Round Top compound of Armando and Cinda Palacios Parties: Jan Showers book signing at Carl Moore Antiques; Mrs. PK & Oz opening; Gardens and Grandeur Gala Preview for Theta Antiques Show; Ken Kehoe & Co. showroom fête Design: Turning upholstery inside out Party: Houston Center for Contemporary Craft's Martini Madness Parties: Woman's Hospital of Texas' Labor Day Luncheon & Style Show; Houston Methodist's Rendezvous in Blue; Cancer Forward: We Can Go Forward Luncheon Special Section: Everywhere you need to be at the Dallas Art Fair Local Foods, 2555 Kirby Dr., 713.255.4440, houstonlocalfoods.com Benjy Levit and chef/partner Dylan Murray — proprietors of Benjy's Restaurants and Local Foods, the quick casual concept they conjured in 2011 in Rice Village — are duplicating their success by opening a second Local Foods in River Oaks. Make no mistake: They may be siblings, but Local 2 (as insiders have dubbed it) is not exactly a clone of the first, although similarities abound. Both were designed by Found's Aaron Rambo, and the sleek new spot (in the former stead of Taco Milagro at the corner of Kirby and Westheimer) has hallmarks of the first, such as community tables, clean subway-tiled walls and vintage fixtures. But the new spot truly feels a part of its neighborhood, with old maps of River Oaks blown up and mounted on walls, along with dining tables, lighting and more custom-created for the space and bathed with natural light. True to their concept's name, Levit and Murray have made a concerted effort to procure local foodstuffs, from fruits and vegetables to fish, poultry and beef, even liquor (from local beer to Texas distilled vodka, spirits which now grace their new full-service bar). While aficionados of the first Local Foods will be delighted to find that chefs Daniel Nossa and Brandon Shillings have kept favorites such as the crunchy chicken, truffled egg salad sandwich and falafel on the menu, they've also added a slew of vegan and vegetarian options, not to mention a snazzy rotisserie grill that, come dinner time, will roast chicken, beef, pork, lamb, even duck and whole fish, which all round out a menu filled, lunch and dinner, with seasonal salads, soups and baked goodies too gooey and good to pass up, created by mother Levit herself. Laurann Claridge Living Local G ucci creative director Frida Giannini looked to the archives of the storied Italian fashion house to come up with Gucci's latest collection of intricately crafted handbags, called Nouveau. The four styles (shoulder bag, clutch, hobo and shopper) are fluid with tassels and fringe, calling to mind a late-'40s bohemian moment — no surprise, as that's the decade that inspired Giannini. It was during those difficult years of a fascist dictatorship, when luxurious materials were in short supply and the house was experimenting with fabrics such as hemp, linen and jute, that an innovative Gucci artisan created the burnished bamboo handle. An iconic symbol of European fashion was born. Each of the new bag styles has bamboo hardware with leather, suede or exotic skins, the latter in glossy, bleached and metalized, and all in rich berry, bright blue and popping red. From $1,150, at the Gucci boutique. Kate Stukenberg Fringe Benefits Benjy Levit and chef/partner Dylan Murray JENNY ANTILL JENNY ANTILL Holly Moore FULTON DAVENPORT Some things happen once in a lifetime. Case in point, the Houston Museum of Natural Science's dynamic collaboration with Roman-based jeweler Bulgari. The sweeping exhibition, "Bulgari: 130 Years of Masterpieces" (May 2 through October 5), includes both historical archival masterpieces as well as those in private collections, to fully evoke the spectrum of work, from Greek silversmith Sotirio Bulgari's founding of the brand in 1884 in Rome to today. Bulgari's distinctive Italian style, which incorporates Greco-Roman and Italian Renaissance themes, speaks to a loyal and discerning cliental, among them Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, Isabella Rossellini, Gina Lollobrigida, Anna Magnani, Juliette Binoche, Milla Jovovich, Jennifer Aniston, Claudia Schiffer, Elizabeth Hurley, Rachel Weisz, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore, all of whom have personal pieces in the exhibition. The local impact of the Italian master is demonstrated in loans from two incomparable Houston donnas: Lynn Wyatt, who lends her circa-1975 white gold, yellow sapphire, lapis lazuli and diamond necklace, and Joanne King Herring, whose circa-1970 sautoir necklace in gold with diamonds was worn in the presence of six U.S. presidents. Both will be resplendently revealed. Adding to the allure are the evocative portraits, sketches and other archival materials in the exhibition. Standout jewels include intricate coiled Serpente bracelet-watches with gleaming enamel skins and diamond adornments (circa 1965) and a remarkable curb-link gourmette sautoir necklace (circa 1975), its chain punctuated by Byzantine coins: six soilidi of Heraclius and successor Heraclius Constantinus (616-625 AD). hmns.org. Megan Pruitt Winder Like he needs an introduction … Tom Brady — three- time Super Bowl champion, quarterback for the New England Patriots — is in Houston Tuesday, May 13, for a dinner in a private home, benefitting Best Buddies. The evening is chaired by Becca Cason Thrash, someone else who doesn't need an introduction. Anthony Kennedy Shriver — founder of Best Buddies, a mentoring program for persons with intellectual and learning disabilities that creates one-on-one friendships and assists in finding integrated employment — will also be on hand. Brady and his wife, supermodel Gisele Bündchen, are long- time ambassadors of Best Buddies; no word on whether Gisele will keep her husband company on this trip. Tickets are $2,500 for the seated dinner; cocktail attire, 7 pm. Information and reservations, charlesgonzalez@gmail.com. Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen at the Costume Institute Met Ball, 2013 Best Buds Bulgari Serpenti bracelet-watch in yellow gold with turquoise, lapis lazuli and diamonds, circa 1965 arrives at HMNS Bejeweled History of Bulgari