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JUNE | PAGE 30 | 2015 CHAMPAGNE WISHES AND POP ART DREAMS ANNE LEE PHILLIPS PAINTS THE SCENE. PHOTOGRAPHY EMILE BROWNE. "MAY ALL YOUR PAIN BE CHAMPAGNE," proclaimed the colorful cocktail napkins accompanying glasses of bubbly at the festive evening celebrating the capsule collection between princess of Pop Art Ashley Longshore and the cheeky home-goods store Biscuit Home. Biscuit owner Bailey McCarthy, an early collector of the New Orleans-based artist, had long been dreaming up a collaboration with Longshore, which came to fruition after months of scheming. Bailey's friend/client Rachael Volz of A Fare Extraordinaire planned every on-brand detail of the fête, including a boxwood bar beautified with butterflies and vivid epicurean creations, such as paint-splattered truffles. Longshore lovers scooped up the ALxBH champagne buckets, cocktail glasses and trays as well as large-scale canvases — it was her first Houston show in five years, after all. Toasting to imaginative irreverence: Ashley Longshore Art Gallery's Kate Grace Bauer and Brittany Rampick; Bailey's husband Pete McCarthy; Biscuit design assistant Valerie McFarland with husband David; interior designer/collector Meg Lonergan; artful admirers Megan Davis, Lacey Goossen, Kristina Wilson, Carrie Colbert, Jennifer Barron, Linden Utt, Leslie Pitts, and Kate Dempsey Stouffer. Alana Smith Katherine Kruger Caroline Gulsby Lacey Goossen Meg Lonergan Liz Butler Mackenzie Montelaro Jordan Foley Rachel Atkins Megan Davis Geneva Harris Lindsey Gengo Stuart Humphries Jessi New Katie McClure Erin Breen Kate Dorn Jennifer Barron Nicole Crenshaw Brittany Rampick Eric Kocian Linden Utt Blake Holeman Roland Maldonado Ashley Longshore Carrie Colbert Alex Holeman Ofe Mendez Michael Young Carolyn Utt Claudia Lummis Farrelle Rice, Valerie McFarland, Lauren VandenBout, Keila Marino, Bailey McCarthy, Chelsie Rowlett Kristina Wilson Lauren Haskett PARTY STAG WHERE ARE YOU FROM? Don Weir: Shreveport, Louisiana. Steve Shuck: Indianapolis, Indiana. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE THIS? DW: I was selling antiques and oddities out of Uncommon Objects on South Congress in Austin, and Steve was running his home design store called Mercury Design Studio (which he's still somehow running simultaneously to Stag). WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM? DW/SS: In early 2009, we recognized that Austin was a great retail market with lots of shops and boutiques catering to women, but there were very few aimed at the men's market. The same goes for Houston. There were a few men's stores in town, but most were really small with limited selections, so we wanted to create a larger space exclusively for men with an assortment of goods that met many needs in one place — apparel, accessories, grooming, design, music, art, gifts, furniture, and more. Houston has some great men's shops in Sid Mashburn, Billy Reid and Manready Mercantile among others, but we think our perspective will bring something a little different to an already compelling menswear market. WHY L.A. FOR THE SECOND STORE? DW: We were looking to open a Houston and Dallas shop all along but just couldn't find the right real estate, so we eventually turned our eye(s) toward Venice in California — a market that we saw as really similar to Austin. They're both laid-back and eclectic and stylish in a similar way, so it made sense. Abbot Kinney Boulevard is one of the most desirable retail streets in America right now, so when we found a spot, we just went for it. Plus, it's a nice place to visit. SS: And who doesn't want to be at the beach when it's 100 degrees in Texas. WHICH LOCATION DOES THE BEST? DW/SS: Austin has a five-year head start on the other stores and couldn't be better positioned on South Congress Avenue, so we expect it'll do best (at least from a financial perspective) for a while to come. WHAT LINES CROSS OVER, AND WHICH WILL BE UNIQUE TO HOUSTON? DW: Houston actually has less brand competition than our other markets, so we'll be able H ouston marks the fourth stop on the world-domination tour of Stag Provisions for Men — the men's apparel and lifestyle shop that recently opened at Westheimer and Kirby, near Armandos and Sloan/Hall. Co-founders Don Weir and Steve Shuck have broken the mold with a unique retail concept that appeals to the confident, laid- back gentleman (Johnny Depp and Matthew McConaughey are both customers). Conceived in Austin, the store pairs high with low, mixing vintage classics with new collections from mainstay American designers (Ralph Lauren, Jack Spade, Filson, etc.), all in tandem with contemporary art, vintage furniture and small- batch goods from local craftsmen. High-profile Abbot-Kinney in Venice, California, was their second location, followed by Dallas. Now finally, they have a home in Houston. Francine Ballard shares a cold one with the boys from Stag. to carry all of our lines in Houston. But we'll also work with Houston's Hamilton Shirt Co. and some other brands to curate exclusive products for the shop. WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST SURPRISING THING ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY SINCE LAUNCHING THE FIRST STORE? SS: Probably the depth of talented people we find who really want to work with us. DW: That the journey is hugely rewarding in too many ways to count; and that it takes a lot of work to get it right. WHAT WOULD YOU BE MOST LIKELY TO BE ARRESTED FOR? DW: We better not go there. SS: Probably threatening someone who's talking in a movie theater. DOWNTIME. DW: A drink with friends and hanging with my hound dog Gus in the Texas Hill Country. SS: Hanging out with friends and my goofy dogs, Claude and Lola. STYLE ICON. SS: My dad. He understood style but wore the same outfit every day: gray trousers, white oxford, black cardigan, black horn rim glasses. A uniform dresser to the core. DW: I don't really have one, but James Dean did it pretty well. Simple. Classic. YOUR OWN UNIFORM. DW: Button-down, blue jeans, Blundstones. SS: Broken-in twills, chambray shirt, striped tee, sneakers. COCKTAIL. DW: Bourbon on the rocks or a cold High Life. SS: Belvedere and Tonic.. FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK. DW: Sunday for the R&R it sometimes provides. SS: Friday, because who doesn't love the anticipation of the weekend. Manly accoutrements The gear at Stag Don Weir and Steve Shuck, co-founders, Stag Provisions for Men JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON CASEY DUNN