Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/633195
A s Houston continues with its massive construction of new high-rises, apartments and suburban neighborhoods built from scratch, I worry if anything will be left with any gravitas, with a story to tell. We are holding on with fingernails screeching to any structure more than 20 years old, much less our historically important buildings. I won't even begin to list what's been demolished. It's too demoralizing. But the point of this is that this week I had a wonderful meeting with the general manager of the Ritz Paris hotel, Christian Boyens, and his colleague Anne Benichou, during their quick trip to Houston. The Ritz reopens next month after a three- and-a-half year renovation — a renovation so beautifully planned and executed that upon seeing the photographs of the refurbished interiors my heart raced, just as it always has when gazing upon those beautiful salons and rooms. Yes, I could see that it had been refurbished, but it was subtle; it was gracious. For a building erected in 1898, the doors closed for the first time in August 2012 for the restoration of what was important historically, and updated with new technology, heating, cooling and security engineering. It was not thought necessary to destroy a building in order to update it. (More on this sensitive renovation in another issue.) Just last month, the beautiful, architecturally important Incarnate Word Academy built in 1873 in Downtown Houston was demolished to rebuild a new school in the same location to accommodate more students and staff. One has to wonder what in the long run will touch the lives of these students more: better technology and a bit more room, or to walk the halls, and live and breathe within such an important and beautiful creation. Holly Moore Editor in Chief holly@papercitymag.com HUNT SLONEM 20 in this ISSUE FEBRUARY 2016 | STYLE | FASHION | SOCIAL 4 , 6 , 7 P O P. C U LT U R E . G O S S I P. 12 Party: Tenenbaum Classic Jewelers Celebrates 40 Years 17 Style: Global Warming 14 Party: de Boulle's opening fête in River Oaks District New Doors: Van Cleef & Arpels, Saint Laurent, La Table 24 Parties: Cocktails at Antiques of River Oaks, Found, Past Era, Queen of Heirs, Wayne Smith, Zadok Jewelers; Legacy's Holiday Schmooze Design: The Menil bungalows of Michael Landrum and Garrett Hunter, Seth and Hannah Siegel-Gardner 10 Party: Best Buddies benefit with Kevin Spacey Holly Moore 22 28 33 36 38 40 Party: Festari For Men's Una Notte in Italia Bridal Style: A most unconventional bride Weddings: Mosie Hackett + Michael SoRelle; Holly Smith + Austin Alvis Style: Designer Lindsey Looke's first home The Way We Wed: Mary Ann and David McKeithan, Duyen Huynh and Marc Nguyen, Andrea and Bill White C alling all designers, decorators, architects, landscape designers, furniture and product makers. It's that time of year again: The annual Houston PaperCity Design Awards at The Houston Design Center, which celebrates design creativity and innovation, is now accepting entries. Houston design professionals regardless of affiliation are encouraged to enter projects across 17 categories for residential, office, retail, historic preservation, outdoor, garden, furniture and product design. The Design Awards cocktail event to announce the winning entries is set for April 12, 2016, at The Houston Design Center, and winning entries will be published in the October 2016 PaperCity Home + Art issue, circulation 80,000. A panel of esteemed national design judges will be announced soon. Explore the 2016 Houston PaperCity Design Awards categories and submit your entries at papercitymag.com/designawards. The entry period closes Wednesday, March 2, 2016. NOW ACCEPTING ENTRIES T he question has been popped — but there are bigger questions, and you need to find the right sources for answers. Your go-to list for reception venues, bridal emporiums, jewelers, floral designers, event planners and more is all in one place: the PaperCity Blue Book, our online guide to all things bridal. A note to brides: Also gone digital are our editors' picks of the city's best spring bridal trunk shows, with all you need to know about finding The Dress. Click to it. papercitymag.com. THE WEDDING WEB Tip-top names continue to roll into the new River Oaks District. Beauty super brand Nars, resort-inspired lifestyle brand Roberta Roller Rabbit and Dallas-based sports apparel shop St. Bernard all open this year. In the restaurant realm at River Oaks District, brothers Jeffrey and Michael Mastro open Steak 48 this spring. With plans to stand out in a steak-rich city, Steak 48 will eschew the traditional wood-and-leather steakhouse interior for contemporary ambience and serve responsibly farmed prime steaks hand-cut in-house and wet-aged 28 days. A raw bar and comprehensive seafood selection culled from sustainable fisheries will also be offered. Menu samples: ahi poke and burrata with grilled stone fruit, double-baked truffle potatoes, asparagus fries and corn crème brûlée, plus the requisite wine and cocktail lists. A Dallas import, The Porch, owned by Tristan Simon of Consilient Restaurants, serves down-home food and uptown cocktails and is also scheduled to open this spring. Arizona-based SumoMaya Mexican-Asian Kitchen, which serves tapas-style small plates incorporating flavors of Latin America and the Far East, opens in the spring … After much speculation, Galleria parent company Simon Property confirms New York-based burger empire Shake Shack will set up shop in the Galleria's west wing late this fall. Prepare for the Shack's famous all-natural Angus beef burgers, flat-top hot dogs, crinkle-cut fries, frozen custard, shakes and a selection of beer and wine … Beauty retailer Bluemercury, the D.C.-based luxury beauty boutique and spa, opens its first Houston store in Rice Village at 2506 University Boulevard next month. The 2,243 square-foot space will carry hundreds of beauty products including Bluemercury's popular proprietary brands M-61 skincare and Lune + Aster ...The shuttered Ruggles Café and Bakery space won't be vacant much longer. Lee Ellis, Lance Fegen, Carl Eaves and Will Davis of F.E.E.D. TX Restaurant Group open Little Liberty, a smaller version of its Liberty Kitchen concept, at 2365 Rice Boulevard in Rice Village … Known for its celebrity and cult following, New York-based spin studio SoulCycle brings its beloved concept to Houston this year. SoulCycle's parent company, Equinox, opened in River Oaks District in December 2015, but a prospective SoulCycle Houston locale has yet to be revealed. THIS JUST IN… BONJOUR PARIS W ith Parisian landmarks as its inspiration — from the Dôme des Invalides to the Pont des Arts — Cartier's new Paris Nouvelle Vague collection embodies the je ne sais quoi epitomized by the City of Light and its stylish inhabitants. Gold baroque details and geometric latticework combine with an electric mix of cultured pearls, spinels, morganite, moonstone, lapis lazuli, turquoise and diamonds. One ring recalls the playful Roue de Paris: A voluminous gold cage embellished with diamonds suggests the Ferris wheel's iconic cabins. The romance of the arches and tunnels along the Seine is captured in a swoopy collection of bulbous gold bracelets that are underscored with Cartier red — a suggestion that there is always more beneath the surface. Francophiles, this is your jewelry match, whether your variety of chic is quirky like Ines de la Fressange or dainty à la Audrey Tatou. To order at Cartier, 4444 Westheimer Road in River Oaks District 713.871.0177, cartier.us. Christina Geyer Cartier Paris Nouvelle Vague collection ring in pink gold with morganite, pearls and spinels Cartier Paris Nouvelle Vague collection ring in pink gold with malachite and fire opals Monique Lhuillier Fall 2016 at Casa de Novia, Joan Pillow Bridal Salon