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Luxury PROPERTIES. Utmo DISCRETION. M E C O M P R O P E R T I E S . C O M | 7 13 . 5 5 8 . 3 3 18 A fter 28 years, the celebrated Houston Art Car Parade is changing its route. The new circuit will run along Smith from Pease to Walker and in a circle around Hermann Square and City Hall before ending at Bagby and Lamar. But the best way to see the show remains the same: the VIPit Experience, a ticketed entry around Hermann Square that includes reserved bleacher seating in the shade, bites from top eateries and drinks (including adult beverages), children's activities and live entertainment. Curry Glassell, Orange Show Center for Visionary Art lifer, will chair the Art Car Parade Weekend at the Art Car Capital of the World. Keeping with tradition, the 29th annual parade (Saturday, April 9, 2 pm) is but one highlight in a busy four-day schedule packed with vehicular happenings, including the Main Street Drag Thursday, April 7 (cars will cruise five routes, visiting schools, hospitals and nursing homes); happy hour that same evening at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (to coincide with the museum's Deco-era "Sculpted in Steel" exhibit); the always raucous Legendary Art Car Ball (this year spilling from the lobbies and courtyards of One and Two Allen Center, sponsored by Arts Brookfield); and finishing with an awards ceremony plus brunch on Sunday, April 10. (The parade resumes its normal run along the banks of Buffalo Bayou in 2017.) VIPit Art Car Parade Experience tickets $150 adult, $25 children (12 and under); purchase and info on the full weekend, navigate thehoustonartcarparade.com. Matthew Ramirez VROOM, VROOM Jose Benavides' Madonna Car, 2000, will roll at the Art Car Parade T he only thing more heart-stoppingly beautiful than Aquazurra's Desert Sun sandal is the 15th-century palazzo where it was assembled. The company's HQ and dreamy designer Edgardo Osorio's personal residence, is stylishly tucked away at Palazzo Corsini overlooking the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. $815, at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tootsies, The Webster. Francine Ballard OBSESSION We've been obsessed with William Wegman for a very long time, ever since seeing a survey of the artist's unorthodox, yet brilliant photographic and video works at long-time dealer Texas Gallery. (The MoMA- and Whitney-exhibited art star also has a PaperCity connection, as he graciously allowed one of his Weimaraners, clad in a summery frock, to grace our August 2006 cover.) Wonder what inspires the wry, canine-focused world of Wegman? You're in luck: Glasstire brings the unconventional talent to town Saturday, April 30, for the second installment of its newly minted series, "Off Road: Conversations with Artists Offline." (Read about the first headliner, Robert Irwin, in a chat with Los Angeles County Museum of Art director Michael Govan, on page 52.) The afternoon with the inventive Wegman — who's also been enlisted for projects for Saturday Night Live, Nickelodeon and Sesame Street, and done a nifty segment with Steve Martin for Art:21 — includes cocktails, lecture and a post- event book signing of Wegman's latest, Paintings. "Off Road" with William Wegman, Saturday, April 30, at Rice University's Glasscock School of Continuing Studies; cocktail reception 3:30 pm, talk 4:30 pm, followed by book signing; tickets $25, students $10; VIP After Party from $500; glasstire.com/ offroad; book $45. Catherine D. Anspon Glasstire Goes to THE DOGS William Wegman with his celebrated Weimaraners, circa 2006 COURTESY THE ARTIST Two exhibitions this month, both mounted in Houston, present important lost works by seminal Texas artists that have emerged from the sands of time. At Hiram Butler Gallery, two canvases by an American visionary, the Menil- and Whitney-exhibited Forrest Bess, have been discovered. One was last seen in 1957 at an exhibition at Betty Parsons Gallery, NYC; the other diminutive painting, a commission undertaken by the bait fisherman from Bay City, Texas, was completely unknown. See both masterpieces at Hiram Butler, joined by two more, through May 14. FYI: Butler stepped on the Bess bandwagon in 1986, with a solo show way before the painter was enthroned in the pantheon of American art history. Closer to home, the late Houston lenswoman Suzanne Paul was ahead of her time in so many ways. While digging into Paul's archives, the artist's daughter, Mercedes Paul, unearthed a trove of Polaroids, including images of art-world legends Walter Hopps, Robert Rauschenberg, Mel Chin and Andy Warhol. Paul — our own Jonas Mekas and Nan Goldin — was the first female photographer to show at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, in 1976. Represented in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's collection by 13 images, Paul is the topic of a FotoFest show at Deborah Colton Gallery, curated by Theresa Escobedo. See the lost Polaroids in a time-capsule section of the exhibition (through April 23). Catherine D. Anspon LOST Suzanne Paul's Andy Warhol, circa 1980s, at Deborah Colton Gallery Suzanne Paul's Robert Rauschenberg and Lynn Wyatt, 2001, at Deborah Colton Gallery COURTESY THE ARTIST'S ESTATE AND DEBORAH COLTON GALLERY COURTESY THE ARTIST'S ESTATE AND DEBORAH COLTON GALLERY COURTESY HIRAM BUTLER GALLERY It takes me but a few minutes to realize that Christian Boehm knows exactly what he is doing. I was standing before him, arms held straight out at my side. He had already asked me a number of exacting questions (How thick is the watch you most often wear? What type of T-shirt do you usually wear?) and was now taking one of 30 measurements of my physique — which, if Boehm's attire was a fair indicator, would result in a dinner jacket that fit me like, well, like a bespoke glove, a jacket that was "me" to the final detail. And the details matter: I customized my jacket by selecting the lining, buttonholes, pockets, lapels and stitching. I also chose from among the finest Italian and British fabrics, including Scabal, Holland & Sherry and Loro Piana. It would be a one-of-a-kind piece. Boehm, president of Balani Custom Clothiers — which also, of course, creates trousers, dress shirts, tuxedos and outerwear — holds court at the company's showroom in River Oaks, which opened last summer. Boehm is fond of quoting da Vinci, especially "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication," and that maxim is reflected in the company's approach to more than 50 years of tailoring (Balani was founded in 1961 in Chicago). Not long ago a gentleman friend of mine of a certain age told me that he had been a Balani customer since 1979. He's a banker, and he's always effortlessly dressed in understated suits that speak of quiet and assured elegance. That's Russ. Now that I've visited the Balani showroom a few times, I understand why he has remained loyal to the brand for nearly 40 years. Balani Custom Clothiers, 3601 W. Alabama, 713.360.7455, balanicustom.com. James Brock SARTORIAL Statement JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON Christian Boehm Balani detail For your lapel COURTESY THE ORANGE SHOW Forrest Bess' Untitled #10, 1957, at Hiram Butler Gallery