Charity Mixer and Bill Cunningham Documentary stirs fashionistas!

Society with Ruchi

While some Houstonians were concert hopping from Rihanna to Indian Pop singer Sunidhi Chauhan, some were attending charity mixers and others were getting their fashion on at a museum event.

Over by the Museum District more than 100 Indian Americans, mostly first generation, gathered at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on July 7 for the Indo American Charity Foundation (IACF) donors appreciation mixer.

Latha Thomas, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Houston Museum of Natural Science, informed that IACF is a donor to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. “The foundation has made a monetary donation to promote the museum’s science programs at the museum’s location in Sugarland. We are extremely grateful to IACF as the museum’s mission is science education,” explained Thomas.

“Not a lot of Indian events are hosted here and so my Uncle David was quite excited hosting the mixer amidst the world’s finest gem and mineral collections,” added Latha.

Guests sipped fine wines, nibbled on bites catered by City Kitchen and swayed to the music of guitarist Dani Vargas and singer Michelle George. The evening was made possible with the efforts of David Raj who is also the 2012 President elect for the charity foundation. The main purpose for the gathering was to get pepped up for their upcoming gala on September 16 at the InterContinental Hotel with a goal to raise $500,000.

Dress code varied at the mixer, while some women were adorned in traditional outfits, most were in summer dresses or cocktail attire. Spotted in traditional sari was Kalyani Giri, Radio Queen Meena Dutt was in churridar and FBISD Board President Sonal Bhuchar flashed her vibrant smile. Also present Reji Joseph, Anu Bala, Surender Talwar, Harish and Shashi Jajoo, Phillip Kloeckner, Latha Thomas and many others from the Indo-American community.

Meanwhile the Museum of Fine Arts Houston was filling up with some fashionable men and women for the viewing of the Bill Cunningham Documentary on Friday July 8, 2011.

The viewing was followed by a panel discussion. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston collaborated with The Fashion Group International on Friday night’s presentation of Bill Cunningham New York.

For fashion newbies! Bill Cunningham is a highly acclaimed fashion photographer who moved to New York in the forties and became popular as the fashion photographer who got on the streets of NY to click those impromptu fashion stills.

The panel had some A-list speakers including philanthropist and fashion icon Lynn Wyatt who was inducted into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1977 and has graced the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. She is a friend and patron of many legendary couturiers, including Valentino, Karl Lagerfeld, Emanuel Ungaro, Bill Blass, and Yves Saint Laurent.

Also present were Houston based designer Chloe Dao, winner of Project Runway Season 2; Photographer Jay Marroquin a native Texan, born and raised in Houston to a middle class family from Mexico; Luis Soto, aka Mr. G, a fashion co-editor of fashion and lifestyle website MetroVelvet.com. A local Houstonian with a panache for fashion, 2010/2011 Regional Director of The Fashion Group International of Houston, Inc., Josephine Firat, moderated this sold out event.

Members of the museum, Fashion Group International and all fashion lovers strongly recommend this as a must see documentary. Click here for show timings.

Photo Credits:

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