Romancing with Fashion and Traffic Frenzy as Australian Prime Minister Visits Htown

Never a dull moment in Houston! From Prime Minister visits to emerging fashion designers. Houston has it all. Several media and social media updates kept looking for clues to the traffic craziness last Friday. Only a handful were aware of the Australian Prime Minister’s visit to Houston causing sightings of limos and traffic back ups.

Australia’s 28th Prime Minister Tony Abbott visited Asia Society Texas Center last Friday for a very exclusive private reception a first in the Texas Center’s new building in the Museum District.

Asia Society Texas Center Executive Director Bonna Kol, Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott and Edward R. Allen III

The evening’s master of ceremonies, Edward R. Allen III, welcomed comments from presenting sponsors BHP Billiton Petroleum, Chevron, and ConocoPhilips, and Texas Secretary of State Nandita Berry. The distinguished guests attending the reception included Australian Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb, Australian Ambassador to the U.S. Kim Beazley, ConocoPhillips CEO and Chairman Ryan M. Lance, Houston philanthropist Muffet Blake, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston director Gary Tinterow, Dr. Richard Gibbs of Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Medical Center CEO Dr. Bobby Robbins, astronauts Shannon Walkerand, Andrew Thomas, and the Consul-Generals from India, Japan, and Korea.

The Prime Minister’s remarks focused on U.S.- Australia relations, energy, and Australia’s trade relationship with East Asia. “Few nations understand each other so deeply as the United States and Australia,” he said. “We are more than allies, we are family.” With a nod to Texas, he quoted the memoirs of one of the Texas Center’s founders, former First Lady Barbara Bush, “The people of Australia are warm, relaxed, and very much like Texans — the biggest compliment I can pay anyone.”

Asia Society Texas Center Event Photographs by Jeff Fantich.

Models wearing Rammy designs

Romancing With Indian Roots: Spectators of the Rammyez by Rammy premier Fashion Show were whisked away to the Taj Mahal of India with designer Rammy Kaur’s regal and elegant collection inspired by her love of India, at the River Oaks Garden Club on a summer evening.

Rammy Kaur, a recent graduate of the Art Institute of Houston, released her first collection, ‘Ishq Roots: The Roots of India Shown Through Romance’, heavily influenced by Chanel’s pre-fall 2012 collection entitled, ‘Paris-Bombay’. Kaur used rich textiles and embroidery inspired by the architectural feat of the Mughal Empire. The rich colors are perfect for summer wear with turquoise and golden beiges in simple and stunning silhouettes of a mixture of form fitting skirts with draping blouses or billowing cocktail dresses with peacock feather designs.

Each model wore a golden pendant on their forehead to add the finishing touch to each ensemble. The reception was beautiful and quaint, with hors d’oeuvres and champagne, allowing the guests to relax and witness the clothing on the models personally. Many of the guests attending wore vivid colors to match the Indian theme of the party with some guests even wearing sarees designed by Rammy herself. The overall evening was a success with guests in awe of a promising designer’s first of many collections.

Supporting Rammy were: Jared Lang, Leslie Wall Hassen, Jacquie Baly, Angel Woolsey, Breccia Demartini, Dr. Shezi Kirmani, Victoria Ai Linh, and many others.

Special input by Catalina Campos and Asia Society Texas Center.