Flying High

Once again, Hurricane Harvey can’t stop the generosity or sink the spirits of arts patrons. The Houston Ballet held its biggest ball ever in a tent outside the Houston Ballet Center for Dance, which was outfitted by The Events Company in contrasting black-and-white floors, linens, centerpieces and chandeliers, nodding to the Swan Lake theme. Chair Hallie Vanderhider also channeled the theme, donning a custom Naeem Khan gown — one of several dresses she wore that night — with a skirt of feathers. Even the food was prepared a la Swan Lake, including a Black & White Deconstructed dessert with chocolate ganache and truffles topped with white cake and white chocolate accents. Thanks to a killer silent auction — two weeks at an Italian villa, anyone? — the Ballet Ball raised a whopping $1.4 million.

Jenny Antill, Priscilla Dickson and Wilson Parish


Shannon Hall, Marcus Sloan, Leigh Smith and Tony Bradfield

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‘Embrace Changes,’ Says Valobra, Whose Namesake Jewelry Store Has Become a Houston Institution
How did you get to where you are today? I had little choice in the matter; I grew up being trained to become the fourth-generation jewelry designer behind my great grandfather, grandfather, and father. It was my duty to carry on the family business and continue the hard work and success they built from nothing, beginning in Torino, Italy in 1905. I was surrounded by jewelry and its craftmanship as a young child and was taught the business from a very young age.
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EVEN THOUGH WE hope things cool down outside, some folks in Houston are about to get even hotter with the arrival of trendy fitness studio Ritual One next month in Uptown Park. The Dallas-based concept will offer classes like Power Sculpt, Hot Pilates, Power Yoga, Inferno Flow, and Inferno HIIT — all taking place in its infrared-heated studios.

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Evan and Kate Elsenbrook and Elyse and Drew Tolson

SUPPORTERS OF RONALD McDonald House Charities of Greater Houston gathered for a whimsically fun fete at the Hilton Americas hotel. The 2024 Boo Ball was themed "Once Upon a Time," and it raised a true happily-ever-after amount of $1 million — a new record!

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