Curated Texan
By Jennifer Roosth Photography by Charlie Ewing and Quy Tran
Debbie and Rudy Festari
THE SCENE: The annual Una Notte in Italia men’s fashion show and gala has always been one of the most anticipated events of the social season…and this year was even more special. The founders and owners of the men’s boutique Festari for Men, Debbie Festari and Rudy Festari, made the announcement that after over 25 years of outfitting philanthropic men and athletes to walk the runway for charity, this would be their last event. The gala was a huge success and once again with tables completely sold out months before the fall fete.
THE VIBE: Attended by over 550 people and held at the Omni Hotel, guests were greeted by luxury vehicles provided by automobile sponsor McLaren and Lamborghini Houston. As the party started there were lively libations from sponsor Veneno Tequila, a premier bar and a wonderful silent auction. The ballroom was beautifully decorated in silver and green, with Roman styled décor, including framed photos of Michelangelo’s statue of David on stage. Then, beloved emcee Dominique Sachse got the event started as the philanthropic men and athletes took to the runway to support Children at Risk. Some of models included husbands of the co-chairs, Dr. Matthew Brams and Al Lindseth, attorneys Mo Aziz and James Lassiter, doctors Courtney El-Zokm and Roland Maldonado with Kayvon Sohrabi, Board Chairman Donald Bowers, Pete Bell, Pablo Delgado, Matthew Hurley, Robert Bailey, and Ajay Khurana with his son, Shaan Khurana. The athletes gracing the stage included former Houston Dynamo star Brian Ching, Houston Sabercats rugby star Gerrie Labuschagne, Houston Texans players Jonathan Owens, Austin Deculus and Garret Wallow, and Houston Rockets General Manager Rafael Stone along with his son, Gerard Stone. The last model was attorney Travis Torrence who had the crowd cheering as he danced to Crazy in Love by Beyonce.
THE NON PROFIT: Finally, the eponymous clothier Rudy Festari took his final walk on stage to a standing ovation. Co-chaired by Alice Mao Brams and Stacey Lindseth, and along with Honorary Chair Debbie Festari, the event raised a record breaking $540,000.
After the show, Board President Bob Sanborn spoke about the beneficiary Children at Risk and their mission to fight the dangers of human trafficking and the exploitation of children. He then introduced well known Auctioneer Johnny Bravo who helped drive the live auction. The highlight of the night was an amazing $100,000 bid for one single item from handsome and generous couple Ginny and Dustin Bailey. It was record-breaking and helped surpass any other in the history of the gala.
