Salvation Army luncheon and fashion show toasts 10 years

Salvation Army luncheon and fashion show toasts 10 years

“Ten years, don’t they go by in a blink,” said chair Brenda DeVore, quoting Anthony Hopkins’s character in “Meet Joe Black” to open the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary 10th anniversary luncheon, fashion show and shopping event.

Indeed, a well-heeled crowd gathered at the River Oaks Country Club on a cloudless morning for the annual Reflections on Style soirée. Those in the know lined up bright and early to pre-shop the popular on-site Chic Boutique, a well-curated assortment of vintage designer pieces and covetable silent auction items — including several classic Chanel, Fendi and Louis Vuitton handbags — donated primarily from the closets of local A-listers.

This was no ordinary shopping spree, however; proceeds benefited projects of The Salvation Army in the Greater Houston Area Command. The nonprofit provides after school programs, alcohol counseling, job search assistance and clothing for the homeless.

Festivities officially began once lights in the grand ballroom dimmed and models sashayed down a spotlighted stage to classic songs such as “Stop, in the Name of Love” and “Got to be Real.” Lunch-goers Lynn Wyatt and Diane Lokey Farb enjoyed the view from couture committee chair and past honoree Linda McReynolds’s catwalk-adjacent table.

The fashion show was divided into eight scenes, each highlighting trends from respective decades. Stand-out looks — which also were up for sale — included a duo of matching Versace mini dresses from the 1970s, geometric Emilio Pucci prints circa the 1960s and a collection of crimson sheaths in the Salvation Army’s signature hue, a tribute to 2014 honoree Janice McNair, wife of Houston Texans owner Bob McNair.

“I wish that the outfits could talk,” McNair said from the podium, insinuating that some of the ensembles might have rather interesting stories to tell. “Oh, and go Texans!”

The Chic Boutique after-sale is open to the public through Saturday, April 19 at 6010-C Washington Avenue at Westcott.

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