THE NIGHT FASHION ALMOST DIDN’T HAPPEN

THE NIGHT FASHION ALMOST DIDN’T HAPPEN

by | Oct 30, 2022 | 2022 November December, Fav Feature, Style, Feature One

In fashion, anything can happen. And something extraordinary happened in 1969 with fashion in Texas. Couture? A potential airline hijacking? High society? All ripped from the headlines, here, in an exciting excerpt from her book, Grace Jones Of Salado, native Austinite Mary-Margaret Quadlander shares the events of a spectacular Austin evening long ago.

 

Illustrations by Missy Harris

 

Photography courtesy of Mary-Margaret Quadlander, Betty Wiedeman, and Archival

 

RUNWAY READY

Over her forty-year reign as the Queen of Texas Fashion, Grace Jones would stage many of the top designer fashion shows at her iconic store, Grace Jones of Salado, or at a luncheon event, and on occasion, Grace and her husband, retired Lt. Col. and businessman Jack Jones, even hosted showings at their beautiful O’Neil Ford-designed home. In one memorable instance, she even presented a fashion show on a built-for-the-occasion runway in the outdoor field behind her store. And although there would be many runway shows that Grace Jones helmed in her inimitable style, there was one evening that topped all others, and it was definitely a night to remember.

 

In the late 1960s, most fashion shows were held in tea rooms, at luncheons, or one might even be invited to a famous designer’s own showroom, as we remember from films of the collections of Dior, Channel, Balenciaga, or Trigère fashion shows. The models would meander among the guests, giving customers the opportunity to view the fashions more closely. Very little attention was given to the models, as they were mainly viewed as mannequins, unlike today, when models are seen as celebrities. When the Jones’s held fashion shows in their home, as was de rigueur, the models would casually walk among the dinner guests, winding their way through the tables and conversations, attempting to get the attention of a buyer without being obtrusive. It was often uncomfortable for the models as well as the guests. After all, the whole point of the evening was to sell the collections. As a result, an idea occurred to Jones that using her own customers to model the newest collections would be a perfect way to get the attention of the audience, the husbands, as well as pay tribute and showcase her loyal customers.

 

In the spring of 1969 in Austin, Grace Jones was invited to be the main event for a night, hosting a fundraising fashion show to benefit The Mental Health Association of Austin and Travis County. Everyone who was anyone in the elite social and political circles of Texas was invited to the Austin Country Club on the evening of March 20, for a long-awaited fundraising extravaganza, An Evening With Jean Louis. Normally, an event this big would demand a larger arena, such as one in Dallas, Fort Worth, or Houston. Still, on this night, all of Texas high society were gathered in the Austin Country Club’s ballroom, excitedly waiting for the big evening to begin. It had been sold out for months in advance, even though the tickets were $200 per couple (about $2000 in 2022 dollars). The crowd would be top drawer with Governor and Mrs. Preston Smith, who would attend and be involved since Texas First Lady Ima Mae Smith was the honorary chair of the gala. The Governor chose a polka dot bow tie and polka-dot vest to complete his three-piece suit.  

 

Cactus Pryor, a well-known Native Austin son, television host, humorist, ultimate roaster, dinner speaker, and all-around perfect master of ceremonies, was enlisted to welcome the excited guests. And, although a night of laughs with Pryor could be enough to entice the Texas elite to come together for a night of fundraising, he was only there for the introduction…or so he thought. Grace Jones would provide the actual entertainment for the evening, presenting another one of her legendary fashion shows, on a runway built for the occasion. This time she was specifically featuring the latest collection of the well-known French designer, Jean Louis, of Hollywood.                         

 

Having Grace Jones, of Grace Jones of Salado, create the evening’s entertainment of fashion, not to mention seeing the newest collection from Jean Louis, was quite an honor for the Capital City because Louis had been a very important designer since the 1940s. By 1969, when this event occurred, he was a household name. In fact, the designer had been nominated for 14 OscarsÒ in the prior 14 years. He was also an early adopter of fashion sustainability, saying in a pre-event media interview that he believed women should dress according to their lives and wear their clothes for more than one season. Although the key to his success was the simplicity of his elegant gowns, making them as modern today as they were decades ago, his designs were, in fact, quite intricate. In his thirty-year film career during the Golden Age of Hollywood, he worked with some of the most beautiful actresses including Lana Turner, Rita Hayworth, Kim Novak, Gene Tierney, Marlene Dietrich, Loretta Young, and Marilyn Monroe. When Jones planned this fashion extravaganza, Louis was her obvious choice as the highlight of the evening.

SENSATIONALLY SAVVY STYLE

In the 1950s, in conjunction with films, Louis began designing costumes for television. Between 1953 and 1961, he created fifty-two dresses for Loretta Young to wear on her successful anthology series, The Loretta Young Show. Women would tune in each week just to see what new outfit Young was wearing at the beginning of every show, as she elegantly descended a staircase or swirled through a grand doorway. In the 1960s, Louis went out on his own as an independent designer developing his own line but was still pursued by his loyal clientele in Hollywood.

 

In 2016, Julien’s Auctions sold the Louis-designed gown Marilyn Monroe wore when she sang Happy Birthday to President Kennedy for $4.8 million. It was described as a champagne silk soufflé Illusion gown, with a gauze-like silk underpinning to hold the weight of more than six thousand glass beads and sequins. The jewels were so effervescent they appeared to be sewn onto her bare skin. Bob Mackie, well remembered for his design work on TV for stars like Cher and Carol Burnett, illustrated the gown and Jean Louis translated the drawing into his design and creation of Monroe’s beaded sheath. “That dress was designed around when Marilyn did her last movie at 20th Century Fox that was never released, Something’s Gotta Give,” shared Bob Mackie recently in a conversation about the designer. “Jean Louis was very exacting, He was a couture designer in his head, rather than a fashion designer. He could be very intimidating.”

 

Meanwhile, back in Texas, Grace Jones and Stanley Marcus of Neiman Marcus reigned alone as the king and queen of fashion icons. This spectacular fashion show focusing on Louis’s designs had taken months to prepare, like all of Jones’s shows. But this time, Jones planned for the fashion show to be the focal point of the evening. The models would not be gliding through the dinner and cocktail settings, as in her previous events. This time the models would be walking a runway, with background music and Jones’s descriptions of the garments, requiring the full attention of the audience. Finding suitable models (who would wear a size 6, the then-sample size in fashion), flying them in from New York   and Dallas for the fittings, designing the stage and lighting, and writing her speech…Jones was obsessive about this show, knowing that the audience was filled with many of her clientele from all over the state, including the Governor’s wife and wives of the entire Board of Regents for The University of Texas, Austin’s hometown university.

 

Once again, Jones would invite customers who had modeled for her previously to fill some of the places. In hiring professional models, Elsa Rosborough, model extraordinaire, was the first on her list to be called. Rosborough had a way of commanding the runway. The moment she hit the runway, she captivated the audience. She would spread her arms to their full wingspan, twirl herself on the stage to show the full detail of her garment, all the while landing each turn at the exact corner of the runway. Then, she would prance to the other end, never losing her penetrating eye contact with a particular audience member. Elsa Rosborough was not only a model, but she was also a performer.

 

Every society couple in the state of Texas was fighting to get a coveted table for the show. There were parties all week leading up to it, and Jones made her appearance at all of them, along with her Salado house guests, Jean Louis and his beautiful wife and a former model, Maggy Louis. This was a very grand event for Austin, a small college town (population 258,000 at the time), and the 400 attendees buzzed with excitement.

 

The evening before the gala, the Jones’s good friends, Dr. D.J. and Jane Sibley hosted a dinner party for the Louis’s at the Sibley’s newly acquired home, a grand Spanish-style mansion resting in grandeur in historic Old Enfield. Jane Sibley, a social force of her own, dedicating herself to philanthropic causes, such as the Texas Historic Preservation and the Austin Symphony Orchestra, had created a truly eclectic and personal homage to Asian, Native American, and Spanish art in her home. And, always easy to spot at any social event in Austin, she habitually wore her signature buzzard feather poised as an afterthought into her tightly coiffed chignon hairstyle. The Sibley’s home was the perfect backdrop for Jean and Maggy Louis to experience the unique cultural identity of Austin,           a town overflowing with intellectual pursuit, political debate, historical significance, and the ambiance of inherited social status.

FLYING HIGH

According to Grace Jones, during the dinner she received a call from Louis’s assistant, Doris Souza in Los Angeles, stating that the fashion collections had left the airport that morning and should be arriving at Austin’s Mueller Airport soon, leaving plenty of time for the transfer to Austin Country Club, where the festivities would occur. There was no need to worry because Jones had planned this event down to the last second. The evening at the Sibley’s was exactly the respite Jones needed from all the details of the upcoming fashion show. The shared evening was fabulous, with great food, sparkling conversation, and wonderful friends. No one thought twice about the imminent arrival of Louis’ fashions, valued at $100,000 (a little over $800,000 in 2022 dollars).

 

In the middle of their dinner, Jones received a second call…this time from her assistant in Austin, who was calling with some troubling news. The cargo had never arrived as planned. At 11:00 p.m., Jones received yet another call but this time, the caller was frantic. It was unbelievable and inconceivable…the collection was rumored to have been hijacked to Cuba. If it had been hijacked, there was no indication where in Cuba it might be heading. And there was certainly no chance of it landing in Austin in time for the show. This was the main event, and there was absolutely nothing to show. Nothing.

 

By midnight, Jones was quickly making one phone call after another, attempting to find the missing collection. But at 1:00 a.m., she surrendered to the inevitable reality that the collection was gone, and she had better start looking for a solution.

 

Grace Jones had been up against more formidable obstacles in her life, honestly, much more formidable with her background as a WWII pilot. True to her nature, she called upon her friends and clients, many of them famous, to help. Anyone who had ever bought Jean Louis collections from her or directly from Jean Louis was now receiving phone calls in the middle of the night. Loretta Young, an avid collector of Jean Louis, received the first call. It was now early morning in Los Angeles, and Young was still asleep. Jones left an urgent message with Young’s household staff, and Loretta immediately returned her call. Of course, she would help and shared, “If you need me, if this is an emergency, I’ll be there myself.”

 

But there were no direct flights from Los Angeles running then. So, Young hired her own private plane, and with gowns in hand, flew to Dallas, and then hired another plane to take her to Austin. Young then called Katherine Crosby, the Texas-born wife of Bing Crosby, who also owned an extensive collection of Jean Louis fashions. Even though Crosby and her family were preparing for a vacation trip to Mexico and could not attend, she would place the clothes on Bing’s private plane to arrive at 5:30 p.m., if Jones would agree to have someone pick them up. Yes. Yes. Thank you.

 

Gene Tierney, another famous Hollywood actress, married to Houston oilman Howard Lee, had a great wardrobe of Jean Louis dresses. Jones called her home in Houston to ask if she might loan some gowns for the fashion show since this was a true emergency. Ironically, Tierney and her husband, were in Austin visiting a relative, so she was more than happy to help and had some of her gowns driven in from Houston.

 

Grace Jones could finally take a breath of relief.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

That evening, Cactus Pryor was finally informed of the fate of the collection. Could he possibly entertain the audience for longer than he had planned? He took the stage and did what he did best…regaling the audience with one hysterical story after another, giving Jones more time to re-group. The fashion show was rearranged to occur after dinner instead of before.

 

By now, Pryor had easily been holding his own as the event’s master of ceremonies for over two hours. It was now eight o’clock, and there was no sign of the fashion show. At nine o’clock, Cactus sneaked behind the curtain and quickly returned to the stage. “The bar is open!” Pryor called loudly to the audience and then settled into his most comfortable element, telling one hilarious joke after the other. By midnight the audience was happily smashed, but not one person had left, enjoying Cactus but still in anticipation of the evening’s centerpiece event. Suddenly, the lights in the room went dim, and the audience drunkenly returned to their tables, still laughing uproariously at Pryor.

 

A spotlight hit the stage, and out walked Grace Jones, who was about to make caviar out of a bad situation and give her audience a night to remember. She and Young had both been backstage preparing the models. Young herself accessorized the models wearing her clothes, styling them as she would wear the gowns.

 

That night, Jones presented an unimaginable and unforgettable runway show featuring the stunning, albeit acquired, designs of Jean Louis, all worn by Jones’s outstanding models, and loyal clients. How could anyone in the audience complain? But the evening was not over yet…by far. Suddenly, Loretta Young walked out from behind the curtain and walked the runway wearing her own Jean Louis gown. As she approached the staircase up to the higher stage, Jean Louis himself offered his arm and escorted her to the top of the stairs as the room broke out in thunderous surprise and applause. The standing-room-only audience rose to their feet in a roar of appreciation that lasted a full five minutes.

 

For the next forty years, there would be many other world-renowned designers personally showing their collections to Grace Jones’s customers at her salon in Salado, such as Bill Blass, Geoffrey Beene, Pauline Trigère, Norman Norell, Galanos, Valentino, Oscar  de la Renta, Perris, Adolfo, Christian Lacroix, Dior, Karl Lagerfeld, Michael Vollbracht, Adolfo, and Count Sarmi, to name a few. But there would never be another night that ever compared to this night in Austin, conceived by fashion legend Grace Jones, featuring Loretta Young and Jean Louis.

 

Toward the very end of the evening, Cactus Pryor came back on stage for the live auction of a bright silk organza plaid gown with a tucked bodice and high green sash. The bidding was spirited as Gary Morrison won the gown for his wife, plus a Jean Louis men’s suit, for $1,100 (about $9,000 in 2022 dollars). Jean Louis, unruffled backstage through it all, commented in his French accent soon after the event ended, “Texas women are wonderful. I’ve never known people to rise to a challenge and an emergency so well.”

 

As luck would have it, the dresses were indeed found, and after the event ended at midnight, the gowns arrived in their boxes, securely unopened, at 12:30 a.m. The high fashion fun would continue since the Grace Jones of Salado patrons were the first Texans to see the complete summer collection upon its arrival over the next few days at her store. And, as fate would have it, fast forward to 1993, and octogenarians Loretta Young and Jean Louis would marry each other to form a very stylish couple for the rest of their lives.  

 

For more information on the book, Grace Jones of Salado, visit GraceJonesOfSalado.com.

OOH, LA L.A. LOUVRE

OOH, LA L.A. LOUVRE

by | Aug 31, 2022 | Fav Feature, 2022 September October, Style

When Houstonian Becca Cason Thrash hosts an event, it is a happening. On par with few other galas in the world, the lady raised in Harlingen, Texas continues to raise the bar for not only herself, but also for other international organizations like the Musée du Louvre, who has benefitted from her latest largesse. Join us in this exclusive look at the party of the decade in Los Angeles, according to our very own social chronicler, Lance Avery Morgan.

 

Photography by Linda Posnick

ENTRE NOUS

The halo of a crisp, late spring evening in Los Angeles, with its bright blue satiny sky, hovered over the festivities like a sparkling jeweled tiara with freshly cut gems placed into it. The occasion? Another Becca Cason Thrash extravaganza, of course. The Texas-based philanthropist has a nearly perfect record of creating successful events. However, this was unlike any Thrash Bash before it.

 

No stranger to rolling up her shirtsleeves to help a cause she believes in, Thrash received the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 2011 for her philanthropic talents at home and abroad in France…and certainly for her tireless fundraising for the Musée du Louvre. Also, her ongoing championing of Franco-American relations continues to support the Louvre and Notre-Dame de Pâris organizations. So, based on her experiences, she knows a thing, or more like it, several thousand things, about the nuisances of both France and fundraising.

 

The events Thrash has created in the past is a roster of hundreds of philanthropic causes far too long to list, yet they include a range from Best Buddies, on which she serves as a board member, to the Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, Contemporary Art Museum Houston, Holocaust Museum Houston, and more. Although those amply fill her fundraising dossier in Houston, in the late 2000s, she took her show on the road to Europe with the first Musée du Louvre event in Paris in 2007, when she was invited by then Louvre director Henri Loyrette to chair the first-ever fundraising gala for the Louvre…in the Louvre. That was followed by other substantial Louvre galas that she also helmed again in Paris, then Venice, and Palm Beach. Whether hosting an event in her Houston home, or in monumental internationally known venues, her events attract hundreds of guests who arrive to support five-star cultural institutions with every intention to also have fun. Her fundraising, in her and her husband John Thrash’s estimation, is likely well north of $110 million (so far and counting) …and that might well be a conservative assessment.

 

“Becca is the ultimate fun-lanthropist,” muses international style setter Cameron Silver who attended the recent festivities. “She is so passionate about supporting the world’s cultural institutions. The Louvre needs international support and Becca is so successful at raising funds from every corner of the planet. I have nearly twenty-five years of attending events hosted by her…from Paris to Houston to Los Angeles. When an invite comes from Becca, it is a guarantee of a memorable evening because she works her butt off as if she’s producing a 150-million-dollar action film. Truthfully, Becca is a super heroine.” 

 

CHERCHEZ LA FEMME 

Much like the Pied Piper, those who follow her lead to offering their support, comprise today’s current roster of Jet-Set names from Europe, Mexico, and throughout the U.S. When Thrash throws a party, people show up to support her and her causes. Her latest wildly successful venture had her taking the show stateside, this time to the City of Angels, where fundraising is a true sport. With a geyser of sociable names, all dressed to the nines, the three-day Los Angeles affair, La L.A. Louvre, consisted of private art collection visits, luncheons, and parties, each captivating those who would attend this latest incarnation to raise money to restore the Roman galleries in the Louvre. Thrash, in her usual accomplishment-driven manner, approached the event with confidence. Confident she would wow her guests with artful tours and tons of fun…and, all the while, raise boatloads of money for a cause so near to her heart.

 

Beyond relationships, the simple fact of the matter is Thrash’s hard work began well over a year ago to create this event. With the pandemic waning last November, I caught up with Thrash in L.A. to attend Houston’s Sir Mark Haukohl’s seated dinner party at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art honoring his photography collection exhibit. Thrash was also in town and up to her swan-like neck in arranging significant private art tours of some of the most important collections in the world that just also happened to be in the Los Angeles area.

 

The event, originally scheduled for mid-March, shifted to May, in hopes the pandemic would subside more, which it did. The pandemic also posed logistical problems and therefore, some collections were not able to be viewed because of the restrictions the city had imposed for over two years. “There is no city in the country with a more vibrant art scene, and architecturally iconic homes, than Los Angeles,” confides Becca Cason Thrash. “So, I dove into LA and began by contacting friends who had great homes, fabulous collections, or both. Asking if I could bring a hundred strangers in to see their private spaces was a different story. In the end, 14 said yes…with two I couldn’t get to budge.”

 

Thrash’s attention to the platinum-level event creation had been in the works for over six months by the time she arrived in Los Angeles in early May to oversee the happening of the festivities. “The Covid restrictions and mask mandates were still an issue, which affected the guest list quite a bit, but we got around those by May,” shared Thrash. “With the date being postponed to May, American graduations and European art fairs prevented several guests from attending. I was heartbroken but there is never a perfect date for everyone. Gratefully their contributions helped us raise over two million dollars.”

 

The dozens and dozens of hands-on meetings with Houston’s Richard Flowers, of The Events Company, and his team, as well as vendors in Los Angeles, was the only way the event could flawlessly occur. Whether the event is in the Louvre in Paris, or in a tent on the grounds of a historic Los Angeles estate, Thrash is 100% in. For the seasoned fundraising veteran, the challenge becomes…what next? As with this gala in L.A., anyone in the serious world of fundraising knows of Thrash’s abilities to lead the way in bringing serious money to organizations. The LA L.A. Louvre happened only due to the sponsorships of John and Becca Cason Thrash, Sotheby’s Fine Art and Auction, and fine jewelers Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, Kip Forbes, David Yurman, Tiffany & Co., and Bulgari. The wines and champagnes were provided by LVMH, as well as Kastra Elion vodka, and Casa Dragones Joven tequila for additional libations.  

 

Vibrant and full of stories about each guest she hand-picks to attend, Thrash is a captivating international hostess who is pretty peerless these days. Her style, charmingly precise and over-the-top at the same time, is in the mold of the great hostesses of the past like Pamela Harriman, Marella Agnelli, Babe Paley, or, on a more Texas playing field of yore, Martha Hyder and Baroness di Portanova. Few, if any, compare to her today. “When hosting an event, you really have to curate your guest list,” admits Thrash. “You want chic, like-minded people but need the occasional, or unexpected, controversial guest. That’s what stirs it up and keeps it from feeling like a night at the club. I am so fortunate to have cultivated so many friendships through the years from all over the world and that I can extend these opportunities to them.”

MISE EN SCÈNE

Thrash’s essence, like her hair, also now in the shade of pandemic platinum, has captivated a room with flair and finesse for decades, as she flawlessly sets the stage for every event. Philanthropy, at the highest level, takes ingenuity and brains, both of which Thrash has plenty. It was her goal that the Paris-meets-Los Angeles’ 72-hour whirlwind, a three day experience of private art collections, luncheons, dinners, and a gala offered guests something smart, exclusive and unique.

 

The private collection visits offered to the fortunate guests were some of the most important private collections in the world. It began with film and television producer Michael Phillips’ Asian art collection, T.V. show creator Darren Star’s art-filled collection at his Beverly Hills home, philanthropists Lynda and Stewart Resnick’s collection at their Beverly Hills estate, real estate developer James Goldstein’s collection housed in his mid-century masterpiece, John Lautner-designed Beverly Hills home, prolific gallery owner and collector Larry Gagosian’s Holmby Hills home, the home and private art museum of entertainment executive Steve Tisch, the art foundation of Frederick R. Weisman in Bel Air, as well as opportunities to see the latest exhibits at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Getty Museum, and the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

 

“There isn’t anyone who knows how to create memorable experiences the way Becca does,” shared Dallasite entertaining guru Kimberly Schlegel Whitman. “When her name is on an invitation, it is guaranteed to be filled with friends and fun and is sure to be a night you will remember. The LA L.A. Louvre event introduced us to private corners of Los Angeles that we often drive past and don’t even know. It was incredible treat to get to go inside their homes and see their collections with other art enthusiasts and hear the stories of the collectors and their remarkable collections.”

 

The event hosts included entrepreneur Ronnie Haft, with his husband Andrew Nagel, who had a welcome cocktail party at their Beverly Hills Forever home on Tuesday evening. Real estate developer Richard Weintraub, and his wife Liane, hosted the Malibu brunch on Wednesday in their historic, 1921 five-story beach front home, Villa Tramonto, while contemporary art collector and Jumex Collection owner Eugenio Lopez hosted a glorious al fresco seated dinner in his art-filled Beverly Hills home on Wednesday evening. In Lopez’s estate, one was as likely to see a Basquiat, Donald Judd, Cy Twombly, or a Warhol Brillo box, as an incredible Jeff Koons poolside sculpture among the other treasures that were feasts for the guest’s eyes.

 

The coup de grâce was Thursday evening’s culmination of the tremendous effort, a seated dinner for over 250 at the home of Colleen and Bradley Bell, high above the City of Angels in Holmby Hills. Longtime friends of Thrash through their mutual support of Anthony Kennedy Shriver’s Best Buddies organization, she’s the former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary and a T.V. producer, and he’s a seasoned television executive who has won over 20 Daytime EmmyÓ Awards. Their home, formerly the residence of Rod Stewart, and before that, Gregory Peck, served as the perfect backdrop for the Le Grand Nuit.

 

LA VIE EST BELLE

Many of the guests upon arrival at the Bell’s estate, entered the Mediterranean-style villa and were captivated by the impressive contemporary and classic art collection the Bells have assembled. Friendly, charming, and outgoing, the Bells are the perfect hosts for this kind of event. Never one to miss an opportunity to incorporate the French theme, a rendition of The Ritz Paris’ Hemingway Bar was recreated in the oak-paneled library of the residence. “The Bells are such lovely people, and their home was perfect for this event. The Hotel Ritz barkeep Colin Fields, who was flown in to create the pop-up, lost his mind when he saw the facsimile,” noted Thrash. As the Old Fashioned, Martini and signature Serendipity (nicknamed France in a glass) cocktails flowed, so did the guests who greeted longtime friends and eagerly made new ones.

 

In fact, as the event spilled onto the estate, with a magnificent view of the city, guests were so entranced by each other that dinner was served over an hour later than planned. After all, it isn’t always easy gathering guests to be seated. The gigantic tent was festooned with vibrantly pink lighting. With an abundance of one-story high greenery perched on the tables, it was the perfect counterbalance to the fuchsia pink carpet. Much of decorative elements and rentals were driven directly from Houston to Los Angeles. “We incorporated the natural beauty of Southern California with palms, elephant ear leaves and banana trees to add to the gradations of green,” offered Thrash. “The chandeliers dripped in long, cascading ivy, while the shapes of the plants were projected onto the ceiling, adding to the tropical theme.”

 

Creative, sublime, yet extremely elegant was Thrash’s goal in creating the décor. Never one to miss an opportunity, Becca Cason Thrash’s dress of glittering olive green sequins, designed by her close friend, designer-to-the-stars Naaem Khan, who also attended, matched the environment perfectly. “I find inspiration everywhere in creating a gala’s theme. Naaem sent me the dress he designed for me, and we built the evening around that,” revealed Thrash.

 

The synergy between the olive beaded gown and her pink kunzite and diamond jewels that punctuated the green and pink theme wasn’t lost on anyone. “It was so appropriate that Becca’s Naeem Khan gown had a cape attached,” shares Austinite philanthropist Carla McDonald. “She is a philanthropic superhero, and her superpower is bringing the world’s most interesting people together to advance the work of the world’s most important organizations.”

 

Guests raved over the entirely green table palette, highlighted with Yves Klein French blue tableware accents, that graced the silk table coverings on the many Continental and square tables, as guests were perched on green Chiavari chairs. In fact, every place setting was a feast for the eyes, and shortly thereafter, the cuisine palette. Guests dined on elegant French fare of filet mignon, asparagus in a light Bearnaise sauce, as well as pears in Champagne with crème fraiche. To pair with the meal, bottle upon bottle of Baron de Rothschild Champagne’s Chateau de Meusault 2016 and Le Petit Haut Lafitte 2015 were poured. For après dinner, Casa Dragones Joeven sipping tequila, Kastra Elion expresso martinis, and an array of French chocolates was served.

 

While dining, and as the evening progressed, the live auction, deftly helmed by Michael Macauley of Sotheby’s Fine Art and Auction, raised the pulse of the evening even more. As Becca Cason Thrash shared a few moving words about the importance of fundraising for the cause, with a video greeting by the Louvre President Laurence des Cars, the auction was off to a flying start. Some of the artists who donated works and who also attended the event were Chris Levine of London, California-based artist James Verbicky, Niki Haas of the Haas Brothers duo who grew up in Austin, to name a few. The Impressionist collector Lionel Sauvage (and longtime Louvre’s International Friends’ board member) was spotted huddling with the current American Friends Of The Louvre board chairman, Kip Forbes of New York (Becca Cason Thrash serves as the vice-chairman), while collector Mary Ellen Marziale flew in from Italy for the gala and was accompanied by her actor/director son, Antonio Marziale. 

 

The bevy of guests who attended the event also included Michael Chow, founder of Mr. Chow restaurants, who bought the custom Tiffany watch for $85,000 at the auction, and Former Ambassador to Great Britain, the Honorable Robert Tuttle and his wife, Maria. Since the event occurred in Los Angeles, some local star power added to the guest list including Jacqueline Bisset, Chris O’Donnell, Jennifer Tilley, a few Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast members, producer Mark Burnett and his actor wife, Roma Downey, to name a few. Paris was also well represented with Parisian residents Ina Giscard d’Estaing (her father-in-law was Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, the former President of France), Baroness Rose Anne de Pampelonne,  Ritz Paris Director Mark Raffray, Fabrice Pasqual of Air France, and Parisian Lucas Somoza, among many other dear Paris-based friends of Thrash’s. The creative clout of the guests included designers like Juicy Couture co-founder Gela Taylor, and Monique Lhullier. Many other notables comprised of investor Francois Schramek, German technologist Patrick Hessler, philanthropists such as Sydney Holland, Carolyn Powers, and Orange County-based Elizabeth Segerstrom.

 

In fact, philanthropists Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and his wife, Regina, were overheard marveling about the vast turnout and enthusiastic support from so many Texans, too. The laundry list of Thrash’s Texas fans and supporters who would show up to support her for anything, anywhere would be too long to list here, yet we were all there. “Most were eager to show up to make a contribution to the event by doing their part: looking as glamorous as possible, donning fashionable new ensembles and jewels, and bringing their irreplaceable Texas exuberance by bidding vigorously…and to show the international guests how to let their hair down.” laughed Thrash.

COUP DE GRÂCE

As with previous Louvre galas, the dinner and auction ended, and with the attendees ready for more action, Sinatra-esque singer Chris North took to the stage in a white dinner jacket, ready to rumble with the crowd. “He tore the ceiling off the roof with his 35-minute, non-stop set of mega superstar hits of the last 50 years,” enthused Thrash, who was referred to North’s talents by their mutual pal, event producer Colin Cowie. “Chris had the guests dancing on their seats and in the aisles. It was a fabulous, high-octane performance that left people begging for more.”

 

“The events hosted by Becca Cason Thrash are legendary, as I have read about them in Brilliant, The Society Diaries, and Society Texas for years,” confided Texan-turned-Angeleno Natalie Bond Bloomingdale. “How cool that my first party to attend helmed by Becca was in Los Angeles, and for such a wonderful cause. It was a meticulously orchestrated, very well-planned, with a well-organized itinerary, and incredible access to the best private art collections Los Angeles has to offer. Her grand vision was beautifully executed, and I am hopeful the funds raised will do a great deal for the restoration of the Roman Galleries at The Louvre.

 

With the evening raising over a whopping two million dollars, we will all have to stay tuned to learn of Thrash’s next fundraising adventures…here and across the globe. “I have been contacted by so many wonderful organizations,” confides Thrash. “I’ll probably take on an entirely different project next, so stay tuned.”

QUEEN BEE

QUEEN BEE

by | Dec 31, 2019 | Fav Feature

When Houstonian Lynn Wyatt, the gregarious, international socialite, philanthropist, speaks…people listen. And, for good reason. She knows everyone and has entertained more potentates, aristocrats, and tycoons than just about anyone in her rarified constellation of friends.

 

Forget oil. She’s the greatest natural resource Texas has. Here, in an exclusive, Lance Avery Morgan and Rob Giardinelli, share an interview that takes us inside the world of this living, loveable legend. 

 

Photography by John Conroy    Styling by Summar Salah

Make-up by Tonya Riner   Production Asst: Mallory Miller

Sittings Producer: Lance Avery Morgan

Beginning in the 1960s, when it came to representing Texas on an international social level, the man for the job…would be a woman. Lynn Wyatt. With her striking blonde hair, flawless porcelain complexion, and small frame that is eclipsed by only her gregarious personality, Call Me Lynn, is a phrase spoken by Wyatt that’s been heard in the most fashionable Jet Set circles since the mid-20th century and will likely be for decades more.

The spirited grande dame, who is anything but stodgy, has so positively represented this state that it could easily be renamed The Republic of Lynn. Her elegance has been emulated for years and will be for plenty more to come, as the young and young-at-heart worship her heightened personal style, entertaining largesse and attitude that everyone’s welcome as-long-as-their-fun point of view toward life is brought to the party.

Fun, as Wyatt often says, is her favorite word. And, she’s serious about it. If you’re not having fun, you’re killing time, so we caught up with La Lynn to learn more about her stunning life well-lived that includes her husband, Oscar Wyatt, and four sons, Steven Bradford Wyatt, Douglas Bryan Wyatt, Oscar Sherman “Trey” Wyatt III, and Bradford Allington Wyatt.

LANCE AVERY MORGAN: Lynn, we’re here in the beautiful study of your palatial home. We’re honored to be here and love knowing you because you have made such a difference to the world on so many levels. And, so we want to thank you, first of all, for doing that. Okay, let’s jump in. What has motivated your life in philanthropy to help others at a high level?

LYNN WYATT: Thank you very much. It is so lovely to have you both here. With philanthropy, I have the greatest admiration for people who contribute so many different ways voluntarily. No matter how we serve, it is the desire to be useful in helping other people that matters most.  

ROB GIARDINELLI: Not only do you possess great style while raising funds for so many international organizations, but you’ve also made a career out of it. What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone who’s chairing their first gala or throwing their first very first dinner party to really make it a spectacular, memorable affair?

LYNN: What a great question. First, have a variety of guests: some whom know each other and some who do not know each other. I like to seat one person they know on one side and one that they don’t on the other side. Also, I never place husbands and wives together.

RG: What’s the reason for not putting husbands and wives next to each other?

LYNN: I realized that if a husband and  wife are next to each other, they don’t talk to each other. Instead, they’re talking to the person on the other side of them.  They need a rest from their spouse, so by placing them apart it  leads to more interesting table conversation.

RG: I agree with that. I also love the tradition in Texas, and certainly, in Europe, that gentleman change places at dessert to speak to other guests at the table. They can choose to sit by others, whom they would also like to know.

LYNN: I think that’s fascinating. Sometimes, I will have men move two places over…usually before dessert because I don’t want people walking around all the time. And, there are still two people on the other side of them that haven’t spoken to each other yet.

LAM: We were talking earlier about your theory to good conversation. What’s one of your favorite conversations starters, for instance, at a dinner party with a complete stranger when you’re seated next to a tycoon of industry?

LYNN: I would ask, what are you doing that is interesting in your field, or what you are doing now that motivates you? I’d love to hear about it. Usually, people give you honest answers that way.

LAM: Speaking of conversation points, what was it like growing up in the legendary Sakowitz store retail environment and what did you learn that you applied to the rest of your life?

LYNN: When I was going to high school, everybody thought that I got my clothes for free and I said, ‘No way.’ My mother said, ‘if I was working at the store, I would get a 20% discount just like every other employee’. No, I never got anything for free. So the first time I went to try on clothes, my mother told me, ‘Go and pick out the things that you want and bring them into the dressing room to make sure they all fit.’ I was so excited and finally, after we were there for two hours in the dressing room, she said, ‘You can only have five outfits.’ I was disappointed, but it made me really think about what I could wear. I thought I would pick this skirt to put with that blouse. This sweater can go with the same skirt and this belt to go with this, and so on. It taught me how to mix things up and have fun with it. It was because of that, I started experimenting with things. So much so that as my mother got older, she’d asked me to come over and help her pick out things for her to wear. She was a wonderful woman. Really lovely.

LAM: I was honored to meet your mother, Ann Sakowitz, years ago. What a true lady, proving the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

LYNN: Well, thank you. She had a fabulous sense of humor. And, she played Gin Rummy and beat the hell out of every man.

LAM: So, that’s where you get your sense of humor?

LYNN: Thank you. Probably. She made everybody laugh. And you know, after I got older, I realized how wonderfully lucky I was to have parents who were so kind. I mean, after learning what goes on in the world that I didn’t know at that time. I was so thankful and grateful. Plus, my brother and I are very close. He went to St. John’s, which had just opened when I was at San Jacinto High School. My parents wanted me to change and go  to St. John’s, which I didn’t want to do because all of my friends were at San Jacinto.

RG: Weren’t you a cheerleader there?

LYNN: You do your homework. I remember that this boy had a crush on me and I sort of had a little crush on him.  He was playing football, but wasn’t a big football player, like the quarterback, yet every time he would do something good, I said, “well, I’m going to do a big cheer for you.”

PEERLESS STYLE

LAM: You seem to be everyone’s cheerleader, Lynn. What is one style tip you would give to someone who’s invited to a party with a theme?

LYNN: I would say to try to dress accordingly to the theme as best as you can, but try to be a bit original. And, if not original, clever.

RG: Do you like costume parties?

LYNN: Not especially. Well, sometimes I like them. Instead of kooky costumes, I like pretty. Am I going to have a giant pumpkin costume? That’s not me. No, no, no. But, if it is a theme, I’ll try to carry out the theme. I think I have several costumes up in my attic somewhere. When somebody gets an invitation to a costume party, it is a lot of pressure. When I had birthday parties every year, I would have a theme, and everybody would ask me around Christmas time, what is the theme of your party next year? And it would be something like pink. Yes, one time the theme was Think Pink. I always had a seated birthday dinner, placed, with a buffet. One time the Prince (Rainier) rang that he’d be at the party. I sat him at the head of the table and I said, ‘Monsignor, I don’t see any pink on you.’ He picks up his foot and his socks are pink. I said, Thank the Lord. Otherwise, I was going to send you home.

LAM: What’s fascinating to me is that you’ve entertained so much over the years and you’ve done it so beautifully. What is the key ingredient to the perfect party for you?

LYNN: That’s easy. First of all, be at the front door and greet every guest, look them in the eye and say, I’m so glad you’re here. Thank you for accepting my invitation. Let them know how truly happy you are that they came.

RG: You’ve been in a lot of doorways, welcoming a lot of people into your world.

LYNN: No question. You eventually go into the living room. But, always stay at the door, no matter what, until every guest has arrived.

LAM: One party, one great gathering that we want you to share is your experience at The Battle of Versailles in 1973, the big fashion event you attended where French and American designers collaborated–and competed–for the first time. Did you think that  was a special occasion of gathering both the French  and  American designers?

LYNN: Absolutely. I was very, very honored to be invited.

LAM: It really put American designers on the map at that super high level to be on par with the French designers, don’t you think?

LYNN: Yes. I was really good friends with Bill Blass, who showed there. I would also stay with him in his New York City  house  and he would always have great food that he would cook himself. He had a lovely country house in the woods that had a lovely garden. You’d come upon an area and there’d be a fabulous statue that seemed like it should be in his house or something. He was such a great, great conversationalist and he loved my husband, Oscar. Oh, they would talk on the phone about politics all the time. Everything that Oscar would say, he’d agree with. I was very honored to be in his guest room many times.

RG: Not only was he an incredible designer, but he had impeccable taste.

LYNN: That’s right. And you know what, we never, ever discussed clothes even though he was such a prolific designer. I read one time that he said, ‘That’s what I like about Lynn. We didn’t talk about clothes and that’s a sign of our great friendship.’ He was such a gentleman.

RG: Tell us about how your own personal style was formed.

LYNN: I’ve always said to myself that there’s a way to dress: with class, with a bit of dash, but never trash. Also, I say, always trust the mirror. You know, why? The mirror never lies.

LAM: You’ve been a muse of so many designers. Tell us about some of your favorite ones, past and present.

LYNN: I was fortunate to go to the collections every year when Yves St. Laurent was alive. My husband told me, ‘I want you to go over to Paris.’ He was on his way to the Middle East and he would drop me off in Paris on the way. I had friends there and they were always giving parties. I was at The Ritz and across the street, as you know, is the Chanel store. I went over there and chose some things, off the rack, not made to measure. I was in the fitting room and the curtain was pushed away. This lady comes in and says, ‘Oh, so you’re the Texan?’.And, I said, yes. Then she left. And I asked the salesgirl, ‘Is that who I think it was? Mademoiselle Chanel?’ And they said, yes, it was Mademoiselle. She must have been 90.

RG: Wow. So Coco Chanel came into your dressing room?

LYNN: That’s right. She had heard that a Texas girl had come in to have some things made to measure. I was so honored that she took the time to see who I was.

LAM: You were an early adopter of burgeoning fashion designers, too, with French designer André Courrèges in the 60s, as an example. You’re a forward thinker with fashion.

LYNN: Well, thank you for saying that. I don’t think of myself like that, but I appreciate it. He was actually my first made to measure designer. I hadn’t had any made to measure before then. I knew him well and he was so advanced.

LAM: I believe Sakowitz was the first store to carry him and his designs in the U.S.?

LYNN: That’s right. I came back from seeing him in Paris and I told my brother, ‘You have to go see him there.’ He flew over to see his talent and when he returned, he said, ‘We’re going to put a Courrèges shop in the store.’ It sold like gangbusters. He was the right designer for the right time.

LAM: I understand that standing for couture fitting sessions, or made to measure, is grueling.

LYNN: It is. They measure everything: your knuckles, your ear, half of your finger and the other half of your finger. And there’s someone that reads the measurements aloud in order to build a mannequin body exactly like mine from the bust to the hips to the legs, so it has to be perfect. It is so that you don’t have to stand for hours. When I first started, I learned that I had to come back for four fittings. I said, listen, I live in Houston, Texas. I am not going to fly to Paris just for fittings.’

LAM: You’re a busy woman, you had a lot of things to accomplish. You were also raising a family.

LYNN: Right. So then I would go and they’d have all of it done except to correct a few things here and there and they’d send it back to me in boxes. Huge boxes. I mean you would’ve thought that there was a human being in there because of the way they were packed so perfectly. All the tissue paper, it was fabulous.

LAM: Speaking of your busy years, you’re a sharpshooter. In fact, there’s a great piece of art on your terrace that has both you and Annie Oakley on each side. If you could compete in any Olympic sport, would it be shooting?

LYNN: I don’t shoot anymore. On our honeymoon, we went to the Middle East for two weeks. Oscar never takes off more than a week for something. He’s at work right now. At 95, he’s still a workaholic. 

We first went to the Middle East because I’d never been there. The museums we went to were fabulous. Then, on the second part, we went on a bear hunt. The juxtaposition of things is what I love. I love to do something that’s the complete opposite of what I just did. It feels so inspiring and new.

LAM: You stay really active and are in such great shape to keep up with your very busy lifestyle. What are some of your secrets to staying fit and trim?

LYNN: You know, I didn’t want to go to a gym. For many years I’ve had many exercise trainers. When I went to the South of France for the summer, I had a girl and a boy that were from there and each one would do different things. I would do kickboxing, which I love. I can protect you.

LAM: I’ll bet you can. I’m betting that started in the 70s and 80s. What were some of your favorite moments from that era?

LYNN: I was fortunate to have had a villa in the South of France. Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco were very dear friends. I spent three months away every summer and it was fabulous. The nightclub, Regine’s, was the rage then. It started in Paris. Then, she went on to open one in Monte Carlo and also in the South of France. Our friends always had seated, black-tie dinners in those days. Oh, it was fabulous. Then everyone would go home to change clothes and go back to Regine’s. They had a pool that you could just dabble your hand in the water while you were sitting in one of those banquettes… while the music played just above the small dance floor. If you were sitting maybe ten feet away from your guest you could still talk to each other. It was so advanced to know how to do that. We’d dance the Frug and the Monkey. Nightclub culture started there, no question. We’d dance until dawn. It was Studio 54 before Studio 54.

LAM: Sounds like my kind of party and the place to be where the height of the international Jet Set was then. 

LYNN: I’ll say. I remember there was a duchess one time who said, ‘I want to introduce you to French society.’

LAM: This already sounds like a French farce waiting to happen.

LYNN: It was. There was a wonderful gentleman who was very highly ranked–more than a prince. And, he said, ‘I want to play a joke on the Duchess. She wants to introduce you to society, but, I’m going to say that I’ve known you for a long time. Go along with it.’ I said, okay. She introduced me by saying, ‘I want to introduce you to Lynn Wyatt, my friend from Houston, Texas.’ He said, ‘I thought that was you, I was hoping that you would be here.’ He put his arms around me, then hugged her…and she looked back at me completely amazed.

LAM: Because of your close friendship with Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, you’re part of the Princess Grace Foundation. You’ve done such good work on an international level, obviously beyond Texas. You told me how Cary Grant would call you personally, to speak with you about being involved with the foundation and its annual gala. Tell us about that experience.

LYNN: When Princess Grace died, it was so tragic. She was on her way to meet me in Paris when it happened. Three months later, I got a call from the Prince. He said, ‘Lynn, I want you to be a founder of the Princess Grace Foundation.’ I was so honored. I said, I don’t even live in France. He said, ‘I want you to be part of it. She loved you and you were such dear friends.’ So I thought, I’ll do it. But, you know, the first time you do anything, you have to hit the ball out of the park or they won’t want you to come back to the game the next time.

RG: There were some heavy hitters who were on the Foundation’s board like Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, Princess Caroline, Princess Stephanie, Mary Wells Lawrence, and you. How did you approach a first-ever event like that?

LYNN: Some guy who was very important contacted me and said, ‘I want to help you.’ I said, You know, I want to do this on my own, because if something goes wrong, it is only my fault. And I know the way I want to do things and that’s the way I’ll do it. I decided to do it, instead of in New York where everybody has parties every night, in Washington D.C. Ronald Reagan was the president at the time. I had three price tags for the tickets. For the most expensive, you would go to everything. For the lesser price ticket, it was more limited, and so on. Nancy Reagan would be there, which was a draw. So we put on a show for them that was a seated dinner with Julio Iglesias who performed, with a luncheon, and other events. It was fabulous. I have to say, now this is bragging a little, but I have to say it has been said that never in all these 45 years since has as much money been raised as we made on that one.

LAM: One thing I know, that a lot of people don’t know, is that you have a very famous friendship with Elton John and he adores you. You’ve often attended his White Tie and Tiara charity ball at his place in England. Tell us about what that’s like for you since you’re such close friends.

LYNN: I am always very honored to stay at his house. He has a huge estate and he puts up a big tent. The first time he did it was wonderful. Now, it has grown and the tent is huge. He has fabulous people. I’ve met lovely, lovely people there and he is the most generous man. I’ve never met a more generous man than he is, and I’m so flattered that he always seats me at his right. He has wonderful entertainment. And it is something that I truly look forward to every year in the summer.

HOW TO BE A WORK OF ART
RG: One of the many characters you’ve known is Andy Warhol. You were lucky enough to have done a photo session with him in the late 70s. What was that collaboration process like and what is it like to have your image immortalized by someone so revered in the art world?

LYNN: I was fortunate enough to have several famous artists who wanted to paint my portrait and I kept saying, no, I don’t have the time. Then, I met Andy and we became very close friends. In The Andy Warhol Diaries, which I have on the shelf there, it shows that Andy was very kind about me. I thought that Andy was the John Singer Sargent of my generation and it was a fabulous experience. And, I love my paintings.

RG: You are certainly one of his most dynamic subjects, that’s for sure. There are very few people who were photographed by him at that high level. I love your portraits.

LYNN: Thank you. He did four. I have two. He told me, ‘Lynn, you don’t want the other two?’ And I said, no. He said, ‘Why? You know, it is the same face but different colors that match each other. That’s the way I do it.’ I said, I know, but I just don’t think I could live with four more Lynn Wyatt’s in this house. That would make five. I found out years later when I was visiting friends in Southampton, and my host said, ‘I want to show you some things because this man collects Warhols. Loads of them. They want you to come over and see them.’ So, I said, sure, I’d love to see them.

LAM: The Warhol plot thickens.

LYNN: I’ll say it did. I went there and the wife said, ‘I want to give you a tour of the house.’ There was an Andy Warhol in every room. Then, I go into their bedroom and over their bed are the other two Lynn Wyatt portraits. I said, ‘That is terrible. You let your husband do that?’ She said, ‘It was me who told him to put up the paintings there.’ I said, ‘Well, you flatter me. You made my whole weekend.

LAM & RG: We love that. We’ve had an experience with a Warhol as well, at a very important business lunch at the Lever House in Midtown Manhattan, with people who knew we were from Texas. As we walked to our table at the very end of the restaurant, all we could see was your portrait at a distance. We thought, surely we’re not going to sit under Lynn Wyatt’s Warhol portrait. That would be too good to be true. And sure enough, we were seated under the Lynn Wyatt Warhol, which I guess now, in retrospect, was a copy. But it sure proved to be a very good omen for the meeting.

LYNN: Isn’t that fun. I’m donating mine to The Museum of Fine Arts here in Houston. They’re also building a theatre because I’m very heavily involved in the organization. It is called the Lynn Wyatt Theatre. They’re going to put the portraits up there. They’ve taken pictures of them, and I’ll have them until I die at which time the museum will receive the originals. And there will be a park, too.

LAM: You are too modest, Lynn. I think you’re referring to the Lynn Wyatt Square For The Performing Arts in downtown Houston. Most people are saying it will be the soul of the city because you feel that the performing arts are the soul of the city.

LYNN: Oh my God, I was so honored. I mean, I started crying. They said this block, it is a whole darn block, is going to be named for me because I’m involved in all the performing arts. Then one of my boys said, ‘Mom, that’s going to go on long after you’re gone. It’ll go through posterity.’

RG: We’ll be here cheering you on when it opens.

LYNN: Thank you, thank you. Well, I hope I’m here, too. Gosh, it will be gorgeous. I was so flattered.

LAM: What a treat to sit with you here, Lynn, and to hear your wonderful stories about past, present, and really, the future because you’re just warming up and we’re so excited to know you. We’re honored that you’re our state’s international ambassador on so many levels. So thank you for being you.

LYNN: I am so honored that you even chose me for this marvelous opportunity. They were very thoughtful questions―you did your homework and I feel blessed that you asked me to answer them and our photoshoot has been divine. It sounds so corny when I say this, but I’m so thankful and grateful for my life…and to be able to go over all these memories about the people that I love and know today. I’ve been blessed, I really know I have, and I thank the Lord as I think about everything that has come to me in my life. I feel thankful for both of you, too.

 

Princess Grace and Lynn Wyatt 1970s. Courtesy of Lynn Wyatt.jpg

Lynn Wyatt by Andy Warhol

IN EXCESS

IN EXCESS

by | Dec 31, 2019 | 2020 January February, Fav Feature, Feature Three

The 70s and 80s, in Texas and beyond, were a time of unbridled prosperity for the state’s movers and shakers. The can-do attitude of anything being possible unleashed a wild, unabashed party and caused a glorious hangover that exists to this day. Join our Lance Avery Morgan and a merry band of marauders as they time travel to the not-so distant past to recapture the Texan magic of yesteryear. 

DESIGNER NIGHTS

Phillippe Starck, Designer & Creator of Starck Club, Dallas

 And to think it all started in Paris, New York…and in Dallas. Dallas? French designer Philippe Starck created a sensation in the mid-80s by creating the first European-style nightclub in Dallas, named  appropriately, Starck Club. It took the city by storm, as well as the state because it was in complete contrast to the ostentatiousness of the times. Then something happened. Philippe Starck brought cool and clean to what was, at that time, a very cluttered state. From his five-minutes-from-now contemporary vision sprang a streamlined, white warehouse club that the world, and certainly not Texas, had ever seen before. There was the night Grace Jones came in riding an elephant during the 1984 Republican Presidential Convention. And, the night Prince had a party after he performed at nearby Reunion Arena. Everyone has a story about the Starck Club.

 Lance Avery Morgan: How different is Dallas now than when you were here in the 80s?

Philippe Starck:  It’s a huge difference. When I arrived decades ago, downtown Dallas was a ghost city; everything was empty. And when I said that I wanted to make the Starck Club downtown,  people laughed. They said, ‘Oh, you’re completely crazy–nobody will come.’ And because of those presumptions, I think we were the first.

 LAM: Without a doubt, you were the first big city night club of that level in Texas.

PS: Yes, and the first thing like it downtown, and I think we really rocked. Just for being downtown. The cultural level of Dallas has incredibly increased in the decades since the 80s. The sophistication. The people.

 LAM: And J.R. Ewing-types. No more of those, really.

PS: Ah, yes.

 LAM: During the ‘80s, when your club was so popular, he probably came there…J.R…you know, Larry Hagman.

PS: Lots of important people came to the club.

 LAM: Right.

PS: So, before, it was really difficult to bring a new idea and things like that. Now, Dallas is one of the main important international cities in the world. That’s why everybody’s here…our tribe. That’s why we don’t have to fight for the vision, no need to explain.

 PS: I worked with people everywhere… in Dallas,  Miami,  Hong Kong, and other key hotspots… And when they need us, they call us, and we come.  And when a place needed us, they would call us, and we would come.If a city didn’t call us, that meant a part of our “tribe” wasn’t in that city. I’m not a fancy guy. I started in night clubs just by luck. Some friends found this place and we said, ‘Oh, perhaps we can make something to bring the tribe all together.’

 And because I arrived completely away from the nightclub business, I brought fresh ideas, and a sort of natural violence, so it was a huge success. We completely exploded because we were naive and pure. At that time, the night club was the people. The nightclubbers were people working in the day, and they would go out to have fun at night. It was not like some nightclubber people now.  Now, they sleep  all day and go to clubs all night. In my nightclubs years ago, there were all the best people, the people whonow drive the world. Everybody was there. And that’s why it was very interesting.

(Excerpted from an interview, 2006)

LET’S GET SOCIAL

Robert Godwin, Austin’s Society Scene

 From the leftover hippie-dippie 1970s to the Dynasty-esque 1980s, the clothes may have evolved, yet Austin’s social elite never wavered in their aim to help the plethora of causes for those much less fortunate. “When I started covering the non-profit scene in 1976, the big four social events were already in place—Admirals Ball in August, Symphony League Jewel Ball in September, Bachelors Ball (which was in the fall, but moved to January) and the Helping Hand Ball in February,” remembers Robert Godwin (who now chronicles the St. David’s Foundation events) in his book about the city’s pre-1990 social scene, Austin Faces of Philanthropy. He goes on to say, “Philanthropy is a thread found throughout the fabric of everyday life in Austin. I’ve documented that thread running through three generations of families and am beginning to see the initial efforts of the younger fourth generation,” muses Godwin. “As that fabric is woven, it extends to cover friends, neighbors, and draws in those newly arrived. As it grows to shelter those in need, those clients add their own stitches to the fabric to create a cloth that is uniquely Austin. The city is a patchwork quilt of different colors, different hopes, and different dreams—but a common desire to be of service to others.”

PREP 101

Lisa Bernbach, author of The Official Preppy Handbook

 It was like a shot heard ‘round the world when The Official Preppy Handbook appeared in 1980 after a raucous 70s. “Thinking back, for our moment in time, it was big,” confides the book’s author, Lisa Birnbach. “What I didn’t know in the intervening 30 years was that it was still big. People are so proprietary about what Preppy means to them. Preppies do love their art museums as well as conservation societies, which are both about preserving that which is old. It’s also a way to give without being reminded that people are suffering. Giving to the mentally disabled is a big one–look at the Kennedy’s who created the Special Olympics as an example.” “Let’s face it,” Birnbach muses, “I knew the Preppy world from the inside and  outside. It has helped insiders feel more inside and has allowed people to understand more. I am a social observer and majored in Semiotics [every cultural phenomenon can be studied as communication], which is about what things represent. I didn’t try to change anyone’s life or make it over with The Official Preppy Handbook. I didn’t want to be famous.”

TEXAS-STYLE BEAUTY

Dana Rogers Martin, Miss Texas 1983, San Antonio & Las Vegas

 In the 80s, everything was big. Big hair, big shoulder pads, long nails, lots of makeup, tanned skin—that was the 80s pageant girl. We personified Madonna’s Material Girl and pageants ruled because everyone was trying to be a Miss Somebody long before social media.

 The 80s proved to be an incredible decade for pageants since each year the competition for the highest TV ratings was between the two annually televised giants: Miss America and the Super Bowl. Miss America was big business. Everyone in America, and hundreds of countries around the world, tuned in to hear ‘There she is, Miss America’ and see a beautiful crowned Barbie doll walk down the runway in Atlantic City. The Miss Texas telecast was also a ratings giant–each year the pageant was broadcasted to millions of people in Texas and the surrounding states. There was no shortage of contestants, either. In my year, 1983, a record number of 82 girls entered. That record is yet to be broken.

 After I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 1984, I competed in the Miss America pageant the same year (the state title is one year behind the national title in name only even to this day). There were a couple of firsts: Vanessa Williams, Miss New York would be crowned the first African-American Miss America, and I would be the first contestant to admit publicly that I had undergone plastic surgery. Vanessa and I were interviewed by every major TV morning news and entertainment shows. Ironically, I was considered the scandal of the pageant that week. We know who beat me out in the ultimate scandal that year.

STEEPED IN HISTORY

Charity Ball, San Antonio

 A constant in the social history of Texas is San Antonio society. The  Charity Ball  Association of San Antonio, lnc. supports the children of Bexar  County by  distributing grants each year since 1954, now totaling more than $21 million.The  Association’s tenet is Children Benefit Always.

The 1980s were particularly prosperous times for the organization and its annual Chrysanthemum Ball. Full tafetta gowns and elaborate hair, that was also scene in the rest of the state’s society circuit then, was in full force in that decade of decadence.

TEEN DREAM

Brooke Shields, Model, and Actress, New York

 For me, the 70s was a rather extraordinary time. I was able to meet and work with people like…Debbie Harry. I was able to be in rooms with Warhol and those incredible photographers who were renowned in what they were doing. The artistic matrix around that was so free and unfettered. There was a purity to it, I think.

 Plus, I was working with extraordinary directors and talent. I mean, to come out of the gate and your first photographer is Scavulo, and your first director is Louis Malle? Clearly, I thought then that it was always going to be like that. It was a really beautiful and creative time. Sure, it was also tumultuous and political, but I was so young, that part didn’t really affect me.

(Excerpted from an interview, 2019)

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME

Bradley Bayou, Designer, Dallas & Los Angeles

 What happened to me and my wife, Twinkle, at the time, could never happen today. All of us then thought, why is everyone coming here? Yes, Dallas was the #1 show in the world and the Dallas Cowboys were the #1 team in the country. In fact, Twinkle and I were even in a couple of Dallas episodes at the time as extras. Instead of looking to New York, Los Angeles, and London for style and energy, the world seemed to look to Dallas because there was a sort of mystique about the city then. Before that, they just associated Dallas with Kennedy.

 I’ll never forget when we hosted three parties for Andy Warhol since we knew him from the New York scene. He was dying to come to Texas. He and Jean-Michel Basquiat stayed with us when they each visited. Our parties were legendary–Catherine Oxenberg, who was on Dynasty at the time, came to stay with us, and we hosted a dinner party for Rock Hudson…two weeks before he announced he had AIDS. It was all like being in an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous, which we actually appeared in, too.

 But, really, it was all about Twinkle since she had the big blonde hair and a huge personality. People naturally gravitated to her. I just happened to be the guy standing there wearing a Zegna suit. It could never happen again–the innocence, timing, and over-the-top life that people lived vicariously through us like they saw people living on TV. Could you imagine if we had Instagram then–we weren’t ready for that. Life was more mysterious. We were in the right place at the right time.

DRESS TO IMPRESS

Bob Mackie, Fashion Designer, Los Angeles

 The 70s were really busy for me. I was doing both The Carol Burnett Show and dressing Cher for her show. Sometimes dresses for them had to do double duty. Carol liked to accentuate her beautiful back and legs, so I’d make something backless for her. Then, later, to repurpose it for a Cher costume in a pinch, I’d turn it around and make the back of Carol’s dress into a low plunging neckline for Cher, and it usually worked fine.

 Also, in the 80s, I could always tell a woman from Texas walking down Fifth Avenue. She always wore color amongst a sea of black.

OH, WHAT A NIGHT

Wendy Ward Payne, 1980s Debutante, Houston & Dallas

 Party, party, party comes to mind when I think of the 80s. Of course, there were grand cultural events such as the opening of the Wortham Center in 1987, and thinking about events at Tootsies, as well as going to events at the Metropol, Michele’s, and Riches brings a smile to my face. At my deb party, at Rich’s in 1985, I wore a lovely Arnold Scassi dress. In fact, the dress happened to end up on the cover of a fashion magazine the following month. The party was called A Neon Night. How 80s is that?

MODEL BEHAVIOR

Jerry Hall, Model and Muse, Gonzales & New York

 God that was a fabulous time. I was so young, hanging out with Andy Warhol. Neither of us drank so there we’d sit with our Perrier’s. Can you imagine? I adored it. It was so much fun, and I met every movie star there was…people such as Nureyev and Baryshnikov. I’d only read about them, and then I got the chance to know them.

(Excerpted from an interview in 2006)

GIVING BACK PASSIONATELY

Carolyn Farb, Philanthropist, Houston

 The 80s was a life-changing decade for me, and I was on the front line of the call to duty. I was asked by the Challenger Space Shuttle widows and their families to create a living legacy in memory of  the fallen heroes. We gathered at the Museum of Natural Science, where Jane Smith and June Scobee officially asked me to create the first Challenger Learning Center out of the nation’s collective grief. There are now 50-plus Challenger Centers across the nation and they are a favorite of Queen Elizabeth in England. 

The late folk humorist from Austin, John Henry Faulk,  said that I needed to help people with AIDS. So, the Evening of Hope came to be, and it began a movement of compassion. 

Marvin Hamlisch and I joined together to fulfill a promise to Dr. John Stehlin to raise a million dollars in a single evening for the Stehlin Foundation. This raised the bar for all fundraisers to follow and was the first in the state of Texas that reached that goal. We invested our energy and  passion enlisting superstars Ann-Margaret, Liza Minnelli, Crystal Gayle, and Allen King who donated their time and talent on behalf of cancer research.

 Clint Eastwood and I did a benefit for the premiere of his movie, Sudden Impact, and his star power was so bright that we needed security to keep the guests at the after-party in check. I learned that Clint liked Mexican food and so that’s what we prepared for the dinner in his honor. We left in a motorcade of white cars that took us to The Galleria, where there were once movie theaters. I was accidentally quoted as saying, “The dog stole the show.” 

 My beloved son, Jake, got his first car as  I watched him grow into a handsome young man. That was an interesting decade in my life with so many changes, and I feel I lived through the 80s with passion and heart.

REAL LIFE, IMITATED

Dwight Adair, Television Director, Dallas TV series, Austin

 My first job in the movie business was serving as the dialect coach for John Travolta on Urban Cowboy. Dallas, at that time in 1979, was the number one show on the planet. I became the dialogue coach for the cast and guest actors in the series’ fifth season and became one of the principal rotating directors four years later. 

 To be one of the directors was the triumph of my career; that and directing another 80s icon, Dynasty. The inner relationships of the two casts could not have been more different. Everyone on Dallas understood what a fantastic ride they were on and were having a great time together, creating the first night-time soap opera. Dynasty, however, was another matter altogether.

 Larry Hagman’s character, JR, was the quintessential 70s and 80s conniving, hedonist manipulator. In real life, you could not find a more generous, supportive, or loyal friend than him. The series was a worldwide phenomenon, and everything would stop everywhere on Friday nights for the show. And, I must say, one of the most humorous depictions of the character of JR was the version on Italian television. Hilarious.

THE ULTRA EFFECT

Ultra Magazine, 1980s

 In the world of glossy magazines, Texas finally got its own in the 1980s, and it became the must-read for the affluent set and those aspiring to climb the social heights. It represented oodles of jewels, sky-high hair, and yes, lots of furs.

 Appropriately titled and similar in spirit to Town & Country and Tatler, the Houston-based Ultra presented the richness, literally, of the Lone Star State. From its very beginning, the magazine reflected the upscale, grandiose, and intelligent personality of its reader.

 The covers ranged from Patrick Swayze to Dennis Quaid to Jaclyn Smith, and other potentates of the era with Texas ties. Liz Smith, Liz Carpenter, and Rex Reed were just a few of the high-life chroniclers the publication enlisted to capture the essence of the globe-trotting Texan, from ballroom to night-club.

 Gone, but not forgotten since it folded in the 90s, Ultra was the first publication to showcase the glamour of this state’s residents, and it remains a robust historical reference where we can reflect back to the way Texas was.

STUDIO 54’S MAGIC

Neal Hamil, Model, Houston

Of course, there had never been anything like it before, or since, like Studio 54. It was a moment in time that I can’t imagine will ever be fully replicated. I was a 19 year-old tall Texan model, which opened the door to Studio 54, and many other hotspots.  I truly had the most fun ever. What a time to be alive.

 I was lucky the first time I attempted to go, I exited my cab, looking over and past the throng of people hoping to gain entry. There was Steve Rubell, who pointed at me and signaled to me to come forward, and whooooosh I was standing inside. I went back for the next 120 nights and a million more over the years. I was never denied entry, and I met and made so many friends there because it truly seemed to be the center of the universe. Every night the place was crawling with the most glamorous people from all over the world, and I saw a lot of famous people doing a lot of naughty things. 

My favorite moments were those when I was on the dance floor tripping the lights fantastic, and all of a sudden in the DJ booth would appear Michael Jackson, Diana Ross or Donna Summer…so many mega-stars. One night Peaches & Herb were performing on the movable bridge over the dance floor–it was surreal. Betty Ford, Liza Minnelli and Liz Taylor hosted a party once that was beyond fun. This was pre-Betty Ford Center, of course.  

 Plus, the fashion was really experimental and outrageous.  Glittery and glamorous. I’ve always felt lucky to have  experienced Studio 54 in its prime and to have been allowed “all access”.  

THE IT GIRLS

Farrah Fawcett and Gray Hawn, Corpus Christi, Austin & Los Angeles

 I’d been friends with Farrah since junior high school and I knew intuitively that there was something really special about her… and we remained dear friends all of our lives. Hollywood pursued her because she was that All-American golden girl. After being pursued by talent scouts at The University of Texas in the 1960s, she decided to go Hollywood, fell in love and then, married Lee Majors. It didn’t take long until she was cast in Charlie’s Angels. While working on that series, the iconic poster and the role really made her career take off. She was a phenomenon. I think America was falling in love with her, and it was for more than just beauty. I can remember everybody cutting their hair to try to make it look like Farrah’s…and she was on the cover of every magazine.

 She did the series as long as she could, until she was ready to leave, which was not easy to do.  I remember her wanting to pursue more serious film work. Later on, she was nominated for her television films, like 1981’s Murder in Texas, and her work became more appreciated. In 1983, she did Extremities on Broadway. We went to New York to watch her perform, I was totally blown away by her performance.

After the show, we had dinner with Farrah, Liza Minnelli, and Robin Williams. After that, Farrah kept reinventing herself. She was very smart and always negotiated her  contracts. She was an advocate for the equality of women in Hollywood long before any of the things we see today had come to light.

Throughout all her fame, she never forgot her friends. She would always call when she knew someone might be going through a hard time, to check on them and see she what she could do to help. I had so much respect for her. I remember so many times that I’d meet her in Houston, but the very last one stands out. I was with my daughter, Joy, who was sitting between me and her and she said to me, ‘Even today, it’s hard to be Farrah Fawcett.’ It was a couple of months later that she found out she had cancer, she had more courage and bravery than anybody I knew. She wanted to share this experience to give hope to other people; She was a fighter and she was fearless. In the end, it took her life, but her legacy lives on in her diverse work generations to come will enjoy.

INTERNATIONAL GLITZ

Evelyn Haney Anestos, Austin and New York

 I loved being a model in the 80s…you would have thought I hit life’s lottery. I have been obsessed with fashion my entire life, so getting to work with creative people from around the world, who would style inspirational outfits on me in unique locations, was a dream come true. It was mind blowing to me that I got paid to travel, wear beautiful clothes, and have so much fun. I worked with so many photographers over the years like Chris Micaud, Gregg Stevens, and Ian Lowry. 

 Modeling in Texas, we were always doing the shoots during the opposite seasons of the clothes. So, it would be 100 degrees outside and I’m wearing a wool coat and acting cold or… wearing swimsuits in the Texas winter, while jumping into a production car with the heat blasting in between shots. 

 I traveled around Texas quite a bit and  then other parts of the US in my teens, and then in my early 20s, I moved to Barcelona and then Paris to model.  This was a time when it was extremely uncommon for semesters abroad so for me to get to live in and travel around Europe for months was a life changing experience and one that was very uncommon for other young Americans at the time.

 Reviewing my 80’s modeling pictures, I thought my hair was going to look bigger, but in the professional shoots, they actually made my hair look normal. I remember teasing and spritzing my hair all the time. Once I went to a casting at Christian Dior in Paris, the first week I moved there, and a guy came up to me and said, with his European accent, ‘Where in the United States are you from?” And, I proudly said, Texas. He then said, ‘It’s obvious because of your hair,’ turned his back on me and walked away. 

 I got to travel to so many interesting and beautiful places and met so many fun, fascinating, and cool people. I am still very close to many of the models I used to work with, and we have all stayed in touch over the years.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB

Charles Ward, PR Wiz, Dallas & Houston

 I represented public relations for the hottest club in Houston in the 70s and 80s, élan. It was unique because there were no private clubs like it 40 years ago.

 In our initial teaser ads, we showed Clark Gable with the headline, Clark Gable Had élan, yet it had no address or phone number. You had to find us. In the beginning, we assembled 7,000 names of affluent Houstonians and sent them complimentary 90-day memberships. Then, we deleted every fourth name, knowing that they were all friends, and the deleted ones we knew who would immediately buy a $125/year membership. The exclusivity worked.

 Our client, Lance McFaddin of McFaddin Ventures, allowed our agency to do outstanding creative, unlike most club operations. The club attracted all ages and was known for having beautiful people as members.  Happy hours were packed to prime the pump for an evening of socializing and dancing.

 There was room to roam because we Texans love our space. The club was multi-level, with 17,000 square feet of game tables, dancing, a cozy library, bars, and an elegant restaurant. Backgammon was becoming popular, so we had backgammon tables in the bar, and that was a great way to meet new people.  

 Halloween was always a crazy, packed theme night. We targeted high profile Houstonians to throw parties for their friends. We published a magazine for members showing élan activities around the country.

 Many may recall that élan was a major location in the 1979 film, Urban Cowboy…and my personal high rise was another location in it, too.

SUPERMODEL? SENSATIONAL.

Jan Strimple, Model, Dallas

 I tip my hat off to J.R. and Sue Ellen for piquing the fashion world’s curiosity of Texas. My savvy European agents played up the Dallas angle by marketing me as ‘the 6-foot redhead from Texas’ and, the world’s top fashion houses took the bait. I’d slip on my Sergio Valente jeans, or a new pair of stirrup pants and dash off to my show fittings. While I couldn’t muster a sugared Texas accent, I non-apologetically delivered the fantasy glamour the fashion biz expected, wearing peplum jackets with projectile shoulders, dramatic scarves, and earrings large enough to float a family of four down the Nile. While sporting Madonna’s colored mascara or playing the Pac-Man between flights was not my thing, Flashdance-inspired layering was perfect for traveling. Donna Karan provide the biggest moments of the 80s good taste fashion which she split from Anne Klein and introduced gender power into the workplace.

Walking the finest runways in the world in the 80s was a wild ride. Theatrical shows ruled with the backstage consisting of a mélange of the top walkers, drag queens, the press, and supermodels. I seldom saw Cindy Crawford without her laptop, Anna Bayle without her cigarettes, Iman without her diva attitude, and Diane Dewitt without her Texas-bred warmth. They were all beauties with their own distinct style. We were like thoroughbred racehorses being prepped for the races–except those tracks were the runways. We were traded by agents to make zillions for them and hundreds of thousands for us. We’d hop on planes to do the circuit, starting in Paris, followed by a long weekend of shows in London, then it was off to Milan for fittings and shows.

 Occasionally, the shows in Barcelona could be slipped in before New York and the Spanish designers were thrilled to get us on their runways. They encouraged us to return by giving us clothes in appreciation, which was a lovely job perk. Then, we were back on American soil to walk for the New York designers. That was the twice a year schedule of the fashion rat pack––seven weeks of non-stop fashion insanity. I’d be at tents in London, on Avenue Marceau in Paris, on Corso Garibaldi in Milan, or in New York’s garment district for fittings and see the same people in the airports, the showrooms, and at the shows. By the time the core models landed back in New York, we had all reduced one full size and the New York designers had to refit our looks. Madness. Complete, fabulous, fashion madness.

PLAYED BY

Todd Allen, Actor, Austin & Los Angeles

I became an actor while being a business major at UT.  I was driving to our ranch in Johnson City to get my head together and think about what I wanted to do in life–I was supposed to be the one to take over my father’s insurance empire, but I knew that was not what I wanted.  As I was driving,  I saw movie trucks and lights at another ranch off the highway. I pulled over and walked in the gate.  They, mistakenly, assumed I was the son of the property owner and immediately whisked me over the meet the director (an Oscar winner, which I did not know at the time) and the producer.  After a couple of minutes, the director asked if I wanted to help rehearse the actors. So, I did. And then he asked if I’d like to be in the scene. So, I was.

 After a scene where I thought I royally messed up, the director looked at me, reached into his wallet and pulled out a card. He said, ‘This is my private number in LA.  When you get home, and you think about today…and you decide that this is what you are going to do for the rest of your life, and if you move to LA…call me. I’ll help you.’

 I then decided to go to New York to attend acting school, and toward the end of my first year there, I was invited to attend a screening of Walter Hill’s great 1981 film, Southern Comfort. As luck would have it, I sat next to Hill. I introduced myself and we had a good chat. He told me he was about to do a film in Los Angeles called 48 Hours. A couple of weeks later, I got the call to come to LA, got an agent and got the role.

 My ICM agent team kept trying to drag me into Brat Pack since I was young and the age of most of them.  I was always invited to parties with Judd Nelson, Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, and the others, but I never wanted to be part of that group. I met Lawrence Kasden and was cast in Silverado, which meant I couldn’t play Demi Moore’s husband in St. Elmo’s Fire, the ultimate Brat Pack 80s movie.

I did tons of films, like Witchboard, which remains a cult hit, Swing Shift with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, Mask that was directed by Peter Bogdonovich and starred Cher, Uncommon Valor where I played Gene Hackman’s son and tons of television. One of my favorite times was researching a role in an F-4 Phantom jet to play test pilot Chuck Yeager. There were so many fun times and rich experiences. It never occurred to me that I would not be successful. I just put my head down and went to work.