Labor Day Fashion Luncheon

Saturday August 27th – The Woman’s Hospitals of Texas hosted the 13th annual Labor Day Luncheon and Fashion Show benefiting March of Dimes. The event was held at the Royal Sonesta Hotel with nearly 500 attendees. For the fundraiser, 100% of all ticket sales and 10% of all vendor proceeds directly benefited March of Dimes NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) Family Support Program at The Woman’s Hospital of Texas. The Program has supported over 6,200 Houston families with premature newborns since 2011.

When entering the event, attendees were greeted by the sights of the boutique bazaar with 25 booths of clothes and jewelry from local Houston shops such as French Cuff, Luisa Cerano, Pomp & Circumstance, Tres Chic, and My Sruti (by LCA’s own Ruchi Mukherjee!). There were also booths including treats from Ms. Iahi’s Kitchen, and Eve’s Gourmet Apples. Guests enjoyed champagne and lively conversations while browsing and shopping.

At the style show, delicious food was served during a hilarious and informative style seminar regarding this year’s fall trends given by professional Houston stylist Rebecca Matthews. “All trends should be worn in moderation” Matthews warned.

 

After the seminar, the mood was changed with a heart-warming speech given by this year’s featured speaker Danielle Busby. Busby is the mother of the only all-girl quintuplets in the United States, and also has a six-year old daughter named Blayke. Her life with her husband Adam and her six daughters is now documented in a TLC reality series called “OutDaughtered”. Her appearance at the event was being filmed for the second season of her show.

Busby’s “quints” as she refers to them, were all born at 28 weeks in The Woman’s Hospital of Texas and all were treated in NICU. Busby told the emotional story of their birth and how well they were all treated during their time in NICU. She was brought to tears while recalling her quints’ time in the NICU, but graciously thanked the staff for their comfort and information during the process. Now, her daughters are all healthy and living at home.

Other speeches were given by the event’s co-chairs: Ashley McClellan, CEO of The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, and Suzan Deison, Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce CEO. Each woman gave their own touching speech raising awareness for the cause.

Along with raising awareness for the cause, online raffles took place with the attendees bidding for gifts donated by designers Elaine Turner and Kendra Scott. The raffle was a success with $16,500 raised.

The finale of the event was the fashion show produced by Todd Ramos. The show included lovely items from the boutiques in the bazaar worn by beautiful models. Danielle Busby’s adorable six year old daughter Blayke also walked down the runway, accompanied by her two cousins. When the fashion show ended, the bazaar was re-opened for more shopping.

The March of Dimes Labor Day Luncheon was an elegant, fun, and emotional event that brought people together and raised awareness for the impact that a premature birth can have on a baby as well its family. $52,000 were raised for the March of Dimes thanks to the event.

Among the esteemed guests were: Gina Gaston Elie, Nina Pilson, Mitra Woody, Darcie Wells, Wendy Chung, Anne Chou, and Emcee ABC-13/KTRK-TV Anchor Ilona Carson.

To learn more about The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, visit womanshospital.com.

By Meher Qazilbash

Meher Qazilbash is a high school senior at the Awty International School. She lives in Houston with her parents, her sister, and her beloved cat Salem. Meher loves Houston and writing about all it has to offer, specifically its incredible art scene. She aspires to write for the rest of her life.