When people think of San Antonio, there’s a good chance they think fondly of one of its most prominent citizens, Alice Carrington Foultz. She’s got miles of style and here she gives us a bird’s eye view through the looking glass of her San Antonio.

You know her as Alice Carrington Foultz. The rest of the globe knows her as a philanthropist, art expert, adoring mother and certainly one of our state’s most stylish residents. Meet her for the first time and you instantly feel like you’ve known her a lifetime. She has that effect on people. Maybe it’s because she was raised with Southern hospitality, but most likely, it’s because she genuinely cares about people, her city and the world around her. She’s what you would call a “renaissance woman.” Which makes sense, since San Antonio seems to be going through its own renaissance these days. And does she ever love her city. “The best thing about San Antonio is that it has big-city services with small-town charm. I love the multi-cultural aspect of this city, and the dichotomy – I can go ride horses in the morning and attend a business meeting a few hours later,” she confides. She goes on to say, “We should all be serving as ambassadors for this city. San Antonio is finally appreciating what we have in our own backyard – from the missions to its multiculturalism. We are reaching new heights.”

World Movie Premiere Captivates State

Deep in the heart of San Antonio, the stars shined bright at Buena Vista’s The Alamo world movie premiere at the Majestic Theater, where the action-packed film starring Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton, Jason Patric, and Patrick Wilson was the biggest party of the season. Guests were greeted at the yellow (instead of red) VIP carpet with Brilliant-sponsored yellow roses given by Brilliant Babes who were completely outfitted in clothing supplied by Banana Republic and Cavender’s Boot City Northstar. After walking by hundreds of international press representatives, guests were ushered into the movie theater where an orchestra played grand Texas-themed songs before the film. The post-premiere party on the Alamo Plaza was where guests mingled with not only the stars of the film, but also such Texas notables as syndicated columnist Liz Smith, legendary MPAA chief Jack Valenti, and Texas Film Commission director Tom Copeland. Favorite Texans now in New York like John Danielson and Iris Jones also attended the memorable evening. Brilliant will never forget the evening celebrating The Alamo.

When you think High Society may be dead, or at least waning, it really is not at all. Recently in the border town of Laredo, Texas, big things were happening to show that debutantes are as lovely as ever. It turns out that The Society of Martha Washington Colonial Pageant & Ball was formed in 1939 and every year it just grows more popular.

The Society hosts the Colonial Ball, which is an annual debutante gala for the young women make their debut into society. The Colonial Ball, held in the city’s Civic Center, is a part of a citywide festival called the Washington's Birthday Celebration, which takes in February of each year close the to US president’s special holiday. The Society of Martha Washington helps Laredo present an image of “racial and national harmony” by working in conjunction with the Princess Pocahontas Council, and the Abrazo Children and has attendees from all over, including our Rossana Leeper who was there to report on it for us, along with other Texas notables.

“My muse? That’s easy. My muses are my friends, clients… and the world around me,” confides entertaining expert Lulu Powers, who knows how to get things done. If you grow up one as one of six children, in a bustling Connecticut home like she did, that’s a given. Take that verve, add a heap of talent, mix in several dashes of personal pizzazz and talent… and you get a creation that is this Los Angeles-based, lifestyle entertaining expert to the stars. I recently caught up with her and her husband, celeb photographer Steve Danielian, over cocktails at the Saint Cecilia Hotel in Austin where she is bringing her talent to Texas, and being feted by Carla and Jack McDonald at a book signing this week. Her book, Lulu Powers Food to Flowers (Harper Collins) is already a bestseller to Sociables, Celebutantes and various Royalosities who follow her advice to a T.

Picture this: A hot, young designer. An exclusive list of gorgeous guests. Runway models. A midnight breakfast to get the party rolling. We call it the Party of the Year. With the economy soaring, Houston knows how to toss a grand soiree, and nobody hosts it better than Becca Cason Thrash. This time it’s for fashion designer Zac Posen, to benefit Best Buddies International. So buckle up for a wild, sexy and very fashionable night.

There are parties and then there are parties. It’s after 2:30 a.m. Cigarettes with lipstick stains lie in ashtrays. Double old-fashioned glasses dot every surface, the ice melted long ago. A stray cufflink has rolled under the glove-leather daybed, unmissed. The scene of a crime? More like the scene of a hot time. The time of everyone’s lives, in fact. The sold-out winter event was appropriately titled Zac Attack!, and Posen indeed attacked Houston with his great design, style and wit, leaving a legion of fans in his wake. While Becca Cason Thrash ruled her glamorous and wild kingdom with exceptional finesse. And all to a disco soundtrack…

I Love The Nightlife. “Yes, yes, of course I’ll be there. Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” was the first thing I said to Thrash in July when she mentioned her idea of a party to honor designer-boy-of-the-moment, Posen. “I’m inviting the long-time supporters of Best Buddies along with the chic fashion pack to round out a perfect mix for Zac and his Posen Posse,” she said. Then the notion hit me: to feature the event for the magazine so our readers could get a fly-on-a-champagne- glass view of how Houston entertains these days. With the recent “Houston Chronicles” feature in W magazine, the entire world got a glimpse of the city’s social powers that be. And according to many insiders it was rather conservatively written, because Houstonians like to have a much better time than the feature suggested. Austin socialite Julie Thornton, an event attendee remarks, “Everyone in Houston is as kind as they are chic. I guess it's in the water there…these are the best-groomed women I've ever seen.”

Two people in love, 24 bridesmaids and groomsmen, 800 guests and one large tent. Sound like familiar grandness? It might if you attended her sister Kimberly Schlegel and Justin Whitman’s wedding six years ago that was exclusively profiled in the Sept 2005 issue of Brilliant magazine.

But this past weekend was different with Kim’s younger sister Kari’s marriage to Troy Kloewer where the bride and groom lent their unique style to a majestic occasion. We’re calling it the wedding of the decade and luckily for us, the Royal Wedding in London last weekend was a warm up to what was in store in Dallas Saturday. Before that the out of town guest reception on Friday night at the Schlegel Manor got us in the mood for the weekend.

When I first got to know Kari, she appeared on the second cover of Brilliant in February 2004. Along with Kim and brother Kirby, the magazine’s issue caused quite a stir across the state. We hosted a party honoring them in Austin and it’s been a heck of a fun friendship with the entire Schlegel family over the years.

The kids were raised right by philanthropists and Pavestone founders Bob and Myrna Schlegel, originally from Canada. Canada’s loss of the Schlegel’s was certainly Texas’ social gain. They all know how to have a good time and Kim has even authored several books on entertaining that landed her recently as an Editor-at-Large for Southern Accents magazine.

It certainly doesn’t happen often that a Texan is awarded the National Order of theLegion of Honour (or, as they say in Paris, Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur). In fact, it’s almost never when the honor has been bestowed upon people like Charles Lindbergh, Estee Lauder, Madonna, to name but a few cultural icons. And now, add Becca Cason Thrash to an illustrious list.

The festivities began in late April when Thrash was feted in Paris by the U.S. Ambassador to France who hosted a swanky formal dinner in their official Paris residence, Hotel de Pontalba. American Ambassador Charles Rivkin and wifeSusan Tolson couldn’t have been lovelier during it all, we understand.

Recently in Houston, at the ballroom of the Hilton-Americas Hotel, a vision in white was created, thanks to Darryl & Co. In keeping with the royal wedding theme, tireless fundraiser Connie Cook (asked by the inimitable Joanne King Herring) chaired the event, "Royal Weddings - Then and Now" with HRH Prince Jean de France, Duc de Vendome as the guest of honor and speaker. The tables were decorated with centerpieces of white roses, lilies and hydrangeas that completed the sea of white theme as a backdrop when a special performance by French mezzo-soprano opera star Marie Lenormand preceded the the Prince gave his insight about presentation of historical French weddings, including his own, as well as the big upcoming one recently in London. This luncheon benefitted Ms. King’s Marshall Plan for Afghanistan -- To Bring Our Troops Home, and some are calling it the event of the year in Houston since the 400 attendees helped raise over $350,000 for the cause. Honorary Chairmen were Donna and Robert Bruni; and the special honoree was Margaret Alkek Williams, while the Master of Ceremonies was Dave Ward.

The Prince’s week-long visit to Houston was marked by five underwriter parties.Paul Somerville kicked off the festivities immediately after Prince Jean deplaned in Houston and threw a mini-rodeo and Bar-B-Q at his sprawling Richmond ranch.He also gifted the Prince with cowboy boots, a western hat, jeans, and a de rigueur Texas belt buckle. After two hours on a horse and line dancing to a western band, the Prince indeed became a full-fledged honorary Texan. Duc and Duchesse de Gramont, Susan Krohn and Patrick Gehm (with whom the Prince house-guested), Diane Lokey Farb, and Paige and Tilman Fertitta also hosted lavish parties honoring Prince Jean.

The generosity of Americans toward to French is legendary and that was seen recently as the American Friends of Versailles gathered culturally-minded philanthropists, art lovers and patrons from France and the United States recently in New York City for a whirlwind of fabulous benefit events surrounding their annual board of directors meeting. It always has a strong presence of Texans who lend their largesse to the organization.

It was quite a shindig. The round of parties included a champagne reception at the home of legendary financial titan, Julian Robertson, founder of the Tiger Fund. The guests enjoyed his hospitality and viewed his extraordinary art collection with its breathtaking view of Central Park.

The guests of honor were AFV’s distinguished French Board of Directors: Baron Roland de l’Espée, Le Vicomte de Rohan, Madame Anne-Marie de Ganay, Comtesse Serge de La Bédoyère, Monsieur et Madame Jérôme Fouan, Comte Charles-Louis de Mortemart, Madame Caroline Sarkozy (sister to the French President Sarkozy), Madame Nicole Salinger, and Monsieur and Madame Didier Wirth. Also in attendance was one of our favorite Texans, Houston-based Sir Mark Haukohl.

Other benefit visits included a luncheon at the historical landmark andillustrious “21 Club”, founded in 1929, along with a cocktail 'dinatoire' at the home of the world-renowned interior designers, Juan Pablo and Pilar Molyneux, both AFV board members. The seven story townhouse with a rooftop swimming pool welcomed guests of honor Mr. Julian Robertson, Mr. and Mrs. Steven Rockefeller and Madame Caroline Sarkozy.