Riverstone - Crowds Flock, Butterflies Flutter to Riverstone's "Artful Living with Neiman Marcus"

It was a beautiful night in Riverstone as crowds gathered Friday, Oct. 8, in a multi-million-dollar estate home for “Artful Living with Neiman Marcus.”

The sell-out event mixed fashion and art as models from venerable Neiman Marcus showcased the latest designer trends and acclaimed street artist Tracy Lee Stum mingled with guests and discussed her latest masterpiece, which she completed in Riverstone that day. An additional aspect of the evening that truly merged fashion and art was a display by Houston artist Bennie Flores Ansell, who used images of high heels hand cut from transparency film to create fantastic “butterfly” installations. A release of live butterflies celebrated the artwork and added a touch of wonder to the evening.

The setting for the event was a 6,700-square-foot estate home by Sterling Classic Homes. Catering the event was Fort Bend’s Aura Restaurant, named one of Houston’s Top 10 New Restaurants in 2007 by the Houston Chronicle. A jazz trio featuring Houston’s irrepressible Jaime Casco provided entertainment.

“Since both Neiman Marcus and Riverstone are synonymous with style, this collaboration was a perfect pairing,” said Riverstone marketing director Christen Johnson. “The event was great and filled with fashionable art, style and people. The butterfly displays and 3-D illusion really added interesting flair to a fabulous evening.”

Part of The Grand Soiree, a collection of stylish events happening throughout October, “Artful Living with Neiman Marcus” was the opening party for a tour of 3-D artwork by Stum, painted in the game room of the home. Visitors had a chance to watch Stum create the piece, which tricks the eye into thinking a waterfall plunges through the floor. They can continue to see the display as the home will be open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Oct. 17. Visitors can actually become part of the art by “perching” precariously on a painted log that appears to traverse the drop.

Tickets to see the artwork are $5 each, with proceeds benefiting various charities.

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