The Victoria Symphony League brought Bourbon Street to the Crossroads on Wednesday.
Their annual fall fashion show gave local patrons of the arts an opportunity to support the Victoria Symphony, eye the latest fashions and put their table setting prowess to the test. This year’s theme was “New Orleans ... and All That Jazz.”
From Second Line parades to Sazerac cocktails to Saints football, each of the fundraiser’s 30 “tablescapes” paid homage to a different facet of New Orleans’ storied history and culture.
A table decoration keeps with the theme of New Orleans at the Victoria Symphony League fall fashion show on Wednesday at Spring Creek Place Event Center.
The event was two years in the making, said Symphony League President Marilyn Dufrene. The event was canceled in the previous two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s fundraiser had slightly fewer tables than in years past, but it boasted the debut of something every fashion show needs: a runway.
The Victoria Symphony League assists the symphony with educational programs and fundraising through events like Wednesday’s luncheon and style show.
Saxophonist and O’Connor ACE Elementary School music teacher Emil Matula plays through jazz standards at the Victoria Symphony League fall fashion show on Wednesday at Spring Creek Place Event Center.
On Wednesday, attendees mingled amid the intricate table tableaus and bid on items in the silent auction and bake sale while a jazz quartet played through a set of traditional standards.
“It takes a lot of people to make something like this a success,” Dufrene said in her welcoming remarks to the audience.
The Symphony League’s Linda Zannini said the goal was to raise $20,000, with $15,000 going to the symphony. The remaining $5,000 would support the Victoria Independent School District’s music programs, which were represented on Wednesday by the Victoria East High School String Quintet.
A table boldly proclaims the event’s theme of “New Orleans… and all that Jazz” at the Victoria Symphony League fall fashion show on Wednesday at the Spring Creek Place Event Center.
After tucking into a “Big Easy” menu of cajun chicken, sausage and okra with rice gumbo, “Mardi Gras” purple slaw, Creole crostini and bread pudding with rum sauce, it was time for the main event.
“We ladies, we’re always looking for something to wear, and let’s not go out of town first,” Dufrene said, urging the crowd to support local businesses.
Those businesses literally took center stage when the fashion show kicked off. Emceed by Citizens Medical Center’s ER Manager Jeff Payne, the show featured outfits from nine boutiques across Victoria, Cuero and El Campo. Each outlet had two models to showcase the variety of looks available.
Supporters of the symphony mingle during the Victoria Symphony League’s fall fashion show on Wednesday at Spring Creek Place Event Center.
