Kit Sawers

The TACA RBC Wealth Management Custom Auction showed all the signs of heavy duty adjustment Friday at the Mansion on Turtle Creek. Gone were the black tie, flowing gowns and flawless gems. Well, maybe the gems were still there, but the penguin brigade and trailing hems were replaced by “dressy casual,” formerly known as “shabby chic.” While the majority were feeling frisky about the dress code change, others hinted at a touch of regret. But the change had been deemed by event co-chair Kit Sawers. Was it a good idea? “Absolutely,” said the blonde Sawers. “The ladies want change.” According to Kit, Saturday night’s fine for a gala, but for Friday evening, it’s nice that men can come in a suit because a lot were probably coming straight from work.

Another change in the evening’s agenda was the number of guests. Last year it was 250. This year they added an additional 50 guests. This addition resulted in dinners being served in upstairs suites, as well as the usual restaurant facilities.

Speaking of upstairs at the Mansion, the buzz during the reception was about Journey. The musical group was staying at the luxury hotel for their sold-out Saturday concert. Word had it that former White House-party-crasher/separated-from-her-husband/Journey-groupie Michaele Salahi was upstairs having a “discussion” with lead guitarist Neal Schon.  TMZ probably has the details.

One of the top topics of the night was the Celebrity Waiter Luncheon held earlier in the day at the Ritz. Celebrity Waiter Tracy Rathbun, who had done a full split with restaurant partner Lynae Fearing, followed up her fundraising gig by heading to a five-year-old’s birthday party. Another survivor of the lunch summed it up by saying, “It was loud. There was annoying music. People were screaming. Other than that, it was fine.” As a Houston socialite legend once said, “In order to be successful, one must be controversial.” Guess that means the luncheon fundraiser for Family Gateway was a success!

Dallas Dillon and Heidi Dillon

Heidi Dillon was back from summer in California with an adorable, tall blonde fella. Don’t get the wrong impression. It was her son Dallas, who spent the summer growing very, very tall.

Lucy Wrubel

Back to TACA. With the less formal dress, a younger set of guests were expected, so DJ Lucy  Wrubel had her game plan in place — start with a “cocktail set,” then for dinner French influenced music and after the auction, “We’re gonna throw it down.” Lucy was set up in the Pavilion behind a grand lit bar that extended the full length of the room. She wasn’t by herself. On either side barkeeps were tending champagne and other alcoholic concoctions. When asked if she had recovered from her jumping and jiving on a mini-trampoline at the previous week’s Dallas Symphony Orchestra gala, she sheepishly admitted that she broke two of the springs.

The Mansion’s candle lit bar

As the cocktail set played and the guests talked and drank and talked on the Promenade and in the Pavilion, the Mansion looked stellar with candles everywhere and marvelous floral arrangements by Todd Fiscus.

Mansion wine cellar

Then it was time for a delicious dinner of poached gulf shrimp with Texas melon salad, lime, tobiko and lobster vinaigrette and sarawak pepper-crusted beef filet and short rib-stuffed piquillo pepper with smoked potato puree and Tassione Farms greens prepared by Mansion Executive Chef Bruno Davaillon.

Andy Teller

While TACA President Andy Teller and the RBC Wealth Management top echelon dined in the Mansion’s wine cellar,

Hal and Diane Brierley

Diane and Hal Brierley were joined by AT&T Performing Arts CEO Mark Weinstein. This was his first TACA Custom Auction, don’t you know. When asked if they had a specific item in mind, the Brierleys hinted that they had a pick but weren’t talking. . . On the Verandah were The Dallas Opera’s Keith Cerny, who was getting to unveil TDO’s Wall of Honor for the 21st Century on Wednesday, and Tincy and Vance Miller just a table away recalling their courtship at SMU. .  .

Dillard Spring

Dillard Spring was making her final rounds as TACA’s marketing director before heading to the East Coast. . .

Allan and Lynn McBee

While others had to walk to the restaurant area via the driveway, Lynn and Allan McBee managed to talk their way into the hallway from the Pavilion to the bar.

By this time, every- one was prime for the live auction. As they gathered back in the Pavilion and packed it to the hilt, there was just a whiff of bargain hunting in the air. Think Sam Moon prices at Tiffany & Co.

Matthew Simon and Todd Fiscus

At times it was hard to tell who was bidding for what due to the number of gorgeous

Auction crowd

people filling the room. How auctioneer Mike Jones could spot bidders was amazing, but he’s an old hand at eyeballing a winning hand.

Peter Bowling, Karen Mordecai, Kent Rathbun

The biggy trip to glamorama Capella Pedregal in Cabo San Lucas, Tara Lewis and John Swords joined forces with Carol Calkins to win the prize for a nice $27,500. On hand to congratulate them were master chef Kent Rathbun, who is putting together a wine and cooking trip to the resort, and Pedregal General Manager Peter Bowling.

Another trip, The Bermuda Getaway (value: $11,200) cost Bill Bogart $12,500.

As Lel Echols, who snapped up the Tod ‘s Italian Experience, put it when asked if he was a big Tod’s fan, “No, I’m a big TACA fan.”

Perhaps that explains why the less-than-a dozen items brought in $119,000 from the live auction totaling $400,400 for the night’s take  – $400 more than TACA’s goal.