Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2008 > September > 06 > Entry
Catching up with Nina Seely at Botticelli’s
I didn’t really know Nina Seely. She didn’t really know me. Yet Nina illuminated so many social events last season — from small parties to big galas — we chose her, along with husband Frank, to represent the Style category in the 2008 Fortunate 500. The Ralph Lauren retailer — formerly in charge of the personal shopping service at Sak’s — never looked anything less than dazzling, and always stopped by for a short, substantive chat, no matter how busy she must have been. Never snooty. Always fun. Very Austin.
Turns out, Nina and I spent chunks of our youths within bicycling distance of each other, me in Bellaire and West University, she in Ashton Oaks, just across the freeway from the Houston Galleria. She’s considerably younger, but she dated a Jebbie (from my alma mater, Strake Jesuit) while she attended Lee High School, where one of my closest friends, the late Mark Whistler, probably shared classes with her. We talked about the vast numbers of Houstonians and DFWers who have made Austin home because of an affinity to the native culture.
We gossiped a little — mais oui! — but we also talked about some of the causes that she champions. (Today, for instance, she’s backing the the Domain PlayBingo Shopping Extravaganza for Abused Children, which I’m afraid I won’t make.) Nina swears she’s cutting back on events this year, but don’t believe her. She and Frank are fixtures — in the best sense of the term — in the fashion, business and charity scenes. We’ll see them out.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment Categories: All-Stars, Food, Style
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By deepixel
December 25, 2009 3:04 AM | Link to this
I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
And you et an account on Twitter?
By Mandy Odgers
September 7, 2008 8:42 PM | Link to this
Apparently the more people you know, the more people you come to know. I'm sure every time you meet someone you have a follow up question. "Do you know (insert name here)...?"
By Marloes Lemsom
September 7, 2008 12:14 PM | Link to this
This sounds like a critical but positive examination right from the heart.
This blog makes clear that even though you think you don't know somebody, you will always find some things you have in common. With the more people you talk, the smaller the world gets.