Tag Archives: Nicole Brende

Bienvenue Hermes!

Selfies, shopping, and balancing acts with my girls Lori Geshay and Jennifer Roosth!
Selfies, shopping, and balancing acts with my girls Lori Geshay and Jennifer Roosth!

If you want to see grown women act like giggling girls then you would have had a good laugh last night.  My bestie Lori Lemon-Geshay invited me to the exclusive “Le Petite Marche” grand soiree hosted by Hermes in the new River Oaks District.

Although the boutique does not officially open until October 30th, WOW do they know how to throw a party! Just like Paris the lit courtyard was lined with market-style  vendors such as fine meats, breads, fresh produce, chocolates, wine, and flowers.  The champagne was flowing and we were loving it!  All of us guests were given Hermes tote bags and were encouraged to indulge, sip, and savor.  Ohh la la! The stylish guests were also entertained with hermes3live music, acrobats, and artists.  For a minute I really had to stop and think where I was because Houston has never felt so good!  The weather is also amazing this time of year too I must add.  We walked away feeling very fulfilled, inspired, and with a trip to France on our minds!

For the ultimate luxurious outdoor experience that Houston has to offer The River Oaks District is THE PLACE to be! Alongside Hermes brings Cartier, Dior, Tom Ford, Harry Winston…just to name a few.  A movie theater, restaurants, and the trendy Equinox gym will also call this place home.  Step aside Beverly Hills and New York, Houston is a mega market and our international flavor is H-O-T!!!

hermes2Lori, thank you for being such a good client at Hermes.  All of the bracelets, scarves, and pocket squares I bought in the last year did not add up to getting on the invite list!  Please keep the party invitations coming my good shopping friend with amazing taste.  I am saying YES now to the next event 🙂  Wink Wink.

“I Like It Like This” Art Exhibit at Sotheby’s Auction House

nyc sothebys auction house5A field trip to the Sotheby’s S I 2 Gallery in NYC is a bucket list treat!  Thank you to Martha Turner my idol and Co-President of MTSIR here in Houston for giving us top producers a trip of a lifetime! May 1st they held a private cocktail and viewing party for us while unveiling the exhibition I Like It Like This with musical curation by the Grammy award winning performer Drake.  Although a disappointment that Drake could not be there in person, it was still a treat to mingle with Sotheby’s corporate execs at the official auction house at 1334 York Avenue at 72nd Street in New York’s Upper East Side.

Clifford Siegel, Kathy Korte, Martha Turner, Bradley Nelson
Clifford Siegel, Kathy Korte, Martha Turner, Bradley Nelson

I Like It Like This, presented by S|2 in collaboration with Drake is a celebration of influential Contemporary black American artists. Grammy winning hip hop icon Drake has provided musical curation by selecting songs to accompany highlighted works in the exhibition. Listen to Drake’s song selections at Beats by Dre™ sound stations throughout the gallery and experience the dialogue surrounding the overlap of these identities and the ways in which they bolster, challenge and inspire one another.

Jan-Oliver Schmidt & Nicole Brende
Jan-Oliver Schmidt & Nicole Brende

It is so NYC to be sipping wine and gallery hopping, right?  It feels so civilized.  I chose to wear the Sabrina black tulle and lace dress by designer nha bhanh. It was my Carrie Bradshaw moment!  Didn’t my fiance look pretty dapper too in his suit?  I love dressing him up pocket square and all!

S|2 is Sotheby’s Contemporary art gallery, offering year-round exhibition programming and bespoke private sales.

SOTHEBY's Cocktail ReceptionWith dedicated gallery space in New York, London and Hong Kong, S|2 presents selling exhibitions exploring the work of celebrated artists, such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Yayoi Kusama, and Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, as well as shows curated by influential art world figures like Vito Schnabel.

SOTHEBY's Cocktail ReceptionIn addition to gallery programming, the S|2 team facilitates private acquisitions and sales around the world. Side note, the reason why Sotheby’s started a real estate company is because of their art auction customers.  It only makes sense that their millions of dollars in art must have a home or two too!  I still find it pretty amazing that some art can sell for over $100 million!  Until next time, learn more at WWW.SOTHEBYS.COM/S2

103I just love being a part of the Sotheby’s global network! We are a world-wide company with endless resources.  Plus, they are the leaders in the luxury market.

NYC I had a great time and I will miss you but I know we will be together again soon!

 

 

2015 Heroes And Handbags

Selfies w/ my friends Lori Lemon-Geshay, Laura Cernock, and Laura Murray
Selfies w/ my friends Lori Lemon-Geshay, Laura Cernock, and Laura Murray

Sipping champagne, shopping, and mingling….all for a great cause! Count me in!  May 7th at the Omni Hotel over $250,000 was raised to benefit Heroes For Children.  A sold out event the 2015 Heroes And Handbags bruncheon is their signature event and the money helps families with children battling cancer.  In it’s 10th year it was very exciting for me to be the Handbag Co-Chair along with my friend Anna Kaplan.  Event Chair and my BFF Lori Lemon-Geshay lead the team and Host Committee and WOW does she deserve a standing ovation! Founder Larissa Linton showed a tear when the final numbers came in! The largest fundraiser for the organization in Houston to date! Way to go!

Winner!
Winner!

If you have never attended this event before please add it to your list for 2016.  Imagine a room full of 150+ new and “gently loved” designer handbags and all are up for bid! Since 100% of the bags are donated, 100% of the sale of the bags go directly to the charity.  From paying a utility bill, to rent, to transportation, and many other needs, Heroes For Children is able to help thousands of families every year with your help. The digital bidding process in itself was super exciting.  Basically you are able to place your bid via your smart phone.  Each time you get out bid they text you a notice.  You can place a new bid and even offer a cap bid amount. Anna Kaplan and I did a television segment on KPRC Channel 2. Here is video link and it will show you some of this year’s handbag collection including Chanel, Dior, Gucci, and other amazing designers! I’m already thinking about next year’s event and what selection that one will bring? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u18bLhIsny0

Congrats Claire Harmon!
Congrats Claire Harmon!

As you can see I won the Versace bag! The Winner sign sure got me jumping out of my chair! My friend Claire really took home the cake scoring 5 handbags!

A special thank you to the event Sponsors including Elaine Turner, Kendra Scott, Paper City, CultureMap, Momentum Porsche, A Bientot, Tanglewood Flowers & Garden, and What’s The Occassion Creative Cakery. Also a job well done by  the Chairs and Host Committee members, the Donors, and Patrons who bought tables and $250 tickets to the event. The success of this event is an example of the very generous with a big heart of a city of Houston we call home.  If you would like more information on the heroes and handbags signcharity and ways you can help all year long visit www.heroesforchildren.org  or you can find them on Facebook! Event photos coming soon by photographers Herb Hochman, Jaime Lagdameo, and Quy Tran so please check social media, Paper City, and CultureMap.

 

 

 

It’s Crystal Clear. Say YES to Baccarat!

baccarat hotel signMy recent Sotheby’s top producer award trip to NYC was simply off the charts! Perfect weather, living in luxury at the Waldorf Astoria, and enjoying private art exhibit events at the Sotheby’s auction house, a Broadway performance, fancy dinners, shopping on 5th Avenue, and bike strolls in Central Park and around the city. In the middle of our great adventure we were introduced to the ultra new and ultra luxurious Baccarat Hotel.  This place is my dream! Surround me every day with crystal chandeliers and luxurious decor. All I can say is more more more!

124Baccarat Hotels & Resorts translates the perfect craft and noble heritage of the legendary, 250-year-old French crystal maker into an elegant lifestyle. Combining this rare legacy with modern elegance and elements of unexpected magic, each of the brand’s hotels and resorts has been conceived as a gracious hôtel particulier, welcoming guests with impeccable service and distinctive amenities. Baccarat Hotels & Resorts launched in March 2015 with the opening of its flagship New York property.  Baccarat Hotel & Residences New York will be followed by Rabat, Morocco, in 2016, with additional openings in Dubai and Doha over the course of the next several years.  Rumor has it, add Miami to the mix!

119Baccarat Hotel & Residences New York is a contemporary Manhattan take on a classically elegant Parisian hôtel particulier. It blends influences past and present to create sumptuous spaces, both grand and intimate that inspire wonder with their enchanting surprises and carefully considered details.  Although one night’s stay can range around $1000, in my opinion this is an opportunity of a lifetime.  In the bar area, I enjoyed a negroni cocktail served in a Baccarat crystal glass.  Only the finest dahling! Even the bartenders and cocktail waitresses wear Baccarat crystal jewelry.

baccarat hotel fur chairTheir lounge is set up like a custom home with beautiful seating arrangements and private rooms for entertaining and meetings.  I found my favorite “fur” chair too.  It’s the Texas chic in me 🙂  Sought after Paris-based design duo Gilles & Boissier created nearly every piece of furniture  in fact for the hotel’s soaring salon-style public spaces, as well as the 114 light-filled rooms and suites of the hotel. Weaving artisanal Baccarat crystal elements throughout, they lavished attention on each surface, be it a sparkling mica-covered vaulted ceiling, silver-leafed wood paneling, pleated-silk walls or a monumental marble table. New York design masters Tony Ingrao and Stephen Sills, respectively, handled the 60 residences and the ground-level contemporary French restaurant, Chevalier.

123The next time you go to New York City indulge in some Baccarat elegance because you are worth it! After this experience I think I need to add Baccarat to my wedding registry list.  Move over Waterford, Baccarat has a hotel! Located at 20 West 53rd Street , New York , New York , 10019 across from the Museum of Modern Art, enjoy the radiant glow of this 50 story masterpiece.  You are welcome my friends! Trende Brende has you covered.

 

Bunnies & Beer = Brende Easter Bash!

Brende Easter Eggstravaganza
Brende Easter Eggstravaganza

One of my favorite family holidays is Easter time.  Each year we celebrate at my uncle’s home in the Hollywood hills with perfect weather and picture perfect views.  The traditional prayer, food, egg decorating contests and egg hunts take place.

My favorite event is the adult beer hunt.  Forever kids at heart my cousins and siblings line up with buckets in hand in anticipation for our big hunt.  The goal is

Cousin Steve claiming his prize!
Cousin Steve claiming his prize!

to pick up 5 beers with attached poker cards, any beer with nothing on it is free game, and we must find one Mexican coke bottle usually containing a $2.00 bill on it.  Once we gather back on home base we play poker.  Whoever has the best hand wins first prize. The good news is that the prize table is full and all of us walk away winners.

Now, I have shared this tradition with friends before.  It’s amazing how this concept can grow with creative input!  Alterations to this idea may

Caroline & Alan Brende
Caroline & Alan Brende

include champagne and wine in lieu of beer.  Or, maybe more money is attached to the bottles! However you spin it, this activity is a hit and it will live on for generations to come in the Brende family.

And poor Easter bunny, he always seems to end up in the pool! LOL. Nonetheless he always manages pick himself up and stop by the house for the festivities year after year.

A very dapper Jan-Oliver Schmidt
A very dapper Jan-Oliver Schmidt

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Trende Brende scores big!
Trende Brende scores big!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Floating Easter Bunny
Floating Easter Bunny

Put your pedal to the metal at Hermann Park!

Hermann Park pedal boats!
Hermann Park pedal boats!

Fall is the best time of year in Houston.  In order to maximize this great weather here is something fun to add to your outdoors activity list!

Hermann Park near the Medical Center is not just known for its green space and choo choo train.  It is neighbor to the Houston Zoo, Japanese Garden, Miller Outdoor Theater, and several area museums.  However, recently I discovered McGovern Lake and their pedal boat rentals.  What fun!  Rentals are $10 per boat for a half an hour. Up to four people per boat, so it’s a great trip for kiddos too.  It’s open from Monday through Sunday from 11am to 4pm.  It is required to wear one of their ultra chic orange life vests.  Make the best of it!  The water appears to be extremely shallow but good viewing for some little fishies and lots of turtles!

Nicole & Jan-Oliver taking it all in!
Nicole & Jan-Oliver taking it all in!

Pedal boat tickets make great gifts for friends and family who love to come to Hermann Park!  Order gift packages online or in the Conservancy Gift Shop.  Hermann Park is located at 6102 Hermann Park Drive in Houston, TX 77030.  Don’t forget to pack some sunscreen!

Trend Alert: Ruggles Black Food Bar spices up Houston!

Ruggles Black food barI love Upper Kirby for its location, it’s shopping, and area eats. Now a new flavor in town to add to the “must dine” list and to spice up Houston!  If you have not experienced Ruggles Black it’s time to make your reservation.  Restraunteur Neera Patidar (former owner of NOSH) has teamed up with Chef/ Co-Owner Bruce Molzan to create a restaurant bar only the two of them could pull off with flying colors!  Consider cuisine influenced by India/China/France/America all compiled into one!  The menu items appeal to all palettes and the dishes will WOW you with every bite!  Caution, you may drool!

Ruggles picstitchRecently my friend Lori and I dined here for dinner. We had a reservation; we were greeted with a smile, and seated immediately.  Although just the two of us we ordered enough food for a group of four!  It was really hard to resist the choices.  Just to give you an idea, menu items include:  angry shrimp, curry mussels, crab tower, pork belly beet salad, Paleo veggie tacos, pistachio encrusted snapper, crunchy kale salad, Tandoori chicken flatbread and lamb flatbread. Plenty of sweets too but we did not make it that far!  My favorite dishes were the angry shrimp and curry mussels.  Take a look at the size of the mussels too!  Size does matter in my book (we’re talking mussels here) and I always ask my waiter to bring out a sample before I order them. (There is a particular popular restaurant in mind which always disappoints, but I will not throw them under the bus….today!).

Chef/Co-Owner Bruce Molzan
Chef/Co-Owner Bruce Molzan

Now let’s talk ambiance.  This is a wonderful date place!  The setting is small and quaint offering a more intimate dining experience.  I prefer to sit in a booth next to the window, if I do get to choose my spot.  There is outdoor patio space as well.  The bar area is a bit crowded but once you have some good wine and apps, who cares!  The space offers a modern casual and earthy feel.  I don’t feel like I am in Houston, except for the fact I may know some of my fellow diners that evening!

In all, I have put this place in the Top 5 of my restaurant list.  It’s trendy décor, intimate crowd, great service, and most importantly the food and wine; it hits all of my sweet spots!  I will be back again, again, and again.

Nicole Brende, Neera Patidar, Lori Lemon Geshay
Nicole Brende, Neera Patidar, Lori Lemon Geshay

Ruggles Black is located at 3963 Kirby Drive.  They are open for lunch and dinner.  A reservation is recommended but not required.  Check out their website at www.rugglesblack.com .  While you are there, say hello to Neera and let her know “Trende Brende” sent you! She is not hard to miss in her oh-so-fashinably-fabulous ensembles!

 

The Women’s Home YP Happy Hour at Fish & The Knife

Joanna Podsiadlik, Nicole Brende, Laura Cernock, Lori Freese
Joanna Podsiadlik, Nicole Brende, Laura Cernock, Lori Freese

I love to party with a purpose but in this town I could run out of money to donate with so many events!  A charity I have chosen to invest my efforts in is The Women’s Home here in Houston.(www.thewomenshome.org).  I love their organization, the people they support, and they always know how to put on wonderful themed events.  Yesterday I attended their young professionals happy hour showcasing the grand opening of one of Houston’s hottest sushi spots Fish & The Knife.  I knew it was going to be a great night to see cars lined up in valet, people walking the red carpet in their finest fare, being greeted with passed appetizers and cocktails.  This 13,000 square foot space is sprawling, featuring multiple distinct areas to drink, dine, and to lounge.  It is upscale and the design is brilliant with its textures and treatments. Word on the street it cost between $6-8 million to complete this project.

twh-foodonspoonsI will have to make a second trip back to truly indulge into the cuisine.  They say this place is contemporary serving up a combination of New American, sushi, cocktails galore and in a super spacious setting.  The menu is the work of executive chef Bob Iacovone, who works with executive sushi chef David Kim.

On the menu:  chicken and andouille pot pie, Louisiana barbecue shrimp, speckled trout with crabmeat, cream cheese-stuffed crab cakes with pickled tomato green salad,  miso-marinated black cod with cauliflower purée, grilled kobe flank steak with tempura vegetables, grilled lamb T-bone with roasted vegetables and potato hash,  sweet soy-glazed beef short rib with wasabi cream and sugar cane smoked duck breast with duck confit spring roll served with spaghetti squash with a honey mustard glaze.

twh-sushiwaitressBeautiful sushi choices include yellowtail with jalapeño salsa and citrus sauce; albacore tuna carpaccio with garlic chips and ponzu; Japanese snapper with yuzu truffle vinaigrette; and seared tuna sashimi with chili sauce and masago. The Westheimer Roll features shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, masago and tempura flakes; the Houston Roll is made with snow crab, avocado, spicy salmon and mango. There are even nods to Iacovone’s Crescent City in the Jazz Roll (spicy tuna, avocado, eel and wasabi tobiko) and the New Orleans Roll (crawfish, avocado, snow crab, spicy tuna and wasabi tobiko).

Ok I am now hungry just writing this article!  Fish & the Knife is located in the greater Galleria area at 7801 Westheimer, 713-677-0220.  Maybe I will see you there? (Photos provided by the amazing and oh-so talented Quy Tran).

Nicole Brende, Lissa Goldsmith, Joanna Podsiadlik
Nicole Brende, Lissa Goldsmith, Joanna Podsiadlik

 

 

 

Nicole Brende & Chau Nguyen
Nicole Brende & Chau Nguyen
"Trende Brende" & the "High Tech Texan"
“Trende Brende” & the “High Tech Texan”

 

 

 

 

 

The Estate Life in Houston

1 E. Rivercrest Drive
1 E. Rivercrest Drive

I just acquired my dream listing in my dream neighborhood.  Let me introduce you to a little piece of heaven called Rivercrest Estates.  At any time imagine seeing peacocks, rabbits, horses, and other creatures.  In the massive pines, live oak trees, and vast lawns, this neighborhood offers the country life with the city amenities.  By neighborhood code all properties must be at least 3 acres and with at least a 100 ft set back from the street. Here is your exclusive video tour of this luxurious estate: http://youtu.be/v2kkjQ1QW8I

DCIM101GOPRO“Rivercrest Addition” was created in 1946, far from the hustle and bustle of the city. This neighborhood originally totaled 367 acres with 95 estates. In the early 1950’s Rivercrest became part of the City of Houston and in the late 1950’s part of H.I.S.D. The first property owners in Rivercrest wanted to be able to keep horses, which allowed them to saddle up their horses, hitch up their buggies and maintain the simpler things in life. The street began as a quiet horseshoe shape with a tail called Crestbend, which follows the curve of Buffalo Bayou. As development progressed west, Briar Forest was cut through, in 1988. For a quaint neighborhood full of lush landscape just imagine it is minutes from The Galleria and City Centre!

1 E Rivercrest E 1 plN1There is a vast variety of homes situated here today from Ranch style to Mediterranean, Traditional, and French.  My new listing seen here is 1 E. Rivercrest.  This home was designed by famed architect Robert Dame Designs.  This 7500 square foot beauty offers immaculate detail throughout, dome ceiling, winding statement staircase, formal study, media room, game room, and plenty of entertainment space with its summer kitchen and butler’s pantry.   For complete details on this $5.7 million listing view my other website at www.NicoleBrende.com .

1 E Rivercrest E 1 drvN1E Rivercrest nicole and peacock

Sunshine, Shades, Selfies and a Tennis Tourney!

Laura, Lori Lemon Geshay, Nicole Brende, Lori Freese
Laura, Lori Lemon Geshay, Nicole Brende, Lori Freese

Sunshine, shades, selfies, and a tennis tourney!  For the past two days I had the pleasure to attend the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship at the River Oaks Country Club here in Houston.  Admittedly, I did not see much tennis as I was socializing amongst the fabulous patrons.

Ladies were all dolled up in their dresses, big hats, and spring colors.  The Gents looked ever so handsome in their suits and boasting their summer hues too.   All day and to the night there was plenty of activity.  From fashion shows, luncheons, live bands, to tented areas catered by Beck’s Prime and cocktails galore, photo booths, and outdoor TVs, it was quite the set up!

Enjoy schmoozing? This is the perfect event to take a client by the way.  It’s on my list every year! Oh, and no worries if you parked a mile away from the club. PediCabs or bike taxis are at your service, and so much fun too!

Nicole Brende & Kara Schwartz
Nicole Brende & Kara Schwartz
Laura Cernock, Lori Lemon Geshay, Nicole Brende
Laura Cernock, Lori Lemon Geshay, Nicole Brende

tennis tourney board

Lemon & Trende pedicab selfie!
Lemon & Trende pedicab selfie!
Bryan/Bryan vs. Guccione/Hewitt photo by Lori Lemon Geshay
Bryan/Bryan vs. Guccione/Hewitt
photo by Lori Lemon Geshay