Best Dressed luncheon to feature Jason Wu designs

The Houston Chronicle Best Dressed Luncheon and Neiman Marcus Fashion Presentation benefiting March of Dimes is always a hot ticket on spring's social calendar.

The event honors 10 stylish women for their philanthropic endeavors each year, and also spotlights a high-profile fashion designer who jets in for the occasion to showcase the latest collection before a well-heeled Houston crowd. Past featured designers have included such luminaries as Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera.

The 2015 event has the trappings to be extra special: Jason Wu will be on-hand to present his fall/winter collection on the catwalk at the Hilton-Americas hotel in March.

The buzzed-about Taiwanese-Canadian New York-based designer, 32, is best known as being a personal favorite of Michelle Obama, who wore his gowns to presidential inauguration balls in 2009 and 2013.

"I am so excited," said 2015 Best Dressed luncheon chair Rosemary Schatzman of Wu's first major appearance in Houston. "I love his designs, which are elegant with unique design elements - with amazing attention to detail both inside and outside of each garment - that appeal to a variety of different women."

Schatzman, a fundraising dynamo who has volunteered with the March of Dimes for more than 17 years, already is knee-deep into planning the event. She's enlisted her friends Phyllis Williams and Vanessa Sendukas, both past Best Dressed honorees, to chair the limited-ticket raffle. Tickets are already on sale now, with prizes including primo sports and airline tickets, Neimans shopping sprees and other goodies.

The Houston Chronicle Best Dressed Luncheon and Neiman Marcus Fashion Presentation, which has raised more than $7 million for March of Dimes during its 32-year tenure, is March 26, 2015, at the downtown Hilton-Americas, a new venue for the event.

The Chronicle will announce the 10 Best Dressed honorees during an announcement party at Neiman Marcus in January.

For tickets to the luncheon or to buy raffle tickets, call Amanda Hance at 713-964-5421 or email ahance@marchofdimes.com.

"The most important part of the luncheon for me is that the funds raised support the March of Dimes, and help fund research to prevent birth defects and infant prematurity," Schatzman says.