Fashion, philanthropy, friends and plenty of fabulous style……the Best Dressed Luncheon has a way of bringing all of my favorite things together in one afternoon! This year was especially memorable, with the 44th annual luncheon benefiting March of Dimes taking place September 15 at The Post Oak Hotel. More than 800 guests filled the room, and an incredible $1.4 million was raised for the health of moms and babies.
This year’s luncheon chair was the amazing Rosemary Schatzman, who has given nearly 30 years to March of Dimes. Rosemary has chaired the luncheon three times, is a member of the Houston Best Dressed Hall of Fame and is the number-one March for Babies family team fundraiser in the country… now that is commitment! She was joined by raffle chair Rachel Regan and her committee, who had quite a bit to celebrate themselves. This year’s raffle raised more than any previous raffle in the 44-year history of the luncheon.
The ten 2026 honorees were Ann Ayre, Amanda Boffone, Erica Littlejohn Burnette, Gillian Sarofim, Myrtle Jones, Ellecia Knolle, Amy Pierce, Susan Plank, Leigh Smith and Allison Thacker. It is always such fun to see the most worthy philanthropic women of our city and the great style that they bring with them. Always a treat to see what everyone is wearing! Neiman Marcus presented the fashion show, which was a wonderful part of the afternoon, with plenty of beautiful fashion on the runway and, naturally, plenty more around the room.
FOR ROSEMARY: And then came a moment that brought everything back to the reason we were all there. Rosemary Schatzman shared the story of her niece and namesake,Rosemary Elise Eldridge, who tragically passed away just six days after giving birth last summer following a cardiac event. Her family was in attendance, making Rosemary’s words especially touching and bringing a very personal meaning to the work of March of Dimes. Rosemary Schatzman not only is a devoted supporter of MOD, a Best Dress Hall of Famer but holds the special distinction of being the only three-time Best Dressed Chairperson!
There was also an opportunity to hear from the team at Children’s Memorial Hermann and meet some of the people doing such important work every day. A Life Flight pilot, neonatologists, a neonatal care nurse and Annie, their adorable care dog, were all part of the afternoon. Honoring its Foundation Chair, Anne Neeson, was a lovely way to put some very real faces to the work being supported by the luncheon.
Of course, a gathering like this is also about celebrating Houston’s philanthropic community, catching up with friends and enjoying a little fashion along the way. There was certainly plenty of that, from the runway to the room, and it was wonderful to see so many familiar faces gathered for such an important cause.
Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees, and a very big thank you to everyone who helped make the 2026 Houston Best Dressed Luncheon such a success. It was a wonderful day, and knowing that $1.4 million was raised for March of Dimes makes it even more special.
Photos courtesy of Priscilla Dickson
