Happy Haute New Year

Luxury yachts make waves in St. Barts as Texas high rollers like Jerry Jonesring in the New Year

Business mogul Ron Perelman's super yacht C2 is among the 200-foot and largerbeauties anchoring at St. Barts.
Photo by Shelby Hodge
Gustavia Harbor, St. Barts, is where you'll find a cast of super stars andsuper-yachts for New Year's.
Wikipedia
Sight-seeing along the Gustavia harbor is a rich diversion.
Photo by Shelby Hodge
The 190-foot Lady Sheridan is among the super-yachts anchored at St. Barts forthe holidays.
Northrop & Johnson
The super yachts lined up like lavish ducks in a row in the harbor at Gustavia,St. Barts' capital.
Photo by Shelby Hodge
Roman Abramovich's 538-foot Eclipse, currently anchored at St. Barts, isconsidered the largest private yacht in the world.
Photo by DCwom/Wikipedia
Hundreds of sailboats pack the St. Barts waters during the holidays.
Photo by Shelby Hodge
Gustavia is the social center of St. Barts winter fun.
Photo by Shelby Hodge
Paul Allen's 271-foot Tatoosh is another of the super-yachts decorating St.Barts waters.
Photo by Oxam Hartog/Wikipedia

The countdown to 2013 began in St. Barts several days ago, when the gilded swans of the sea began gliding in, anchoring in the azure waters of Gustavia Bay.

On the eve of New Year's Eve, the local yacht registry recorded 130 vessels, 17 of those in the super-yacht category (measuring 200 feet or more in length). And a handful of Texans were floating along with the best of them.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones anchored in aboard the 290-foot Nirvana (for sale for $300 million and change), his arrival later than most due to the Sunday night Cowboys game against the Redskins. The tariff for a week on that floating behemoth will set you back a cool 1 million euro.

Jerry Jones anchored in aboard the 290-foot Nirvana (for sale for $300 million and change), his arrival later than most due to the Sunday night Cowboys game against the Redskins.

Anchored in the midst of this luxury flotilla was the Lady Sheridan, the swank, 190-foot yacht belonging to Sheridan and John Eddie Williams, Texas tobacco attorney. Plains Exploration CEO Jim Flores, wife Cherie and their children spent the holiday aboard one of the sleek charters, while Dallas automobile mogul Ken Schnitzer, his family and a few Texas friends sailed in on another.

The show dog in this exclusive fraternity of the super rich was Eclipse, the 538-foot monster owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. The world's largest private yacht and its owner were the focus of the paparazzi who invaded for the holidays, hoping to capture his image as well as that of other stars that dropped in for his legendary New Year's Eve bash.

In recent years, Abramovich has brought in entertainment, including Beyoncé and Jay Z, Gwen Stefani, Kanye West and the Black Eyed Peas. This year, the Kings of Leon were in St. Barts to headline the energy czar's party, considered the hottest New Year's Eve ticket on the planet. Only 400 of the super celebs, trust fund babies and business moguls anchoring across St. Barts were invited, and security was tight, tight, tight.

Nothing was too extravagant for this crowd. One yacht owner had the chef from Nirvana bring in fresh truffles from Europe. On the Maltese Falcon, a 289-foot sailing yacht, a lower sail was raised Sunday night for a giant-sized airing of the Cowboys game, giving the appearance of a drive-in movie.

While their captains kept a lid on who chartered which boat, you can bet that there were superstars bunking in the super-yachts. Among the 17 biggies at anchor were Tatoosh, Microsoft mogul Paul Allen's 271-foot playpen; the 313-foot Limitless, owned by The Limited founder Leslie Wexler; and business magnate Ron Perelman's 261-foot C2.

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La Dolce Vita

Italian glamour steals the show at DSO League LimonCello Luncheon

Photo by Thomas Garza and Rob Wythe

Amy Green, Anne Seanor, Claire Catrino, Mackenzie Brittingham, Meredith Connally, Elizabeth St. Marie

WHAT: 2026 Dallas Symphony Orchestra League Fashion Notes LimonCello Luncheon and Fashion Show

WHERE: Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center

THE 411: The Dallas Symphony Orchestra League celebrated its 80th anniversary in vibrant, Italian-inspired style at the 2026 Fashion Notes LimonCello luncheon and fashion show. More than 500 Dallas philanthropists and arts supporters gathered for the chic spring fête benefiting the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s youth education and outreach initiatives.

Chaired by Meredith Allen Connally, Amy Green, and Elizabeth St. Marie, with honorary chairs Anne and Bill Seanor and DSOL president Claire Catrino, the elegant afternoon spotlighted Dallas designer Mackenzie Brittingham as the 2026 Fashion Design Award honoree. Brittingham presented a dazzling couture runway collection inspired by the Amalfi Coast and Tuscan landscapes, featuring flowing beaded gowns, structured silhouettes, luxurious furs, and exotic handbags in shades of citrus yellow, ivory, and Mediterranean blue.

The Meyerson was transformed into a glamorous Italian escape for the afternoon. Valet sponsor Avondale Dealerships parked a flower-filled yellow luxury vehicle at the entrance, while inside, patrons sipped Limoncello and Aperol spritzes, posed for photos against blue-and-yellow tiled backdrops, browsed raffle prizes, and sampled crème brûlée cheesecake espresso martinis and ladyfingers while being serenaded by Dallas Symphony Young Strings cellists Vincent Ramirez Boyce and Carlos Vargas.

The show-stopping runway entrance featured towering arches overflowing with lemons, greenery, and yellow florals, setting the stage for a high-style presentation emceed by Calvert Collins-Bratton. Models included notable Dallas women and their families, among them Claire Catrino with daughters Grace and Katherine, Faith Baldwin and daughter Blake, Meredith Connally and son Allen, Elizabeth St. Marie with children Charlotte and William, Gloria Steves, and honorary chair Anne Seanor.

During remarks, Catrino explained that the clever “LimonCello” theme honored both Italy’s dolce vita spirit and the cello students of the DSO’s Young Strings program. Michelle Miller Burns, Ross Perot President & CEO of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, praised the league’s decades-long commitment to strengthening music education and community engagement throughout North Texas.

Following the runway presentation, patrons enjoyed an Italian-inspired luncheon featuring Caprese salad, lemon garlic chicken penne pasta, and a trio of desserts including lemon meringue, lemon posset, and tiramisu. Tables were dressed in cheerful lemon-patterned linens, pressed glassware, and bright yellow tulips and hydrangeas that carried the Amalfi Coast theme throughout the room.

Proceeds from Fashion Notes benefit the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s education and outreach initiatives, including the Cecil and Ida Green Youth Concert Series, DSO Cares, Young Strings, Kim Noltemy Young Musicians, and Bach’s Lunch. Over the past four decades, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra League has raised more than $25 million in support of the orchestra and its community programs.

WHO: Maggie Kipp, Fallon Hennessy, Lindsay Hall, Sarah Bowlby, Allison Brodnax, Katherine Smethie, Nikki Beneke, Joanie Stephens, Shyler Landry, Shane Peters, Sherwood Wagner, Marena Gault, Donna Arp Weitzman, Sarah Hendrix, Natalie Davenport, Laura Black, Sheridan Reeder, Lea Wernick, Natalie LaDrier, Emma Boulle, Denis Boulle, Karen Boulle, Denton Bricker, Colby Baer, Gloria Gault Steves, and hundreds more.

Photo by Thomas Garza and Rob Wythe

Amy Green, Anne Seanor, Claire Catrino, Mackenzie Brittingham, Meredith Connally, Elizabeth St. Marie

dallas philanthropists dallas symphony orchestra dallas symphony orchestra league dso league fashion notes limoncello luncheons