Among Houston's social set, Beth Muecke is known for a distinctive look that always draws a reaction — onlookers either love it or hate it. "People have described my style as 'fashion-forward rocker chic meets ballerina,' " she notes.

That combo was evident at the recent Summer Suit Soiree at Festari for Men, where Muecke, just back from Los Angeles, picked a colorful skull-motif dress from Cosmo and Nathalia Glam Squad, the funky boutique located on Melrose Avenue in a four-block area filled with shops that she regularly visits on trips to the West Coast.

"They design all their own clothes and have many celebrity patrons. The store is rocker glam," she says.

Muecke accented the dress with necklaces from Manic Panic Style Asylum, another Melrose Avenue boutique, and studded shoes from Banana Republic, which she wore with bobby socks.

"I decided to wear the outfit because I had just returned from an extended stay in LA (my children live there) and wanted to wear something I had just purchase there. Also, any Festari party warrants something super fun to wear," she says.

Muecke currently documents her fashion exploits on her blog, BethieLife.com.

— CLIFFORD PUGH