Fashion designer and author Lela Rose, who brought her Lela Rose Ranch collection of ready-to-wear clothing and hosted a book signing at The Halles, was a special dinner guest.
The Designer Dinner put on by A Fare Extraordinaire at The Halles during the Fall 2023 Round Top Antiques + Design Show was sell-out, luring design enthusiasts from all over town to end the day with a seated meal alongside fashion designer, author and special guest Lela Rose.
Dinner guests partake of the grazing table with food items from Phoenicia Speicalty Foods, curated by Libby’s Kitchen and Studio (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Daphane Limoncello Liqueur was used for the special limoncello cocktail at The Halles’ Designer Dinner (photo by Kolton King)
Sea hued lines by A Fare Extraordinare paired with white florals by Maxit Flower Design (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Sea hued linens by A Fare Extraordinare paired with white florals by Maxit Flower Design (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Musician and artist Sarah Johnson provided the vocal talent, dressed in a curation of fashion pieces collected from The Halles’ vendors (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Guests entering the dining pavilion were offered red and white wines provided by Postino, and a choice of two aperitivos in keeping with the Mediterranean-inspired menu including a sweetly sour limoncello spritz spiked with Daphane Limoncello Liqueur, and a classic Aperol spritz.
Appetizers of lamb meatballs, ahi tuna carpaccio, and beer battered cauliflower fritters were offered as accompaniments to the cocktails in addition to a self-service grazing table filled with bite-sized delights including baklava, olives and charcuterie provided by Phoenicia Specialty Foods and installed by Libby’s Kitchen and Studio.
Suzanne Wade of Rank and Sugar, Ashley Botts Willis of A. Botts Willis. (Photo by Jordan Geibel)
Sean Finn, Mary Hoang-Do
Tim Grimes, Linda Plant (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Debbie Porter, Andrea Riebeling (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Bryan Beene, Lauren Wills Grover, John David Robbins (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Coral Toledo, Ana Aiza (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Melanie Nelson, Stephanie Jackson (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Shea Drury, Ben Kastleman, Paloma (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Kristina Rosenwasster, Sommer Bukowski (photo by Jordan Geibel)
John Poteet, Randy Jones (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Ashley Hawkins, Carmon Gordon, Kelli Stanford (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Lauren Courville, Meredith Crotty (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Jennifer Meadors, Ashley Bishop (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Ellecia Knolle (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Kelly Reish, Robin Gosserand (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Misty Smathers, Laura Dell (photo by Jordan Geibel)
Following a lively cocktail hour marked by clinking glasses and excited conversations about the day’s finds, everyone settled at tables draped in deep blue linens inspired by the colors of the Mediterranean sea. The tables topped with all-white centerpieces created by Maxit Flower Design overflowed with fully-bloomed roses, ranunculus, lisianthus and hellebores.
Adding to the romantic ambience, artist and musician Sarah Johnson took to the stage decked out from head-to-toe in fashion finds from The Halles’ vendors to perform a string of her original Americana tunes as dinner service began.
Along with the first course of charred vegetable labneh featuring carrots, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, zucchini, savory granola and sauce vert, dinner attendees found a special take-home gift at each place setting; a sample-sized bottle of Old Country Olive Oil bundled with a packet of Zohrab’s Italian Dipping Spice from legendary Houston-based gourmet market Phoenicia Specialty Foods.
The hearty second course of beef kofta kabobs with sides of tabouli, hummus, tzatziki and freshly-baked pita bread was the perfect savory prelude to the dessert course – a lighter than air sweet lemon polenta torte, made with yogurt mascarpone cream, lemon torte, toasted almonds, lemon olive oil, honey syrup and shaved lemon zest.
Belly dancer Laman Hendricks performs at The Halles Designer Dinner (photo by Kolton King)
Winner is presented with a custom Round Top bag by Moreau and PaperCity Round Top staffers Mary Hoang-Do and Catherine Anspon (photo by Kolton King)
This custom Round Top handbag by Moreau Paris was given away to a lucky winner at The Halles Designer Dinner (photo by Becca Wright)
As guests lingered at their tables enjoying glasses of wine and conversation, the winner of a custom Moreau Paris handbag hand painted with a Round Top theme was announced. The handbag giveaway along with a surprise belly dance performance by the stunning Laman Hendricks made for a memorable evening. Experience the Lela Rose Designer Dinner at The Halles for yourself, here (video by Brian Nguyen, EnMotion Films) Be on the lookout for details on the next designer dinner event at The Halles coming spring 2024.
Lela Rose was again in the limelight the following night as a contingent of fashion followers
flocked for wine, cocktails, and insider tales about party planning in the great outdoors accompanied by an illustrated presentation taken from her latest volume, published: Fresh Air Affairs: Entertaining in Style in the Great Outdoors (Rizzoli).
Fresh Air Affairs by Lela Rose (photo by Kolton King)
Lela Rose in Lela Rose Ranch (photo by Kolton King)
Ally Shell van Koolwijk, Donae Chramosta, Hannah Swiggard, Kendra-Smith (photo by Kolton King)
Becky Hollands, Lela Rose, Catherine D. Anspon (photo by Kolton King)
Hannah Swiggard, Donae-Chramosta, Kristen Cannon (photo by Kolton King)
Thy Mitchell, Thuan Nguyen (photo by Kolton King)
Taylor Shaefferm Camie Drinkwater (photo by Kolton King)
MacKenzie Wray, Jennifer Lloyd, Madeleine Morgan (photo by Kolton King)
Kim Cooper, Linda Plant (photo by Kolton King)
Jamie Pellegrin, Monte Brown, Brandi Moore (photo by Kolton King)
Rose delighted the crowd with a lively talk accompanied by images from her enviable creative life, ranging from tossing alfresco fashion shows in the streets of Manhattan to Texas fêtes on her family’s ranch and at their historic Pump House in Dallas (her parents are Dallas art collectors Deedie Rose and the late Rusty Rose).
Rose wrapped with anecdotes about bonfire bashes and sundowner cocktail gatherings set against the majestic Grand Tetons in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where her own family now lives 60 percent of the time. Acolytes then formed a line to meet the designer-author and acquire copies of her handsome volume, already planning their own Round Top revels inspired by Rose’s book.
