Malibu-based milliner Teressa Foglia unveiled plans to open a new shop in Houston’s River Oaks District during an invitation only Big Hat Magic Dinner Experience at Rancho Pillow in Round Top during the Fall Antiques Show. The eponymous store will be Foglia’s seventh location nationwide and the first in Texas.

The evening at Rancho Pillow began with a pair of refreshing “Kintails” – non-alcoholic cocktails made with Kin Euphorics elixirs – and custom chapeaux shopping at Rancho’s newly installed Mercado. Invitees nibbled on potato chips topped with crème fraîche and caviar, and crackers piled with pimento cheese and pickled okra during the Kintail Sunset Hour while socializing and perusing the selection of toppers and accoutrements. Foglia’s business partner — her creative director and boyfriend Ty Hays — was on hand to shape and embellish hats.

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Starting off with a kick: a spicy adaptogenic mocktail made with Kin Euphorics was offered to guests at the Big Hat Magic Dinner Experience.

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Charcuterie board prepared by Tate Farms.

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Vegan feast board presented by Tate Farms.

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A block of unpasteurized honey harvested from Tate Farms is presented to Foglia and guests.

Foglia and Hays later toasted the news of the new Houston store opening with coupes of rosè champagne following a spectacular (mostly) vegan meal created with a fall harvest brought in by family-owned Tate Farms out of Rockwall. Guests feasted on boards piled high with veggies grilled on-site over an open flame, including artichokes, brussels sprouts, peppers, asparagus, sweet potatoes and more – along with generous slabs of the farm’s homemade sweet cornbread.

Foglia’s small cadre of team members and a select group of Houston-based clients were on hand for the announcement, including Dan Zimmerman and Kirstin Seglem of La Colombe d’ Or. The pair have been longtime supporters of Foglia, regularly hosting custom hat pop-up events in the Garden Bungalows at the recently renovated historic Houston hotel.

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Supporting couples: Dan Zimmerman and Kirsten Seglem pose with Ellen and Paula Parker-Krantz inside the Mercado.

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Teressa Foglia loves on clients Kimberly and Madeline Overby, bookended by team Foglia’s Emma Weeden.

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Rodney and Shonte Cooley of Urban Habitat. Foglia sources much of the decor for her stores from these veteran Marburger Farm dealers out of Beaumont.

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Elexa Ruth and Kerry Cole made it just in time to do some hat shopping inside Rancho’s new Mercado.

“People are loyal to their hat makers like they are to their hairdressers, and we have so many loyal supporters in Houston,” Foglia says, noting that the close proximity to Round Top was another factor in the decision to set up shop in H-Town.

“I feel as though Houston never gets anything first, so we’re excited to be opening our first Texas location in the city that has given us so much,” she says. “We’re always sending some of our favorite designs to Houston so we’re happy to be here designing on site as well.”

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Ty Hays shapes hats for clients inside the Mercado at Rancho Pillow.

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Savannah Hall of Teressa Foglia assisted guests with fittings inside the Mercado.

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The newly built Mercado at Rancho Pillow.