At Fox Hall as the sun was setting and the candles added their magic touch!
Ala von Auersperg and Dining Al Fresco!
Have you ever wondered what to wear to a particular function, then get there and wish you had worn something else? How comforting it is to discover a clothing line that can be worn to a multitude of functions!
How lovely it was to be invited to wear one of Ala von Auersperg’s colorful creations and be part of her “At Home with the Women of AvA,” which was an article celebrating entertaining al fresco! Ala paints her own designs, which are then magically transformed into flowing fabrics that adorn her fashionable clothing line. Her goal is to create clothes that are “effortless, yet elegant and versatile, and can be glamorous, no matter the size or the age of the lady wearing them!” That solves the question of what to wear!
I chose the Mary Short Kaftan in the print Jaipur to wear to a summer dinner party on our verandah at Fox Hall. It had just the right amount of hot pink accents and movement in the sleeves that reminded me of a summer breeze... or a very large butterfly!
My new Ala von Auersperg dress was a joy to wear for our al fresco dining!
Here are my answers to the questions posed to me for the AvA article about dining al fresco:
Favorite things about dining al fresco?
Dining al fresco adds such a charming dimension that only nature can provide one’s senses: sight, sound, and the lovely fragrance of the garden!
Something you like to do to create ambiance?
My husband and I enhance nature’s gifts at Fox Hall (c.1803) with the sound of two fountains: one on the brick terrace and one as the focal point at the opposite end of the yard from the verandah. That is our form of music! The experience of dining outside is made so much lovelier with the sound of the water, serving as a quietly elegant backdrop, along with the sun setting, and later, the stars sparkling above.
Favorite location for entertaining al fresco?
My family used to have drinks on the verandah, and then dinner down below on the brick terrace next to the historic “Alexandre” marble fountain. But, since our family has grown in size, we now have a table on the verandah which seats ten. This is where we serve dinner most often. There is something quite beautiful, and almost transportive experience when surrounded by 40’ white columns. My heart is filled with gratitude for the honor of being the stewards of this historic house. I wish I had a crystal ball so that I could see the other dinners that were enjoyed on the same verandah on warm summer evenings over the past two hundred and twenty years!
Colors that you always gravitate towards for a Summer table?
I adore wearing my signature color pink, which also translates to implementing a pink and green color scheme when I set an outdoor table! My darling husband, Stuart, has designed our gardens and urns to feature pink and white flowers so that cutting them for the arrangements on the table is a snap. Miraculously, the flowers always seem to match my table design!
A drink you like to have before entertaining? A drink you love to serve?
Stuart and I enjoy wine! We love to start a celebratory evening with champagne. My favorite is Cristal Cuvee by Louis Roederer. For casual evenings, a chilled bottle of Rombauer Chardonnay to start, and on to a red French Bordeaux wine which my husband chooses to complement the dinner.
Signature style to your table settings?
For ambiance, one can never have too many white votive candles, which I place in cut crystal glasses for sparkle, along with my Mummy’s tall, silver candlesticks that are crowned with glass hurricanes. This helps the candle from being blown out by soft summer breezes.
One topic that I have discussed before, in a previous MMM newsletter, is the elegant use and placement of linen napkins. I adore large, well-starched dinner-sized, monogrammed napkins… many of which I inherited from Mummy.
I also enjoy shopping around the house for various decorative porcelain pieces to either complement the guest of honor, or the flowers that grace the table. From pairs of Herend bunnies to antique Foo dogs, Meissen parakeets, silver foxes, or a medley of Limoges boxes, I savor the creative aspect of designing a table that is uniquely clever. I have even used Beatrix Potter figurines at every place setting, each one representing the personality of a guest. I asked the guests to figure out who they were and to choose their own figurine. Voila, that is where they were seated! It always makes for some lively conversation to commence the party!
A question that I ask myself the day of the event: Is it worth the extra work?
I do have to admit that dining outside is more work than hosting a dinner party inside... that is for sure! From setting up a table in the atmospheric venue of choice to bringing all the table-setting accouterments outside, transporting the food to the setting, dealing with weather elements, attempting to have a bug free dining experience, and choosing the right candle holders so that the flames will not blow out… all of which begs the question, is it worth the extra work? Inevitably, while I am dining al fresco, engaged in jolly laughter, seeing the happy candlelit faces around the table with the stars sparkling above, and savoring the sound of wine being poured, my answer is yes indeed, it is worth the extra effort to entertain outside!
I love to create a table and an evening that sings to everyone the joy that I feel in their company. Friends are gifts that we give ourselves. Now, during Covid quarantine times, this rings even more true and sweeter than ever!
P.S. Would you be so kind as to share this newsletter with a friend or two, and encourage them to sign up? If you are inspired to read my new book, Pearls of Palm Beach, it is available on Amazon. There are also signed copies at Scully & Scully in NYC.
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