A Magical Afternoon
Lying just beyond the manor gates, the Velveteen Forest lures the curious to explore its woodland enchantments.
With props being built (yes, I built a fireplace y’all!) and deliveries of various décor to San Francisco’s Neiman Marcus, the store was all a buzz of what over-the-top soiree I was planning next and as hints began to unfold, it quickly became the talk of the town and grew to a much-anticipated afternoon. And for those guests who attended the first Velveteen Forest luncheon the year before, their excitement for the afternoon and finding the perfect outlet soon became a sport, but more of that later, and let me take you back to the very beginning!
It was Monday, the day after my Southern-themed ‘Yellow Social’ Sunday brunch last May. I was sitting at my usual table (aka, the office, lol) at Neiman Marcus’ iconic Rotunda restaurant in San Francisco typing away on my laptop over a hot bowl of lobster bisque working on the press release and recap of Sunday’s event when suddenly, San Francisco’s former mayor Willie Brown Jr., dapperly dressed, with a determined expression in his eyes, his mouth grinning from ear to ear came rushing in a beeline towards me. “What a party, the décor, the food, everything! That was your best one yet!”, WB proclaimed. “Even better than Elysian Dream?”, I reiterated. ‘Elysian Dream’ was my birthday party last March where we transformed Neiman Marcus’ posh penthouse (on 5) into an over-the-top ancient Grecian fantasy). Not listening to a single word I said, he continues… “wow, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it and I think you should make it an annual thing. Hailing from Mineola, Texas, I knew the Southern cuisine and aesthetic would resonate that genteel nostalgia of the South in him – though a proud Californian, his heartstrings are still woven into the Southern tapestry. He goes on to say, “it should be the official event that inaugurates all summer parties! And then you should kick off the Thanksgiving and holiday season with that one with all the owls and branches!”. “Do you mean Velveteen Forest, with the little woodland creatures?”, I asked. “Yes, that one!”. He was very convincing in pleading his case, but honestly, WB was on to something! [chuckles]
Later that afternoon when I got home, Ed asked how my day was and who I saw, etc., and I mention that I had a lovely visit with Mayor Brown and I conveyed his brilliant suggestion, Ed’s eyes lit up and he excitingly agreed with Willie and said, “I was thinking the same thing!” So, the thought was born, and in between hosting the rest of our summer soirees, the planning of the 2nd annual Velveteen Forest lunching started.
To bring the second annual Velveteen Forest into fruition I knew I had to think big from the start, and that meant topping the previous year with creating grand visual statements. The vibe: an elegantly well-kept English manor and its woodsy estate grounds, full of vivid autumnal colors. The goal was simple, to immerse guests through enchanted English autumn woodlands and into a stately dining room of the manor house.
Guests made their way through a 9-foot-tall iron estate gate adorned with perched forest quail and in garlands of fall leaves with a metal sign I had made in Bulgaria by Fran Johnson House that read “Velveteen Forest” in gold over the gate’s capital to welcome curious wanderers into the forest and for memorable photo-ops to mark the occasion.
As the chic partygoers arrived, they did not disappoint with taking to the theme in their stunning ensembles. Amongst the glamourous, were Tracy Chen in Christian Dior, a heather grey tea dress accented with a black leather saddle style belt and opera gloves and her husband Tom Schoenherr in head-to-toe Hermès, Sonya Molodetskaya in a floral sequins dress, proving glitter means glamour, and her partner Willie Brown impeccably dressed in his favorite Isaia. With an eye for detail, couture designer Vasily Vein designed a pair of English wool trousers for the host, moi, pairing it with a blushed beige silk Valentino shirt and matching shoes.
Guests were greeted to French champagne, refreshing cranberry Grande Marnier highballs and specially curated cozy maple spiced bourbon old-fashioned cocktails and continued on with an hour-long cocktail reception, enjoying the fête and snapping more photos while sitting on chic iron fleurs de lis arbor benches dressed in comfy burnt sienna cushions, weeping willow branches and fall leaves to compliment the iron gate.
As lunch was announced and guests made their way to their seats, they were warmed and enchanted by the walls draped in lush burnt sienna orange velvet and a working white & gold gilded beaux-arts style fireplace with built-in bookcases planking the hearth, displaying book collections of literary works by Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald, H. G. Wells, and the Bronté sisters to name a few and a stunning arrangement of flowers and fruit by the talented farmer and florist Bonnie Lummis (who also created the exquisite table centerpieces and flowers throughout the luncheon), ornate 27-inch white porcelain urns and garland decorated the top of the fireplace’s mantlepiece, towering 10-foot Japanese maple trees canopied the room.
Elegant moss green & white pheasant patterned linen from the U.K.’s fabulous MrsAlice.com draped the 24-foot table. The tablescape’s hôtel silver service ware, gravy boats, and silver candelabras, decorative urns, whimsical owls, pheasants, rabbits, and squirrels, and charming velvet mushrooms (another MrsAlice.com find) added whimsy to the elegant setting.
Keeping with the opulent afternoon, guests dined on herb roasted turkey with pan gravy, my Grande Marnier cranberry relish, spiral-cut Honey Baked ham with assorted mustards, cornbread & spicey sausage stuffing, truffled vegetable medley (haricot vert, brussel sprouts, artichoke, asparagus, and julienned red peppers), candied yams (toasted meringue, brown sugar and pecans), and whipped potatoes with chives.
Guests further indulged their appetites with a selection of sweets from the two dessert carts offering apple, pumpkin, mixed berry, and pecan pies, chocolate, carrot, and lemon passionfruit cakes and cranberry-apple frangipane tarts from San Francisco’s iconic Noe Valley Bakery, who also made the scrumptious challah dinner rolls that were served with cranberry butter, a take on Neiman Marcus’ strawberry butter.
The afternoon’s attendees included hosts Aubrey Brewster and Dr. Edward Winger, former San Francisco mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. and partner socialite and fashion icon Sonya Molodetskaya, David Shimmon and wife socialite Mary Beth Shimmon, Nob Hill Gazette associate publisher Jill Pietrowiak, Neiman Marcus vice president/General Market Manager Lin Huber, couture/fashion designer Vasily Vein and husband Alex Axel-Vein, KTVU/Fox2 anchor Betty Yu, Heide Betz, Gary Love, ABC7 anchor (retired) Carolyn Tyler, real estate mogul Victor Makras, socialite Clara Shayevich, Bacca DaSilva, Tom Schoenherr and wife socialite Tracy Chen, founder Look model agency Marie Christine Kollock, luxury realtor Joel Goodrich, Navid Armstrong, Liz Curtis, David Millstein and his wife Andrea “Ondee” Millstein, NM Rotunda restaurant GM Katrina Parlato, Annemarie Conroy, and Teresa Rodriguez.