full circle: Charlotte Moss Entertains

Last May I was beautifully entertained in New York to celebrate How They Decorated!
Madeline Weinrib held a wonderful book signing for me in her atelier, and Charlotte Moss had a supper buffet at her townhouse.
I was able to share the evening with great friends, colleagues, my brother, and my niece.

Charlotte's new book Charlotte Moss Entertains is just out and as I said to her—I think it's her best yet. Her entertaining style appears effortless—meaning it requires planning. Each and every party or event she shares in the book is unique, yet singularly Charlotte Moss.

The elegant buffet she had for me is included in the book and I will treasure that evening all the more by having it to revisit every time I pick up Charlotte Moss Entertains.

THE TABLE

THE MENU

Another fantastic party included in the book is Charlotte's Caftan Caucus. Nothing is more comfortable than a caftan—I live in them in the summer. Charlotte's inspiration for the weekend was sparked by a friend at one of Charlotte's 'girls weekend' at her house in East Hampton, hence—forever afterward the Caftan Caucus. These are some of my favorite parties in the entire book.

A CAFTAN CAUCUS

THE CAFTANED HOSTESS

Charlotte devotes one chapter to "Entertaining Ladies." Amongst others, Charlotte profiles the entertaining characters of Pauline de Rothschild, Lesley Blanch, and Bunny Mellon, all women I profile in my book, a book Charlotte wrote the foreword to. In addition to these ladies, Marjorie Merriweather Post is profiled. This spring Charlotte and I have participated in the Artistic Table at Mrs. Post's Hillwood. It's a heavenly place, and the Exhibition continues through May into early June. I am speaking at the museum on May 18th and the topic is none other than—the women of How They Decorated and their tables, the flowers they favored—all about how they entertained. Timely I think.

Another woman Charlotte takes a look at is Elsa Maxwell who said "Etiquette—a fancy word for simple kindness."

In the whirlwind world of decorating, social media, and the constant needs a multifaceted business requires, there is no other person I can name as kind, generous, and inspiring as Charlotte. Like entertaining, it's effortless with Charlotte—

Elsie de Wolfe, in the book as well, said: "be pretty if you can, be witty if you must, but be gracious if it kills you."
 Charlotte Moss Entertains—is all that, pretty, witty, and gracious.

The book is available on Charlotte's website here.