A celebration of creativity, fashion & friendship; our Frances Valentine backyard trunk show

How is it already mid-March? With the onset of spring and a few warmer days under our belt, I am quickly reminded about how much I love spending time outside in our yard as the seasons change. While 2020 had us on lockdown , the daily adventures of baking, cocktail-ing, crafts, virtual learning/working, and other small luxuries made the year a practice in patience and constant optimism.

One of my fondest memories of last year was hosting the Cleveland; socially-distanced, Frances Valentine trunk show in our backyard. Not only was it a great excuse to spend days working on the yard itself; it was an opportunity to bring fellow Frances Valentine enthusiasts together to celebrate fashion, creativity, sequins, and all things sparkly when the world felt VERY heavy.

Did you know that Frances Valentine is the brainchild of the ever-so-stylish Elyssa Arons along with her friends Kate & Andy Spade? The modern American lifestyle brand is not only sophisticated and chic but also is filled with vintage touches and joyful hues…and I simply adore it all. Having them bring the entire clothing line for us to touch and feel in our backyard made all the difference in the world. You were able to experience the quality and craftsmanship that went into making each garment very special. Along with caftans, sweaters, swing coats, and capri pants, they also brought many a tote and straw bag to test out which made envisioning ourselves dressed for a summer outing even more fun. In addition to clothing and bags, they also had a handful of shiny baubles and housewares to explore up close and personal. To say I wanted one of everything was an understatement.

For the guests, we served a light bourbon + apple cider cocktail along with custom FV monogram cookies by Luna Bakery that were just the right amount of sweet. There were small, conversation sets of chairs and tables if you wanted to connect with a friend you hadn’t seen all year in a safe, outdoor way. Thank you to my friends at Borrow Curated for the most perfect seating for such a lovely afternoon occasion.

Connecting with the very special, FV brand ambassadors was also a huge highlight of the afternoon event. Not only did these women share stories of how the business grew from the ground up, but what it was like to work in the most creative environment one could ever dream up. They worked countless hours to grown the business from a start-up to a global attainable-luxury brand, and they have SO MUCH to be proud of.

While the fashions and cookies were lovely, probably my favorite memory of the afternoon was how this event was the catalyst to connect so many of my Cleveland friends. Whether if it was I hadn’t seen someone in a year due to Covid or I had the opportunity to meet some of my Instagram friends in real life, it was the Cleveland community showing up and celebrating creativity and fashion that brought me such joy that I will never forget that special day.

If you aren’t familiar with the Frances Valentine brand, they recently released some lovely spring prints perfect for any Mother’s Day gifting (hint hint 😉) or special Spring event. If you do make it to NYC this summer, the brand also recently opened a new store on Madison Avenue…you can see some great pictures of the new interior on their Instagram stories, stunning. Until then, I will covet their print catalogs and live stories as I relive that fall afternoon last September when through fashion we were able to be a bit lighter and brighter all in the name of style.

A big thanks to Lynda and Abbie for lugging all the boxes, steaming all the dresses, and the behind the scenes magic it took to pull off this event during a global pandemic. You two are amazing!