As summer draws to a close, I find myself daydreaming about the season’s highlights. Our annual fashion show and luncheon held at our home in Newport for starters. It is always simultaneously amusing and exhausting as nothing seems to go totally as planned. I thought it might be fun to go behind the scenes a bit and recount some of the adventure.

The dream is for a poolside affair where ladies are lunching under a picturesque pergola as models in head to toe AvA strut their way about the grounds. The tables are covered in table cloths made from our prints. Lunch is refreshing, but not too much. The models walk with perfect timing to the oohs and aahs of the audience. A cloudless sky sits above us while a perfect breeze keeps us from overheating.

The reality is that we spend hours and days with our eyes glued to the weather app. In Rhode Island, you can never be sure what you are going to get. We agonize about inside vs outside while I know the only thing my heart wants is outside. This year the forecast was calling for relentless showers. But the weather is no match for my friend Rob Robinson who saved the day. He took to a U-Haul to protect the furniture from morning showers and move things inside. It wasn’t my or my event planner, it was Sam Bolton’s idea, but it made the lunch possible which was a huge win. Luckily I had my marvelous daughter Sunny there to pepper in sarcastic humor which kept the chaos lighthearted. And then just like that, magically everything was moved in, and it was go time.

Finally the tables were set. Flowers were arranged and the models were in hair and makeup with Frank Barbossa and his associate Elizabeth Bernstrom. As the last of the models get a touch of mascara and setting powder the guests begin to arrive.

As I waited for guests to comment on their disappointment of being indoors, I was surprised to find the opposite was true. I heard murmurs of “Thank God for the AC.” A group of Sunny’s friends enjoyed the outdoor porch as they fanned themselves to keep cool during the summer heat.

The lunch is served, a homemade zucchini soup from the garden and the most fabulous chicken salad from our local Italian deli in Middletown Bottega Bocconi. The models glide in and out of the tables perfectly showcasing the latest AvA styles. Trish Carrol, our artistic director for events and shows, arranged a surprise for the end of the show. Every year she’ll add something from snorkels, old fashioned bathing caps, or sunglasses. This year it was towels wrapped up over the hair like a stunning turban with beautiful brooches from Suzie Hoimes’ collection MDVII to hold them in place.

As the event came to a close, many of the ladies shopped the pieces, Susie’s fabulous costume jewelry, Scott Nelsons’ beautiful bags, and Veronique Gabai’s unique Mediterranean fragrances were also offered for purchase. And as quickly as it came, it was finished. Now all I was left to do was begin dreaming up next year. I cannot wait to see what Trish will come up with for the next finale.