Every party starts with an idea that evolves into an overall design — the look and feel you want to achieve. Design is often driven by two things: 1) color; and 2) tone (e.g. formal, whimsical, modern…).

For the Style Clinic I hosted recently with featured speaker, Lauren Rothman of Styleauteur, I wanted the tone to be feminine, but not “girly.” I wanted fashion to be threaded throughout the party, but not knock you over the head.

The main level of my house, where the party would take place, has a lot of brown tones in it. Brown, a more neutral color, can be paired with any number of accent colors. Knowing I wanted to do something feminine but modern, I decided to use pink as a central color and pair with a more modern color like orange.  The neutral brown “foundation” color of my home would support a brown, pink, and orange design. When picking a color scheme, always keep in mind your venue. Don’t do fuchsia in a room that is entirely navy and burgundy. Even the most attractive color combination can fail in a room that won’t support it.

Color should be introduced first with your invitation and be carried throughout the entire party. Achieve pops of color through flowers, place cards, food labels, parting gifts…

the invitation

pops of brown, pink, and orange dot the beverage bar

pink and orange tea roses were central to the floral scheme; a pink-backed food label also showcases the party's color palette

The fashion theme was carried through with vintage fashion magazines and handmade journals for note-taking featuring vintage sewing patterns on the cover.

The cover of a 1913 fashion magazine

vintage fashion magazines on display

custom journals to take notes on Lauren's lecture

In coming posts, I’ll share more about designing a Style Party, including menu planning and decor tricks. Stay tuned!