Oprah's Affair to Remember

Oprah wearing a hat of feathers and silk roses

Photo: James Merrell

Putting the O in Hostess

At the home of Ivan Reitman and Genevieve Robert Reitman, Oprah greets her friends, wearing a hat of feathers and silk roses.

Shrimp on an avocado, cucumber, and tomato tower

Photo: James Merrell

Impressive Beginnings

What's on the menu? For starters, sautéed shrimp on an avocado, cucumber, and tomato tower.

Photo: James Merrell

Cordially Invited

"Dress up and wear your favorite hat," says the invitation—which was placed inside a tiny vase of meadow grass and mailed in a tin hatbox filled with Mary Rose roses.

Photo: James Merrell

Setting the Table

The luncheon table and chairs get all dressed up. Designer Todd Moore draped square coral-and-chartreuse silk tablecloths trimmed with yellow silk ribbon over a round yellow taffeta underskirt, pinning fresh roses on a bow at each seam. The metal garden chairs are wrapped with striped sheer organza, tied with ribbon around the base of the seats, and have a nosegay of roses pinned on each bow.

Floral design by Beth Goodman, Honfleur; hatboxes, Stray Dog; grass kit and bistro chairs, Smith & Hawken; all fabric, F. Schumacher & Co.

Photo: James Merrell

Hat Heaven

The ladies who will peek out from under millinery masterpieces. Front row, from left: Katy Murphy Davis, Genevieve Robert Reitman, Gayle King, Ellen Rakieten. Back row, from left: Dianne Atkinson Hudson, Catherine Reitman, Oprah, Kate Forte, Maria Shriver, and Dana Newton Utigard.

Photo: James Merrell

Sophie's Choice

Oprah's dog Sophie with an Anne Moore hat.

Photo: James Merrell

A Floral Touch

Napkins are dressed with Paul Bocuse roses, hyacinth, and vine. How it's done: Wrap stems in wire and floral tape (available at any florist), then ring around folded napkins.

Glassware, Jordano's Marketplace

Photo: James Merrell

Kate and Ellen

Kate Forte, left, wears a silk rose–crowned hat by Eric Javits; Ellen Rakieten, a wide-brim straw hat by Atmosphere.

Photo: James Merrell

Bon Appetit!

Menu cards with handwritten calligraphy by Nancy Voss for Kate's Paperie.

Photo: James Merrell

Sublime Tranquility

Celebrity and Michelangelo roses from Belle Rose Farm float in the aqueduct.

Photo: James Merrell

Fragrant Refreshment

At the drinks table, aromatic French lavender encircles the handle of a crystal pitcher and also flavors the lemonade. Floral designer Goodman tucked lemons, lavender, and narcissus around the base of the crystal punch bowl.

Napkins, Sferra Bros.; pitcher and punch bowl, William Yeoward Crystal

Photo: James Merrell

King Looks Like a Queen

A silk tiger lily blooms on Gayle King's green straw hat by Alicia Boon.

Photo: James Merrell

All Smiles

Katy Murphy Davis' woven straw hat by Suzanne Couture Millinery.

Maria Shriver, Genevieve Robert Reitman, Oprah, and Catherine Reitman

Photo: James Merrell

More Millinery Masterpieces

From left: Maria Shriver's white straw hat by Eric Javits; Genevieve Robert Reitman's rolled-brim hat by Hat Attack; Oprah's hat by London designer Philip Treacy; Catherine Reitman's wide-brim hat with silk roses and orchids by Eric Javits.

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Root Vegetables

Photo: James Merrell

Elegant Entrée

Lunch's main event is Stuffed Chicken Breast with Root Vegetables.

Charger, Rosenthal; glass plate, Room with a View

Photo: James Merrell

A Floral Dress to Match

Dianne Atkinson Hudson's hat (from Hats by Katie) is adorned with a silk bouquet.

Photo: James Merrell

Bold and Beautiful

Dana Newton Utigard wears a flutter of feathers by Alicia Boon.

Photo: James Merrell

Good Enough to Eat

Catherine Reitman holds a tiny cake shaped like a hat, a take-home sweet by Napa cakemaker Sam Godfrey.

Photo: James Merrell

Sweet Deception

You're invited to dig in to the "dirt" of this adorable flowerpot—it's chocolate cake and crushed cookies. And please pick the sugar posies. "Everything's edible," says Sam Godfrey, who baked the confections in foil-lined clay flowerpots. No need to try this at home: Choose your own custom cake from Perfect Endings (707-259-0500).

Dessert plates, Rosenthal

Photo: James Merrell

Gracious Endings

Oprah wanted her friends to remember the day with a gift of roses and Stila cosmetics tucked into small hatboxes from Stray Dog. Other take-away goody ideas (just add ribbon): pretty tins of tea by Harney & Sons from Harney.com; CDs of garden-party music from Dnow.com; pots of lavender from OlympicLavender.com; Shepherd's Garden plant seeds from WhiteFlowerFarm.com.

From the August 2002 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine