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.
Impressive Beginnings
What's on the menu? For starters, sautéed shrimp on an avocado, cucumber, and tomato tower.
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.
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.
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.
Sophie's Choice
Oprah's dog Sophie with an Anne Moore hat.
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
Kate and Ellen
Kate Forte, left, wears a silk rose–crowned hat by Eric Javits; Ellen Rakieten, a wide-brim straw hat by Atmosphere.
Bon Appetit!
Menu cards with handwritten calligraphy by Nancy Voss for Kate's Paperie.
Sublime Tranquility
Celebrity and Michelangelo roses from Belle Rose Farm float in the aqueduct.
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
King Looks Like a Queen
A silk tiger lily blooms on Gayle King's green straw hat by Alicia Boon.
All Smiles
Katy Murphy Davis' woven straw hat by Suzanne Couture Millinery.
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.
Elegant Entrée
Lunch's main event is Stuffed Chicken Breast with Root Vegetables.
Charger, Rosenthal; glass plate, Room with a View
A Floral Dress to Match
Dianne Atkinson Hudson's hat (from Hats by Katie) is adorned with a silk bouquet.
Bold and Beautiful
Dana Newton Utigard wears a flutter of feathers by Alicia Boon.
Good Enough to Eat
Catherine Reitman holds a tiny cake shaped like a hat, a take-home sweet by Napa cakemaker Sam Godfrey.
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
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.
