Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1439511
A ny time there's a velvet rope, I'm intrigued. Who isn't. Top that off with another door, beyond which a chic young woman holds a clipboard with a guest list, and you can sign me up. Such was the case at the recent Champagne Lallier party co-hosted by PaperCity and Highland Park Village in Bistro 31's Champagne Room. The invite summoned guests to a Winter Picnique occurring immediately after the Village's annual Christmas Lights Celebration and Shopping Stroll. Upon arrival, guests were told to select one of two gift items — a sumptuous blanket or a hybrid wicker picnic basket/tote bag — then pointed in the direction of the always chic Becca Quisenberry behind her handy dandy monogram machine, to get their choice of ornamentation. Some selected a champagne bottle, while others opted for their initials or a variation of them — in my case it's often just NERD. The dimly lit room was filled with a well-heeled crowd sipping bubbles (Lallier has a 115-year legacy and was founded in Aÿ, one of the few French villages classified as Grand Cru) and savoring potato pancakes with caviar and crème fraiche. Welcoming the crowd was the fabulous Champagne Lallier Brand Ambassador Madeleine Thompson. A Dallas native and resident, Thompson formerly worked for Highland Park Village's Royal Blue Grocery and has been with Champagne Lallier for the past few months as the brand launches in select U.S. markets, including Texas, Florida, and California. Spotted chatting away: Park House co-founder Deborah Scott in one of her signature jumpsuits and a black- and-white fur bomber jacket that looked straight from the movie Cruella; Market's Keenan Walker, who shared that she had just gotten off a return flight from NYC an hour before; Katie Schumacher in one the pieces from her huge collection of Dolce & Gabbana; girl-on-the-scene influencer Courtney Kerr; Victoria Snee from the Highland Park team; Tayna Foster; Brittany E v e r e t t ; J e n n i f e r E i t c h e s ; Sotheby's Charlie Caulkins; Heather Anderson; Tiffany Davros; dashing Rolex store manager Phillip Cottone; and Madison Strode. PAPERCITY ADVERTORIAL BUBBLES HOLIDAY By Billy Fong. Photography Jonathan Zizzo. And the bubbles keep coming. Nathan Johnson Courtney Kerr Champagne Lallier Liz Thrash, Phillip Cottone Victoria Snee Madeleine Thompson Billy Fong Christina Geyer Claire Grant, Katie Schumacher Tanya Foster, Victoria Snee Maggie Kipp Brooke Dowdy TJ Griffin, Reed Robertson Paige Reupke, Kelly Price Tiffany Davros Heather Anderson Hollin Koh Madison Strode 40