Bravo for Chick Lit

Andy Cohen dishes and mazels Dallas nonprofit at chicks' favorite luncheon

A record 1,600 guests, dressed in their chicest spring outfits, showed up to the Hilton Anatole on April 12 for the 13th annual Chick Lit Luncheon. While Dallasites love to support Community Partners' mission to help children, it's possible that more than a few were there for the celebrity star, Bravo TV's Andy Cohen — and a few glimpses of the cast of The Real Housewives of Dallas.

Co-chairs Leigh Anne Haugh and Amy Hegi, alongside honorary chair Amy Prestidge, greeted attendees at a cocktail reception in the Trinity Ballroom foyer, while in the nearby Wedgewood Room, top sponsors got a chat and photo opp with Cohen.

When the ballroom doors opened, guests sat down to a multicourse lunch capped off by blueberry cheesecake for dessert. Paige McDaniel, president and CEO of Community Partners of Dallas, took the stage to recognize Linda Perryman Evans, the 2019 recipient of the Partners for Children Award.

An emotional video presentation highlighted the important work that Community Partners does in partnership with Child Protective Services for abused and neglected children. McDaniel said that 20,000 kids would be served this year with the help of all in attendance, which moved many in the room to give generously.

Then it was time for the main event. Best-selling author Jen Lancaster — featured speaker at the fourth Chick Lit luncheon — took the stage as the moderator of the conversation with Cohen. Cohen, of course, is an Emmy Award-winning host, producer, author, and host and executive producer of Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen. But in Dallas, his biggest claim to fame is as executive producer and #bossbitch of The Real Housewives of Dallas.

“Wow, this is low-key,” he joked as he took the stage in front of the full room.

Cohen dished on personal topics including his upbringing in St. Louis, which he said was like “Mayberry and The Andy Griffith Show,” and what he was like in college, which he said was “exactly as I am now, except a little less gay.”

Some highlights of the entertaining chat included:

On being famous, he quipped, “Anderson Cooper always says, ‘Nobody likes being famous more than Andy,’ but I will never get over being able to get into a restaurant that I would otherwise have to wait 45 minutes to get into. It’s great, I’m not going to lie.”
Per a game on Cohen's show — Marry, Shag or Kill — he was asked to "categorize" Mark Consuelos, Matthew Broderick, and John Legend. He responded, “Gosh, I love them all…. shag John, marry Mark, and kill Matthew because he’ll forgive me.”
Regarding the Real Housewives franchise, he explained, “It is the modern soap opera. It replaced what used to be soap operas that we all watched; you can watch them, and love people or love to hate people, you can root against them, and it's funny.”
On how the reality of fatherhood to newborn son Benjamin differs from the dream, he said, “It’s just great, it’s just great — it is just filling up my heart that I guess I knew on paper would happen, but it’s just great that every day is a different moment, and I just fall in love with him in a different way.”

A highlight came when Lancaster asked Cohen what his “Mazel of the Week,” was. He immediately said, “My Mazel is Paige, who I’ve just met.” As the crowd burst into applause, he looked out at McDaniel and added, “And I just have say that I think this organization is incredible, and you really inspired me with your words; I just made a donation, and I hope you all will, too. There are just some people you just meet and you can tell ‘wow they are incredible’ — and I just love your spirit.”

The conversation then covered what’s on Cohen's bucket list — “jumping out of an airplane;” who he still gets starstruck about — “Madonna;” and advice he would give kids graduating from college today — “Be careful what you put out on social media, because one tweet can ruin your life. And whatever you do, follow your passion.”

In closing, Lancaster informed Cohen that he was only the second man who had ever been featured at Chick Lit (the first was Project Runway's Tim Gunn) and asked if he had any recommendations for another male speaker. Without skipping a beat, he recommended bestie Anderson Cooper, much to the audience’s delight.

Before leaving, guests grabbed their goodie bags full of swag from local retailers and checked their raffle tickets — the most coveted prize was a trip to New York for a taping of Watch What Happens Live!.

Some of the many patrons and fans in attendance were Maie Shea, Stinelli Castaneda, Krysta Mentzer, Suzi LeBeau, Stephanie Kruse, Rachel Haefliger, Rachel Trowbridge, Lindsay Jacaman, Elizabeth Etier, Emily Hoad, Leigh Danley, Tandra Allen, Lauren Combest, Sara Champagne, Dawn Slobacek, Angela Seaman, Mary Parker, Jennifer Morris, Greg Neiberding, Jennifer Tobin, Heather Cosmano, Kevin Hopper, Shelby Shah, Holly Vogel, Amber Wax, Renee Gately, Bess Grant, Mandy Bain, Kelly Little, Lacy Bain, Stephanie Dolan, Skylar Champion, Beth Price, Raquel Wilson, Alethia Vitale, Megan Bennet, Liz Painkin, Kristen Dickie, Sarah Riester, Trista Jones, Debra Nockels, Jenifer Baker, Carey Barnes, and Rondia Graves.

Community Partners of Dallas has ensured safety, restored dignity, and hope to abused and neglected children since its founding in 1989. The proceeds from the Chick Lit Luncheon help to provide crucial resources and support to the caseworkers of Dallas County Child Protective Services.

Liz Painkin, Kristen Dickie, Sarah Riester, Trista Jones

Photo by Ashley Gongora

Liz Painkin, Kristen Dickie, Sarah Riester, Trista Jones

Mosaic of millinery

Mad Hatter's 2026 brings beautiful tableau of chapeaux to Dallas Arboretum

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It is tradition that each chair of the Dallas Mad Hatter's Luncheon should choose a new theme for each new year - to start with a blank canvas, so to speak. But if a future chair were to repeat the 2026 theme "The Art of the Garden," it's hard to fathom anyone would complain.

This year's most-anticipated spring luncheon wove the setting itself - the Dallas Arborteum and Botanical Garden - into an event mosaic of marvelous millinery, modeling of fine fashion, and mingling with friends over food and drink.

The artsy theme was chosen by chairs Reagan Pace, Sheridan Reeder, and honorary chair Anne Stodghill as a way to honor the Dallas arts community, including the city's museums, artists, the Dallas Art Fair, and the burgeoning gallery scene. It also happened to coincide - "as if we had commissioned it ourselves," they write in the program - with sculpture artist Hunt Slonem's large-scale exhibition, "Bunnies, Birds & Butterflies," which had just opened on the grounds of the Arboretum days before the April 25 luncheon.

Like any masterpiece, Mad Hatter's 2026 also took some risks, rearranged some focal points, and elicited emotion from those in attendance - from awe to "aw dang, it's warm out here."

Now in its 38th year, Mad Hatter's remains the beloved fundraising event sponsored by the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. It's also one of the most coveted tickets in town.

Mad Hatter's 2026 This group went all in on a Monet "Water Lilies" theme. Photo by Ashley Gongora

A few hundred VIPs mingled on the Ginsburg Plaza, clad in their finest floral frocks and with bubbly in hand, for a first look at each other's hats and the first chance to bid on silent auction items. Guests went all out in their execution of the "art" theme - from fascinators featuring Monet's "Water Lilies" to big hats with paint brushes and palettes.

It was also the first time folks got to view the new set-up for the event's fashion show. Instead of the traditional catwalk inside Rosine Hall, the runway would be the al fresco pathway through the garden between Rosine and A Tasteful Place (a risk, considering it had been a cloudy, windy morning). Pretty paper parasols had been placed on each seat, which would prove useful not only as sun protection, but as seat place holders.

At 11 am, clouds parted, the sun came out, and the crowd of about 500 took their seats (and opened their parasols) for the fashion show featuring the designs of acclaimed Dallas designer Esé Azenabor. The unmistakable intro to Abba's "Dancing Queen" came over the speakers, and to the audience's surprise and delight, a group of little girls - not grown-up fashion models - appeared on the stage. Walking two by two on the runway, they modeled Azenabor's darling new children's collection.

Then, legendary fashion show producer Jan Strimple began sending models out to showcase more than 50 stunning looks by Azenabor, including breathtaking ballgowns and wedding gowns with intricate ornamentation and draping. The audience was so close to the runway that the rhythmic "swishing" of silk and "clinking" of beading could be heard as the models walked by. "I felt like I was Anna Wintour at the front row of Fashion Week," one attendee could be overheard saying. The program provided descriptions and prices for all the designs - from slightly less than $1,000 to $28,000 - adding to the fairy tale of it all.

Mad Hatter's 2026 One of the stunning couture gowns in the Ese Azenabor fashion show. Photo by Ashley Gongora

Instead of the luncheon following the fashion show this year, an outdoor reception took place around the plaza. Here, the hat judges got up-close looks at the most impressive creations of the day, and guests posed for each other's photos and videos. DJ Lucy Wrubel - wearing a party-ready hat topped with a champage bottle - kept the beats lively.

With temperatures pushing toward 85 degrees, some patrons headed inside to the air-conditioned relief of Rosine Hall and A Tasteful Place, and began enjoying the cold water set at their place for lunch.

The big moment came when hat awards were announced in seven art-themed categories. Winners and judges were:

The Inaugural Carole Ann Brown Best in Show: Prashe Shah (judged by honorary chair Anne Stodghill)
Italian Masters: Debbie Murray ("classical creations," judged by Capera Ryan)
Impressionists: D&M Leasing group ("best group category," judged by Nicole Myers)
Surrealism: Elizabeth Smith ("over the top creations," judged by Sharon Lee Clarke)
Rococo: Sarah Ring ("best use of live botanicals," judged by Eliot Whitall)
Cubism: Allison Brodnax’s group ("monochromatic geometry," judged by Hannah Fagadau)
Pop Art: Erin Jett ("brightly colored tribute to pop culture," judged by John Sughrue)

Mad Hatter's 2026 "Surrealism" category winner Elizabeth Smith, whose hat twirled around like a carousel. Photo by Ashley Gongora

At tables adorned with gorgeous spring floral centerpieces by Gro Designs and The T Shop, guests dined on a spring salad of mixed greens, feta, candied pecans, pickled onions, and champagne vinaigrette; a plate of finger sandwiches (chicken salad and pimento cheese), Greek pasta salad, and mini mandarin orange souffle; and a decadent individual carrot cake for dessert. Wine stewards kept glasses filled.

Attendees adjusted their hats for some final photos at the valet line, and picked up their swag bags filled with goodies from Eataly.

Money raised through Mad Hatter's assists with the development, growth and maintenance of A Woman’s Garden, a major garden at the Arboretum.

Scroll through the photos, above, to see who was there and glimpse all the highlights of the hats, fashion show, and more.

Photo by Ashley Gongora

The winning group of the "Impressionists" category in the hat contest.

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