BRUNCH/WINTERTHUR TOUR/AND "BY HER OWN DESIGN" BY PIPER HUGULEY

Let’s go to Winterthur! If you've never been to Winterthur for its Yuletide display, you're in for a treat. In addition to the Yuletide display, we'll get a private guided tour of the Ann Lowe exhibit. Learn about the life and legacy of Ann Lowe, an American fashion designer who created couture-quality gowns for America’s high society yet remained virtually unknown to the wider public. We’ll pair the tour with a brunch discussion of the book, By Design an unforgettable novel based on the true story of who else, Ann Lowe!

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11:30 am BRUNCH: TWO LOCATIONS - we will divvy people up (Stay tuned for how)
A. Brandywine Brewing Company (BBC)
4019 Kennett Pike, Wilmington, DE
Menu: Something for Everyone!
BBC is known for several of items on the menu, including a huge plate of Jam Joes Nachos, Corn and Crab Soup and Hot Soft Pretzels served with our homemade apple and horseradish mustards. They consistently win Best of Delaware awards for everything from our Buffalo Wings to our guest bartending philanthropy program.

B. Pizza by Elizabeths
Menu: Not your average pizza!
3801 Kennett Pike | Greenville, DE |
Sip vintage wine while they serve you a delicious pizza with toppings like fresh local goat cheese and rosemary onion sauté. Choose from over 60 toppings! Or, enjoy their organic field green salad with shrimp, crab meat, and bacon. Finish your meal with a slice of caramel-praline cheesecake topped with warm caramel sauce or chocolate fudge cake with homemade ice cream and fresh berries.
There is something here for everyone — young and old, the light
eater or the hearty appetite. No matter what you choose
everything is made fresh on the premises.

1:00 Go to Winterthur
2:30pm0and 3:00pm THE TOUR(ist): Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library
5105 Kennett Pike
Winterthur, Delaware 19735

See photos for Timeline and restaurant assignments!

FEE: Price is $29 per person, includes admission to Winterthur and the private Ann Lowe gallery tour. First to pay goes. Limited to 25 people. Payment to Diane via Venmo: @Diane-Flemming-2 or PayPal: dianeflemming1357@gmail.com using Friends and Family.

Refunds: Full refunds will be available up to November 26th. After that, there will be no refund.

Winterthur is the premier museum of American decorative arts, with an unparalleled collection of nearly 90,000 objects made or used in America since 1640. The collection is displayed in the magnificent 175-room house, much as it was when the family of founder Henry Francis du Pont called it home.

Winterthur is also 1,000 acres of protected meadows, woodlands, ponds, and waterways. The 60-acre garden, designed by du Pont, is among America’s best, with magnificent plantings and massive displays of color throughout the year.

THE NOVEL: By Her Own Design: The Story of Ann Lowe, Society's Best-Kept Secret by Piper Huguley.
Genre: Historical Fiction

FROM GOODREADS:
The incredible untold story of Ann Lowe, Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress designer, a Black woman who made some of the most famous dresses of all time, only to be forgotten by history.

1953, New York City
Less than a week before the society wedding of the year where Jacqueline Bouvier will marry John F. Kennedy, Jr, a pipe bursts at Ann Lowe's dress shop and ruins eleven dresses, including the expensive wedding dress, a dress that will be judged by thousands. A Black designer who has fought every step of the way, Ann knows this is only one struggle after a lifetime of them. She and her seamstresses will find the way to re-create the dresses. It may take all day and all night for the next two weeks to accomplish the task, but they will do it.

1918, Tampa
Raised in Jim Crow Alabama, Ann learned the art of sewing from her mother and her grandmother, a former slave, who are the most talented seamstresses in the state. After Ann elopes at twelve with an older man who soon proves himself to be an abusive alcoholic, her dreams of becoming a celebrated designer seem to be put on hold. But then a wealthy Tampa socialite sees Ann's talent and offers her an amazing opportunity--the chance to sew and design clothing for Florida's society elite. Taking her young son in the middle of the night, Ann escapes her husband and embarks on the adventure of a lifetime.

Happy Reading!

Diane