Usually customers are hauling off bundles of fashion goodies to their vehicles from Tootsies. But on Wednesday, December 20, the place looked like the millennial types were bringing their laundry in.
Nope. It wasn’t a laundry check in. Rather it was the La Fiesta De Seis Las Banderas 2018 crop of duchesses with bundles of white flourishing petticoats.
After a brief run through and demonstration upstairs, the duchesses donned their petticoats to learn how to do the infamous dip.
With collegiate sweatshirts and white petticoats, the duchesses tried out the bow before their mothers arrive at noon.
La Fiesta Co-Chair Elizabeth Gambrell explained that Co-Chair Anne Besser was on her way. The reason for the delay was Anne was moving a bit slower than usual due to her surgery to fix her arm.
The bowing workout was just a part of the day’s activities. Later that night at The Belo Mansion, the formal announcement of the 2018 duchesses and escorts, as well as the year’s theme — “Exploring Colores de Espana”— was announced. This year’s duchesses will include Elizabeth Lawson Armistead, Erin Elizabeth Arthur, Madeleine Ainsley Basso, Marguerite Grace Bellman, Virginia Grace Carlile, Carly Paige Cooper, Caroline Cox Cooper, Elizabeth Lynne Copeland, Natalie Ann Dargene, Alex Ann Echols, Kara Littlefield Fronterhouse, Kate Manon Gioldasis, Victoria Elizabeth Gregory, Sharon Rebecca Hayhurst, Neva Lynne Henderson, Amanda Paige Hodak, Jennifer Elizabeth Humann, Gracelyn Marie Hunt, Claire Demontigny Johnson, Caroline Sinclair Keith, Sydney Elise Kilpatrick, Mary Sullins Lancaster, Abigail Marie Lindwall, Katherine Schutt Lorio, Mira Caroline Martin, Avery Hardin Mercurio, Landry Kathryn Myers, Margaret Anne Petty, Elizabeth Grace Reid, Flora Kate Richards, Brooke Elizabeth Rothwell, Maryellen Rebecca Salter, Margaret Claire Sarfatis, Kyla Ann Sayre, Caroline Grace Sloan, Sarah Katherine Stone, Laura Elizabeth Tedford, Madeline Walker Thomas, Paige Christine Walters and Sophie Jane Ward.
Escorts will include Blake Alexander Beckman, Ernest Tutt Beecherl, Bennett Tyler Brock, Ethan Atwood Cherry, Harlan Robert Crow, John Montgomery Doherty, John Hopps Fain III, Brennan Reece Fewin, Lowell Kuphal Giffin IV, Barrett Southcott Graham, Logan Asher Gwinn, Marshall Slaughter Hammack, Alexander Baron Holmes, Patrick Scott Kennedy, Jack Ware Kozmetsky, Bennett Hill Landen, Matthew Hays Lodwick, Cooper William Marchetto, Kyle Chester Massimilian, Cyrus Armer McCullough, Quillin Stephen McKenney, William Richard McPherson, Griffin Daniel McVeigh, Davis Brown Milton, Jon Phillip Page III, John Mansfield Parsons, Charles Parker Quinn, Carver Andrew Ramey, Nicholas Campbell Ruk, John Clay Sell, Michael Robert Stegenga, Jack Pepper Toohey, David Oakes Turner III, Jack Dunford Vandermeer, Christopher Michael Walker, Stanley Denton Walker IV, Elias Bradshaw Ware, Jonathan Max Welfelt, William James Whitlock and Hudson Smith Wood.
Benefiting Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, CARE, Connecting Point of Park Cities, Dallas Children’s Theater, The Elisa Project, Friends of the Highland Park Library, Friends of the University Park Public Library, Habitat for Humanity/HPHS Campus Chapter, Highland Park Education Foundation, Highland Park Literary Festival, HP Arts, HPHS Community Service Council, HPHS Counseling Department and Student Council, HPHS Student Emergency Fund, Moody Family YMCA in the Park Cities/HPHS Youth and Government Team and Park Cities Heritage House at Dallas Heritage Village, the black-tie gala will be co-chaired by Mary Parker and Pam Stegenga on Saturday, June 9, at the Anatole.