PaperCity Fort Worth’s Launch Party Brings a Who’s Who Out to Neimans

Since the beginning of 2019, we had been eagerly preparing for this night. The official launch of Fort Worth’s very own exclusive edition of PaperCity. Meetings ensued and many many conversations with Fort Worth’s who’s who occurred in creating what would be something extremely special.

One of those conversations was with PaperCity‘s friends at Neiman Marcus at The Shops at Clearfork and they suggested: “We should throw you the party to end all launch parties.” The storied retailer has (quite literally) been by the magazine’s side since the beginning, having thrown parties to launch Houston  25 years ago and Dallas 21 years ago.

Even though the calendar said it was post-Labor Day, apparently the weather didn’t know and temperatures soared launch party day. However, nothing could prevent legions of friends and fans from coming out to raise a glass in the honor of the first print issue of PaperCity Fort Worth. (PaperCity Fort Worth’s website is a daily operation with a robust lineup of new stories — sign up for our regular editorial newsletters here.)

With the launch party heralding the September issue, fashion was on the mind and all those who attended pulled out their chicest frocks and enviable ensembles. It was hard to tell guests apart from the models who were standing on pedestals wearing fall’s best looks.

My favorite outfit award had to go to always girl-on-the-go, Michelle Marlow, who was looking luminescent in an iridescent shorts set with an architectural top (BTW: she and I are peas in a pod since I favor shorts for cocktail events). She was atwitter with news of her upcoming party for the book, L Is For Lemonade, that she wrote along with her sister-in-law, Cynthia Marlow. It’s one in a series of books from the pair that focuses on letters and sounds that are difficult for children with speech impairments.

Alongside the PaperCity Fort Worth team welcoming guests were the general manager of the Fort Worth Neiman Marcus Scott Mitchell and Allie Turney from his public relations department. That creative Turney decided to surprise us all by enlarging PaperCity tenfold, placing massive copies of the issue in the Neiman windows — with a cheeky mannequin reading the 7-foot-tall book. Almost the entire Agather clan, longtime confidantes of the magazine rolled into Neimans with smiles abounding.

Elaine Agather and Lorene Agather were sharing stories of their summer adventures and Bradley Agather Means was giving updates to all of her upcoming due date (special mention in terms of fashion awards for looking incredibly soigné in her last trimester).

A contingency from the cultural district, our museum besties, came ready for cocktails. Seen shopping Fall looks were the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth’s Andrea Karnes, Lee Hallman, Allie Nikolaisen and Kendal Smith-Lake. Friends from the Kimbell Museum of Art, Angie Bulaich and Jessica Brandup, were ecstatic as they told us of the crowds that had been filling their Renzo Piano building for the exhibition, “Monet: The Late Years.”

I had a surprise guest that evening. My first Fort Worth Bomb girl, Rozanne Rosenthal, had previously told me that she wouldn’t be able to make it to the launch party since she would still be at her summer home in Aspen. I was shocked and beaming when I saw her walk-in with her two daughters, Maddie Rosenthal and Ashli Blumenfeld. Apparently they had returned home early and came directly to Neimans from the plane. Besides Rozanne, a few others who graced the pages of our inaugural issue that also came to sip champagne were Nancy Lamb, Eden Delaune, and Joe Minton.

That who’s who that came to give congratulations kisses on each cheek included Kendall Kostohryz and her mom Kris Karr, Susan Nix, Suzi Woo, Kelsey Patterson, Rob Schumacher, Colleen Blair, Christy Dunaway Smith, Jenny Pace Dupree and Becca Rogers Quisenberry.