The Grapevine Bar and Forty Five Ten Team Up for the Ultimate High-Low Fashion Party

I could wax poetic about The Grapevine Bar for days. The little hole in the wall off Maple Avenue has been around since 1996 and attracts the most intriguing clientele — a mix of gay and straight; millennials and Gen X (with a few Baby Boomers often making an appearance); wealthy and perhaps not so wealthy… in essence, it’s one of the most diverse crowds you’ll likely find in Dallas. And, what makes it even better is the outfits. A Dior-clad girl popping in after a black-tie affair might find herself sitting next to a wizened and slightly bedraggled former rocker doing shots of tequila. It’s all par for the course on a Saturday night.

So when Forty Five Ten invited me to co-host “A Party to Have a Party” at The Grapevine, which is set to move from its longtime Maple Avenue location by the end of 2023, it was an easy yes.

Upon entering that night, the charm of the establishment (the patina of almost three decades of revelry) was all still there, but with some luxury flourishes. The creative team at Headington Companies, the company behind Forty Five Ten, had pulled out all the stops for the occasion. Instead of straightforward crudité, there were platters (George Jensen of course) of cigarettes. Metal ashtrays done in a bold red hue were emblazoned with the store’s logo. And DJ Sober was spinning all the tunes that would normally be heard on the jukebox (it’s got all the old ’80s New Wave classics with some rocker Zeppelin to mix it up). And in case guests got peckish, gourmet pizzas from Sassetta were delivered around 10 pm.

There was a bit of a traffic jam in the intimate billiards room. Forty Five Ten had curated an assortment of vintage black concert t-shirts hanging on a rolling rack. And to make them one-of-a-kind, the local team of Dallas Denim Repair was there customizing them with chainstitch embroidery. I immediately spied my favorite best-friend duo, Katherine Reeves and Anne Clayton Vroom, perusing the racks before it turned into a real fashionista feeding frenzy.

One of the most charming elements of the little lounge on Maple is the large outdoor patio with a mini basketball court. Black balls with Forty Five Ten’s logo were set up for everyone to shoot some hoops for that very needed Instagram Story likely occurring at some point that evening. Missy Peck, after showing off her skills, had hers under one arm (since she was obviously taking it home with her — ultimate swag item) with a cocktail in the other.

As I pen this, I’m also watching my favorite music video of all time — The Pet Shop Boys’ “Being Boring” which was directed by Bruce Weber. If you haven’t seen it, immediately go to YouTube and look it up. It’s enchanting, ethereal, and has a touch of ennui. At the beginning these lines are splashed across the screen: we used to have lots of parties where everyone got dressed up. And on one party invitation was the quote, “She was never bored because she was never boring.” I can’t think of a party in recent memory that is so fitting of those words.

Spotted on the b-ball court that night was a veritable who’s who of Dallas’ most fashionable which included Jessica Nowitzki, Nancy Rogers, Rajan Patel, Bela Cooley, Ann and Lee Hobson, Kit Sawers, Christen and Derek Wilson, Doniphan Moore, Tanner Moussa, Claire Grant, Kristin Bray, Christoper Wood, Troy Porter, Kasey Lemkin, Rochelle Gores, Francine Ballard (in from Houston for the night with a group of girls for a Dallas art opening), Amy Van Cleeve, and Lisa Sadoughi. And special mention to the Headington Team there ponied up to the bar: Michael Tregoning, Jeny Bania, Jonathan Merla, Michelle Padgett, and Sydney Dietrich. Finally, lest we forget the divalicious Forty Five Ten team: Anne Wallach, Jordan Jones Munoz, Dianna Miller, Robin Wilkes, and Kyle Branch.