Southern Lady September 2019

Fall takes its sweet time arriving in our corner of the South, but when it does, it’s worth every bit of the wait. I delight in all things autumn, and this issue is filled with them, from lovely flowers to elegant china and stylish tabletop ideas. The joy of the season shines from every page! Watching the kids in our family get back into the swing of school this month makes me reminisce about my own school days: pretty skirts and dresses hand-sewn by my mom, a new leather book bag, and best of all, delicious treats to snack on when we arrived home. Our cookie recipes on page 101 keep that sweet tradition alive. The homemade graham crackers are a revelation—I never knew they were so simple to bake. Labor Day…

Hello, September! This is always an exceptionally busy month around our house (not least because my husband, son, and I all have birthdays within a single week), but it also kicks off one of the best, most fun times of year. Our calendar is peppered with local festivals, outdoor parties, back-to-school doings, and the occasional getaway. Between clear skies and soft sunshine, dahlias and mums, apple orchards full to bursting, and, of course, football Saturdays, what’s not to love about autumn in the South? The gridiron isn’t the only sports highlight this month. It’s prime time for tennis buffs, with the start of fall leagues as well as the U.S. Open tournament—an exciting finale to the year’s Grand Slam events. Relax over a light, refreshing brunch (page 81) after a match…

Get a glimpse of the beautiful images our social media friends have shared with us, capturing their own inspiration from the pages of Southern Lady. Top row: Potted plants and pumpkins create a warm welcome on @cornerfrenchcottage’s porch. As fall rolls in, we’re ready to enjoy a taste of @veryverastewart’s hearty Parmesan Squash Casserole. Mums and pumpkins seem to please @wynnandroo’s four-legged friend. Middle row: @audrey_g_sightler embraces the harvest with a close-up of the South’s version of snow. Fashioned with blue-and-white strips of denim, these pumpkins nestled in moss are a perfect display for @simple_and_lovely’s table. Bottom row: Biscuits by @markmartllc are a special treat to greet cooler weather, while the colors on the trees in @island_life_home’s neighborhood confirm that the season has arrived. @catherinepringledesign showcases her designs in a…

For eight years, Rhonda Steger searched in vain for the perfect women’s clothing line to sell in her retail shop. When she couldn’t find the exact fit stateside, she crossed the Atlantic—and her fingers. “I hopped on a plane, went to Italy, and started talking to some manufacturers there,” says Rhonda, who managed to make some valuable connections without speaking any Italian. “Then I came back and started a wholesale business.” Inspired by distinctive Italian silks and the country’s traditions of remarkable craftsmanship, Rhonda founded CobbleStone Living, which she named after the rocky European streets she loves to traverse. “You know you’ll always find something beautiful while exploring them,” says Rhonda. Her first collection offered boutique retailers five different garments in three color options, and they all shared a unique detail…

As fictional character Forrest Gump so famously told us, life is like a box of chocolates—you never know what you’re going to get. This adage rings true for Maggie Louise Callahan, a Harvard-trained lawyer turned chocolatier and founder of Maggie Louise Confections. She started a corporate finance law career in New York City, but nearly a decade later, a move to Austin, Texas, for her husband’s job inspired Maggie to put her mark on an untapped passion: sweets. “As the daughter of a lawyer and a fine artist, I’ve always been a mix of creative and analytical,” Maggie explains. “In my younger years, I felt more confident in my analytical skills and decided to pursue a career in law. When we moved to Austin, I instantly fell in love with the…

After walking away from modeling in the 1980s, Deborah Rhodes was ready to add a new feather to her cap, but she never imagined her line of tailor-made hats and hair accessories would segue into an international tabletop décor enterprise. She had stepped out of the camera’s spotlight and back into her artistic comfort zone, having studied weaving, painting, and pottery in college. After a few years of selling her handcrafted frills exclusively to Manhattan retailers, a lovely braided detail on one of her designs caught the eye of a Henri Bendel buyer. “They looked at some of my braids and said, ‘Can you make something round, about 15 inches, that we can put in our home area?’” says Deborah, whose eagerness to meet the challenge outweighed her initial uncertainty. She and…