BY JUDY CARMACK BROSS
A little rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the Colonial Warriors and guests attending the Warriors and Dames summer gala. Donning Pulitzers and Polos, gauzy pastel shawls, seersucker, loafers sans socks galore, and everything floral, everyone celebrated summer in style, looking out at acres of green at the elegant Lake Forest Club over dinner and dancing between courses and well into the night.
“After the difficulties of the last year, it was especially pleasant to meet old friends in person for a summer party, just like old times,” explains Alex Jacobs, Warriors Social Chair. “Joining us were a number of out-of-town guests from other state societies of the Society of Colonial Wars and members of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Illinois.”
The Society of Colonial Wars is focused on the remembrance of the colonial period in the United States. The organization sponsors a popular lecture series at the Newberry Library, which Johnson describes as one of the gems of Chicago and a research library of great depth. The Society works to preserve monuments and historical places of the time throughout Illinois. Ed Lester serves as current Governor of the Warriors.
The groups gathers regularly to socialize and build the bonds of friendship and fellowship: “For many of us, the dinner-dance signals, if not the beginning of summer, the peak of the season,” Johnson says.
A brief survey of the sartorial sport coats revealed that Warriors Brian D. White and George Vincent chose Vineyard Vines; Ed Lester sported Corneliani; David Von Nirschl selected Maus & Hoffman; Stan Brading, Saddlebred, and Andy Langan opted for J.Press, with vintage madras also spotted throughout the crowd.
White, the Deputy Governor General for the State of Illinois, sums up the fashionable fete: “I just love a Summer Party! Breaking away from the winter suits and top coats and pulling out all the Vineyard Vines, Lilly Pulitzer, seersucker, Nantucket reds and anything from Murray’s Toggery Shop—preppy heaven—always gets me in the mood for a fun time! Then, to escape the city to one of the most elegant, stately clubs on the planet with your best friends having fun with a like-minded crowd interested in history and genealogy just takes the cake!”
Photo credit: BM Photography.