A private dinner at Vicia featuring a wellspring of the season’s bounty—turnip shell tacos, king trumpet mushroom wraps, Missouri fried rice and more—capped off an evening that ended as elegantly as the day started when Meredith Melling and Valerie Macaulay, two former Vogue editors, arrived in St. Louis on Wednesday from New York.
Dressed in two of the label’s sun dresses—an off-the-shoulder monochrome-black number and a small floral print design—the co-founders of direct-to-consumer brand La Ligne were in town for two days of trunk shows and a Q&A at Forsyth studio followed by the dinner downtown.
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The event is the brainchild of stylist Laura Katherine Sawyier, founder of SALON x LKS, who merged her background in fashion and events planning with a goal of championing female entrepreneurs and creatives. “I had been thinking about this for a year,” she says.
Sawyier hosted her first salon with St. Louis Fashion Fund alums Emily Koplar and Audra Noyes earlier in the year, and six months ago reached out to Macaulay on Instagram about bringing La Linge to St. Louis. “Personally, I’m inspired by them. They began in traditional media roles and pivoted to consulting and now La Ligne.”
Macaulay was “elated” to hear from Sawyier, whom she says offered the brand an opportunity to meet customers in a new market. “We didn’t have a direct link in St. Louis or anyone I could have reached out to bring the collection there,” says Macaulay via phone from New York. “Laura lived in New York City. She understands New York fashion, and how our business is set up. It’s perfect.”
In St. Louis, fifty of the brand’s striped essentials were available to try on and order. “We design core pieces that live in your wardrobe and that we update in various color ways,” says Melling. Other pieces were more directional: Liberty-like floral tops and skirts and pieces in fun colors like yellow and orange.
In anticipation of Mother’s Day, a percentage of the proceeds from the evening’s dinner was donated to Nurses for Newborns, a local organization that provides support to mothers and families at risk. “As a new mom, I’m hyper-aware of all the challenges that come with welcoming a new baby into your home,” says Tara Gallina, co-owner and general manager of Vicia. “As a business owner I wanted to find a way to help support an organization that is there for moms in need.”
Sawyier’s next salon is planned for September, but details are yet to be released.
