Style icon and preeminent hostess Catherine Deeda Blair shares her inspirations for entertaining with understated elegance and distinction, accompanied by menus, recipes, table settings, and charming stories about her extraordinarily colorful life.

Deeda Blair is one of the last great American swans, revered by cult followers for her enduring beauty, fashion taste, and easy elegance. She embodies a sense of decorum and practices a relaxed, graceful etiquette that is much lauded but often missing from todays soires and gatherings.

An invitation to Blairs New York home has been a rare privilege, but now, in her first book, Blair invites readers in and reveals how they too can develop their own uniquely personal style. Central to the narrative are six fantasy meals, each accompanied by a menu, recipes, table settings, and floral arrangements that are inspired by the people and places that have shaped Blairs own inimitable and envied taste and style. Each meal is set in Blairs exquisite home and is accompanied by photographer Ngoc Minh Ngos evocative images of the imaginative table settings Blair has created for her timeless dishes. Accompanying Blairs coveted eighty recipes are personal anecdotes and helpful serving suggestions. Renowned design writer and tastemaker Deborah Needleman collaborated closely with Blair to capture her vision for entertaining with fantasy and enchantment, as well as her reflections on life and how her experiences have influenced the way she lives, works, and entertains.