LEWISBURG, W.Va. (WVDN) – Following the stuffing of the swag bags provided by women’s wear fashion house Frances Valentine for the attendees of the National Garden Club convention at The Greenbrier, the members of the Lewisburg House and Garden Club hosted a meet and greet for the founder and CEO of the company.
This was facilitated by member Rebekah Foster who is the women’s wear buyer for The Greenbrier and has showcased the Frances Valentine apparel in the Bellissima shop. Through her close ties to the Frances Valentine brand, she arranged for Elyce Arons, who with Kate Spade, founded Frances Valentine, to meet with the group.
Arons was accompanied by Demi Ferraris, vice president of sales, and Arons’s 92-year-old mother, Lou Cox, who lives in Shepherdstown. Cox told the club that when she saw Shepherdstown, she told her daughter that she wanted to live there, and she had a home built for her. Cox said she loves West Virginia.
Foster introduced Arons by giving some of Arons’ background in women’s wear fashions. Arons and Spade were friends in journalism school at the University of Kansas. They, along with their husbands, were the founders of the Kate Spade brand, makers of fine handbags and shoes. Kate Spade was sold in 1999 to Neiman Marcus. Following the sale, they concentrated on their children, and at a dinner celebrating Arons’ birthday, they decided to jump back into women’s wear and cofounded Frances Valentine.
It was an entertaining meet and greet in the North Parlor with Arons and Ferraris. Arons began by telling the group how she had wanted to shoot the photos for a Frances Valentine catalog at The Greenbrier, and when that was accomplished, she felt it was one of the most beautiful catalogs they had done. Arons pointed out to Foster that The Greenbrier was one of their largest independent accounts and, until Neiman Marcus took on the brand, it was their largest. Her easy rapport with Foster and the audience made for an entertaining event.
Arons and Ferraris were very interested in the attendees’ reaction to the clothes which are available in Bellissima at The Greenbrier. Enthusiastic applause was given when it was pointed out the dresses are not only beautiful, but they also have pockets.
