Big hair, bold colors and even bigger hearts set the scene as more than 150 donors turned back the clock to the swinging ’60s for The Muny’s third annual Groovy Do fundraiser before the June 18 performance of Hairspray. The Broadhurst Pavilion was buzzing as guests mixed, mingled and got their groove on while raising more than $95,000 to help make the magic of The Muny accessible to everyone. Chaired by Cheree Berry, Ashley Kemper and Brooke Ray, the colorful celebration supported everything from nearly 1,500 free seats at every performance to ASL interpretation, audio description, closed captioning, assistive listening and wheelchair assistance. It was an evening where fabulous fun met a meaningful mission—proving that at The Muny, everyone deserves a seat, everyone deserves to experience the magic, and generosity is always in style.

Fashion lovers, consider yourselves in on one of St. Louis’ best-kept style secrets. On Sunday, October 4, the fifth Anomaly Fashion Experience: Off White After Five takes over The Majorette in Maplewood for an evening of runway fashion, art, creativity and community. Guests are encouraged to make their own fashion statement in shades of off-white while discovering local designers including Kraze Krystals, Upgrade My Diva, Lila Mae, Laha, Embellishments Adorned, HZuchelli and Designs By J. Stocking. The evening will also honor 2026 Anomaly Award recipients Dr. Veronic Lewis-Kelly, Courtney Goad and Jade Harrell. For Sophisticated Living readers who love discovering emerging talent before everyone else does, this is one fashion experience you won't want to miss.

In the wake of Dolly Parton’s recent passing, St. Louis has an opportunity to celebrate not only the unforgettable music of the beloved entertainer, but also her extraordinary legacy of giving. The Dolly Show Starring Kelly O’Brien comes to The Factory in Chesterfield on Tuesday, October 27, taking audiences on a glittering journey through six decades of Dolly classics, including Jolene, 9 to 5, Islands in the Stream and I Will Always Love You. O’Brien, endorsed by the Parton family and selected by Dolly Parton Enterprises as Dolly’s official body double for film, brings the legend’s voice, humor, warmth and signature rhinestone glamour to the stage. Even more meaningful, The Factory will donate $1 from every ticket sold to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, helping continue the literacy mission Dolly championed for decades. Sophisticated Living encourages St. Louis to fill The Factory, celebrate an extraordinary life and help ensure Dolly’s generosity lives on. Come for the music. Celebrate the legend. Help continue the legacy.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but The Hamsa Wellness Community at the J is encouraging St. Louisans to move beyond awareness and take action. On Sunday, October 25, its annual Beyond Pink event brings together education, exercise and community resources for a free morning dedicated to cancer prevention, wellness and survivorship. Participants can learn about hereditary cancer risks and genetic testing while exploring resources from leading St. Louis cancer organizations and taking part in Zumba, T’ai Chi, restorative movement and specialized Yoga for Cancer and Strength Over Cancer programs. With breast cancer touching approximately one in eight American women during their lifetime, understanding personal and family risk, following appropriate screening recommendations and embracing healthy lifestyle choices can be powerful steps. Whether you are facing cancer, supporting someone you love, celebrating survivorship or simply becoming more proactive about your health, Beyond Pink offers an important reminder: awareness gets our attention, but knowledge, movement and action can make a difference.

A decade ago when this homeowner strolled through the front door of this century home in Parkview Place, she was moonstruck. “It was love at first sight,” she recalls. While the home captured her heart, the décor did not. While the previous owners took great care of the 1923 home, it hadn’t been updated since the 1980’s. So, the homeowners sought out interior designers and landed on Channing Krichevsky and Maria Hogrefe of C&M Interiors. Read on to learn of the transformation.

In September, the eyes of the interior design world collectively cast its discerning gaze on Paris for the Maison&Objet show and Paris Design Week. Read on for a behind-the-scenes look at how Parisian designers and artisans Franck Genser and Bina Baitel employ a transdisciplinary approach to bring elegant and exciting interiors to life.

When Chelsea, founder of Chelsea Design Company, took on the hurculean task of transforming an aging farmhouse into a 21st-century stunner, an elegant farmhouse in Kimmswick, Missouri on the Mississippi was the result. Read here how she and her team rose to the challenge.

It took a St. Louis family five years to find just the right property for their second home. But once they did, they immediately knew it was right for them. When they found their spot, they knew it was perfect at first sight: 170 acres of rolling hills, high vistas in the Augusta-Defiance area.

Picturesquely perched on a hilltop near the commune of Champillon, is The Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa. The site offers sweeping views of UNESCO-listed vineyards, forest, and the nearby quaint village of Hautvillers. In the 19th-century, it was a frequent rest stop for Napoleon Bonaparte. Now, one can soak up the rays of luxury in France's historic Champagne region at the hotel. See the breathtaking pictures here.

Under Canvas at Yellowstone National Park is the segment-defining brand that offers upscale safari-style accommodations and unparalleled access to some of the United States' most iconic and beloved outdoor destinations. Take a look see at images that will make you want to plan your next getaway with a quickness.

Debbie and Craig Kaminer embarked upon a trip to Florence, Italy last fall, where they first met in 1985. Celebrating both their 35th wedding anniversary and their 60th birthdays with their adult kids and dear friends, they experienced a dream come true. Journey with them on the trip of a lifetime.

The Boca Raton, an iconic South Florida resort, is a sprawling property encompassing five lodging options, The Cloister, the Bungalows, the Tower, the Beach Club, and the Yacht Club. It is just the getaway one might need from the bone-chilling, arctic, sub-zero temperatures and the snow and ice storms blanketing much of the nation. Read here to experience this stately paradise in pictures and words.

The annual Dancing with the St. Louis Stars 2024 Competition and Gala benefiting the Independence Center, raised a record $650,000-plus this year. Sponsored by Emerson and held at the Ritz-Carlton, guests were treated to dance numbers by local luminaries. Read on for a glimpse inside the stellar event.

What do treasure hunts, swashbuckling and providing free resources have in common? Each can be accomplished by attending this year’s St. Louis Public Library Foundation’s Stranger than Fiction: X Marks the Spot fundraising event to support Central Library on Saturday, March 2nd. Unearth the details here.

The Big Muddy Ball: An Evening for Movers and Shakers” took place on Saturday, November 4, 2023 at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA). The Big Muddy Dancers’ glamorous gala event created long-lasting memories of the stunning dance repertoire, live music, dinner, cocktails, and an after-party. Our community of movers and shakers showed up and showed out to help build the future of The Big Muddy Dance Company. Click the pic glimpse some of the movement that night.

January and February have a smorgasbord of sumptuous events guaranteed to satisfy the most sophisticated pallet for exploring our town. Read here about the many things to do this winter as you get out and about.

Dena Ladd's latest venture ties her experience in fashion working in luxury goods with Christian Dior to her passion for research. She recently introduced a line of jewelry and accessories called Flora Jaine, featuring delicate gold and silver cannabis leaves. Part of the proceeds from Flora Jaine will go to fund research projects for Missouri Cures, which endeavor to find a cure for cancer, Parkinson's, and other devastating diseases.

It's not every day that a European-trained fashion designer from Delaware starts a business, launches a full line of women’s custom and ready-to-wear clothing, falls in love, comes to St. Louis, and decides to stay. “But that is exactly where Audra Noyes Herndon’s success story starts. Read on and discover her catapult to worldwide success.

I am excited to live in a multi-ethnic, multi-national, multi-lingual, multi-religious country which defends the rights of ALL. This has never happened in the history of the world. But we are hitting speed bumps. The world isn’t left or right, blue or red, Judeo-Christian or Muslim, conservative or liberal. We all live on this continuum, yet our world is being run by extremists who benefit when we can’t agree. Political experts agree that the conditions in the U.S. are frighteningly similar to those just prior to the Civil War. With the world seemingly on fire, don’t we have bigger issues than fighting among ourselves? If you want to meet and discuss the world and our differences, please contact me. Read further for details.

For decades, I made New Year resolutions. Spend less. Save more. Go to the gym. Lose 15 pounds. None of it ever happened. In the last few years, that list has shimmied down to one: Be kind. The older I get, the less impressed I am with anything but kindness. I’ve decided that my resolution for 2024 is to fight for the underdog, help the vulnerable, advocate for sanity—and against haters. To do the right thing. And, above all else and without exception, to be kind. Read more here.

As I write this publisher’s letter for Sophisticated Living, a magazine which focuses on the art of living, I want to encourage each and every one of you to remember the treasured moments of life. Practice the art of living this holiday season. As we wrap up 2023, live a little, or a lot. Peace and prosperity to all.

Next time our leaders, colleagues, business associates, family members, or we lie to ourselves, call them — or ourselves — out.  Don’t brush it under the rug because he/she represents your party, business interests, or family harmony. Read here as Publisher Craig Kaminer reflects on how lies have become distressingly prevalent infiltrating the fabric of our society.

Jazz St. Louis presents “Swing for Tomorrow’s Stars” — A two-night gala held at Jazz St. Louis and the Chase Park Plaza. For two nights, electricity will buzz through the town from one end to the other — From Midtown to the Central West End. From the Gateway Arch and up and down the Mighty Mississippi and beyond, people will feel the power — the power of jazz. Read on to learn about “the event of the decade.”

The Contemporary Art Museum works to enrich lives and inspire curiosity, creativity, and learning through experiences with contemporary art. Its mission is to create meaningful engagement with the most relevant and innovative art being made today in a welcoming space of architectural significance. And, it’s free to all. Read here how it made its move from Laclede’s Landing to the Grand Arts Center in a big way.

Presented by the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation, The 2024 St. Louis Teen Talent Competition’s workshops continue through Saturday, December 16, 2023. Auditions begin in January 2024. The adjudicated competition has become a platform for high school students to celebrate their passion, dedication, and love of the performing arts while competing for scholarships and cash prizes, and it will take center stage at The Finals in March 2024, at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. Read on for details.

This November, Cinema St. Louis (CSL) is thrilled to unveil the 32nd Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF), set to captivate audiences at the historic Hi-Pointe Theatre, CSL’s new forever home, as well as at multiple venues across the city including the Alamo Drafthouse, Webster University, Washington University and more. Read on for everything to know about the annual event.

The spirit of philanthropy is alive and well in St. Louis thanks to its generous donors. Sophisticated Living is proud to once again harness that spirit of giving back to the community in the annual issue of the Sophisticated Giving Charity Register. Peruse the pages virtually here.

Day by day, Christmas Day inches closer.  Time to gather those gifts.  Want one more gift to put under the tree?  Then hop in your sleigh, rev up your reindeer and head on out to Ladue’s Hearth & Soul.  They will jingle your bells all the way to December 25th with their BELIEVE Christmas Giveaway. 

Just in time for the holidays, Washington University alums Jessica Lanzberg and Olivia Putterman launch Wonder Togs Talking Tees, a new high-tech lifestyle brand that blends technology and fashion to bring a child’s wardrobe to life. Read on to learn how they worked with veteran creative marketers Norty Cohen and Brian Clever to make one little girl named Rosie’s favorite zoo animals come to life.

One of the finest purveyor’s of fly rods, exquisite rod cases, purses and trunks, and carefully crafted canoes is located not in Montana, rather in Maplewood, Missouri. Read here how Amelia Tufts and Gabe Batson are making their company “fly.”

Founder and Chief Executive Office of Green Street Real Estate Ventures foresees a “Magic City.” The company’s approach is to buy sizable swathes of land for building apartments, family residences, offices, and, what he terms “the magic sauce,” entertainment. Read on to learn more about how Green Steet is transforming the landscape of St. Louis for people who are interested in, as he says, “An experiential lifestyle that’s office, entertainment, and how you live.”