Stylander Stands as Defining Force in Iconic Fashion and Portrait Imagery
Few photographers have shaped the visual language of celebrity and style quite like Stephanie Pfriender Stylander. A defining force behind some of the most iconic fashion and portrait imagery of the 1990s and 2000s, Pfriender Stylander helped launch the careers of cultural figures we now consider legends, most famously photographing a then-unknown Kate Moss on the streets of New York in 1992, capturing a raw, cinematic energy that would help catapult her into superstardom. See who else this trailblazer captured here.
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21st Annual Martinis at the Mansion to Benefit Beloved Tower Grove Park
The 21st annual Martinis at the Mansion is an evening of celebration, camaraderie, and community support for one of St. Louis’ most treasured green spaces, Tower Grove Park. This year’s event will take place on Friday, October 10, 2025 at 6 p.m., at the stunning Central West End home of Tower Grove Park Board Commissioner Robert Epperson and Jennifer Kingston.
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Getting the Royal Treatment
There are 68 million dog owners in the U.S. and 560,000 of them live in the St. Louis metro area. One in four people own a dog, followed closely by cats. We love our dogs and cats. We treat them as we would want to be treated –- we try to give them the best. Jessica Cooke, owner of Yuppy Puppy, has elevated that care to a whole new level. They are fast becoming the gold standard in pet care –- overtaking other luxury pet care establishments in St. Louis. Learn here how she came up with the name and gives pet parents the confidence that their precious pooches and felines get the royal treatment.
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Celebrate Halloween Season All Month Long -- Fun for Kids & Adults Alike
Can you name a place that you can go for Halloween whether you’re a soccer mom or a school-aged child? City Museum, that’s where. Yes, adults can indulge at the Vampire Bar, Covens & Cauldrons Witches Bar or at Beatnik’s Bob, while the kids enjoy all manner of fun in the spooktacular playground. Halloween season at the museum runs October 1 -26.
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The Power of What’s Possible
Beyond Housing is an organization that's proving comprehensive community development can work. At its helm is Chris Krehmeyer, president-CEO. What Beyond Housing has built represents one of the most all-encompassing community development efforts in the country — a model that refuses to see housing, education, health, economic development and civic infrastructure as distinct and separate challenges. Read here how they have positively impacted St. Louis County and the region.
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Circus Harmony St. Louis Children Return After Soaring High In Stuttgart, Germany
Eight members of the St. Louis Circus Harmony troupe just returned from Stuttgart Germany after soaring high when reuniting with their partners there, Circus Circuli! This marks the fourth collaboration between the two youth circuses from the sister cities of St. Louis, Missouri and Stuttgart, Germany.
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Just In Time for Fall Pirates & Pumpkins Makes Landfall at The St. Louis Aquarium
Just in time for fall, Pirates & Pumpkins makes landfall at The St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station. International Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19 marks the opening this special event. The pirate invasion will continue through November 2. The Aquarium is decorated with pirate-themed scenes, including a ghost ship with smoking, booming cannons. Pumpkin carving demonstrations and trick-or-treating happen as it gets closer to Halloween.
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September Symphonic Sounds Fill Art Hill As Hundreds Gather for Start of 146th Season
Contrary to popular belief, Labor Day does not signal the end of summer, rather the annual ritual on Art Hill, the SLSO free concert is summer’s swan song. The celebratory event signals the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s season opener. 2025 rings in the Gateway City’s milestone 2025/26 146th season on Wednesday, September 17th. The festivities begin at 7pm. Fireworks will emblazon the skies over Forest Park’s Grand Basin to top of the night.
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Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars Collected for Annual OxFest Music Festival for Local Charities
Since 2017, OxFest has donated more than $322,000 to local charities that help and support children. Providing scholarships for local high school students; grants for teachers to improve their classrooms; and helping impoverished rural families with children receive the healthcare they need, the OxFest Music Festival is expected to add thousands of dollars to the causes. Held this year on the Washington Fairgrounds in Washington, MO on Saturday, September 20th, gates open at 11:30am. Music begins at 12pm.
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Suddenly September
Fall is in the air. Can’t you feel it? Yes, the calendar still says August, but Mother Nature says otherwise. In true St. Louis fashion, she flipped the script on us again and the weather went from a hot and humid 97 one week to 72 degrees the next, with not a humid in sight. And the nights. Once the moon makes his nightly debut during this faux fall, the temps dip into the 50’s. Sugar plum sparks dance above bonfires. Hoodies and sweaters are donned. Suddenly, it feels like fall is here. And not a moment too soon. Because Sophisticated Living’s September/October issue is here.
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Wish You Were Here
The final days of summer are here. Labor Day, the unofficial end to the summer season, is but two weeks away. Yet many of us are still summering in the Bahamas, the Keys, California coasts, or even Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera. Chic summer garb is a must. Following are some suggestions that will make a splash.
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Summer Sparkle
Since summer is the perfect time for a swim, it might be time to go to take a deep dive into your jewelry box and see what you find in the treasure chest. If you come up a little short, perhaps it’s time to replenish your supply of summer trinkets. Enjoy these selections plucked from distinctive treasure troves that you may want to dip into. Take the plunge are ensure that your next visit to a resort, dinner out with your significant other, or trip to a summer party at the club will make you sparkle, both inside and out.
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Tennessee Williams Festival Boosted by Record Amount Raised at Annual Society Pool Party
Here’s a recipe for the perfect society event for a scorching St. Louis summer day. Take one part historic mansion. Mix with 75 patrons of the arts. Add the cast of Tennessee Williams’ hottest play. Stir in a heaping helping of brie, beignets, and berries. Garnish with a spritz of sparkling summer libations. Splash liberally in a newly-installed pool. And voilà! You have the ingredients for the Tennessee Williams “Brunch with Blanche” Pool Party Fundraiser to raise a record sum for the storied institution’s 10th season. Click here to see all how it all turned out.
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Queen of the Night
Lambert International is slated for a multi-billion-dollar update. Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge will overseeing it all. Prior to her appointment as director, the vital regional economic engine had seen drastic decreases in the number of flights in and out. Hamm-Niebruegge is a visionary. Under her watch, the airport is set to undergo a vast transformation. She has received approval from the airlines to spend the first $1 billion on the first of two phases. While preserving the airport’s historic Minoru Yamasaki dome windows and the ticket lobby, the two existing terminals will be raised to become one. The western half is slated to open by the end of 2028; the eastern portion by the end of 2031.
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Returning to the Garden, and St. Louis
Founded in 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden is the oldest botanical garden in continuous operation in the United States and one of the most respected plant research institutions in the world. With the 2025 appointment of Dr. Lúcia G. Lohmann as president and director—the first woman to hold this prestigious role—the Garden enters a bold new era, bridging its storied legacy with a forward-thinking vision for sustainability, education, and global scientific leadership. See more of the garden here.
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An Invitation to Savor
At Baetje Farms, nestled in the quiet countryside of Bloomsdale, Missouri, visitors are offered more than just a tour — they are invited into a slower rhythm of life, where craft, care and connection to the land shape everything from world renowned cheese to hospitality. Although only 52 miles outside the city, in a world moving at hyper speed, Baetje Farms offers a pause where guests are embraced by a cathedral of trees and natural borders of river and wild growth.
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Brunch With Blanche Pool Party Raises Funds for Streetcar & Beyond 10th Anniversary Season of Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
For ten years now, the institution (and yes, they can officially call it an institution at the decade mark) has lifted high the banner and has been the siren call that beckons all to bask in the brilliance of St. Louis’ adopted son, and arguably the greatest playwright in the nation, the inimitable Tennessee Williams. This month and next, the festival shifts into high gear with events at the St. Louis County Library, the Missouri History Museum, a CWE mansion, and the eleven day festival itself in the Grand Center Arts District.
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As the Planet Heats Up, So Does Midsummer in St. Louis as Shown in Our July/August Issue
As you globe trot this summer, you may notice that the planet is getting warmer. 2024 was the warmest year on record since 1880. Record-setting temps have swept the country in June, and St. Louis is no exception with the heat index soaring to 105 degrees or more. It’s about to heat up a whole lot more, especially when the July/August issue of Sophisticated Living St. Louis hits your mailbox, or you pick it up at one of our advertisers. If you’re reading this, you’re probably from the Show-Me State, and as always we SHOW YOU the best in fashion, travel, cuisine, architecture, design, and philanthropic endeavors to be, well, for lack of a better word...seen.
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Missouri History Museum Ignited Pride Month with a Bonanza of LGBTQIA+ Performers with Its Annual "Queer Writes Celebration
On June 5th, Joan Lipkin’s “Queer Writes 2025” at the Missouri History Museum helped launch Pride Month this year. In its third outing, the community was showcased. In 2023, the award-winning theatre artist, Lipkin, founded this out-of-the-box literary event of local LGBTQ+ writers or those with St Louis roots. It was the most ambitious production to date. “Queer Writes” is part of the Missouri History Museum’s Pride Month programming as well as its Thursday Night at the Museum series.
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Time to Grab Your Fanciest Hats and Cheer for the Fastest Horses at the 151st Kentucky Derby
Grab your hats & cheer for your horses for Kentucky Derby Day, this year held on Saturday, May 3rd. If you can’t hop a flight to Louisville, and don’t want to sit on your couch to watch on TV, here are some ways to get out and about to Watch Parties in St. Louis to enjoy the 151st Run for the Roses and sport your finest Derby hat.
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