North Texas Shopping Tradition, Partners Card, Kicks Off With a Brunch and Fashion Preview at Eataly Dallas

Black Card? I don’t even know her. Come late October in Dallas, there’s only one card that matters: Partners Card.

If you’re unfamiliar with Partners Card, allow me to break it down. When you purchase a (digital) card for $75, you receive a 20 percent discount at more than 600 retailers from the last Friday in October through the first Sunday in November. In Dallas, Partners Card is serious business and marks the unofficial start of the holiday shopping frenzy.

To kick off things off, NorthPark Center hosted a Brunch & Fashion Preview at Eataly on Friday, October 25.

It made sense that the event took place at NorthPark Center, as more than 75 retailers at Dallas’ shopping mecca elected to participate in the beloved signature fundraiser for The Family Place.

Elizabeth Ward Creel and Tiffany Moon co-chaired Partners Card this year. Kristin Hallam and Jennifer Munoz served as the luncheon chairs, with Nancy Bierman as the luncheon’s honorary chair.

At almost any luncheon, the charity sells the floral centerpieces at each table for a nominal donation (typically $50 to $75). As an added incentive, sometimes the flowers cleverly double as a “fast pass” in the valet line. The Family Place upped the ante with a fabulously compelling incentive. If you purchased the flowers at your table, you also received (drum roll)… valet parking at NorthPark Center for an entire year. Suffice it to say, the flowers were a hot commodity. (I’ll try not to be too smug as I cruise up to the valet stand in front of Neiman’s come December.)

Located on the top floor of Eataly, Terra provided the fabulous spread, which included avocado toast on rustic sourdough, smoked salmon with crispy capers, and arrosticini (grilled lamb skewers with a zesty lemon drizzle).

The fashion preview included seasonal looks from six favorite NorthPark Center retailers — Etro, Maje, Sandro, Scanlan Theodore, St. John, and Hill House, whose first Texas store officially opened its doors five days later (to much fanfare!).

The Family Place supporters in attendance included CEO Tiffany Tate, Dr. Courtney Derderian, Erika Burton, Erin Mathews, Nancy Scripps, Samantha Wortley, Sally Pretorius Hodge, Clarisa Lindenmeyer, Jess Bass Bolander, Kimberly Whitman, Effie Denison, Nakita Johnson, Lauren Black, and Marjon Henderson.

Like having lunch in a mid-century department store (or anywhere on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach today), the models effortlessly floated through the light and bright restaurant, taking time to stop at tables for guests to admire the fashion up close. While I was still enjoying a frittata, my friend purchased the red Tulle Ellie Nap Dress on her phone from Hill House, one of the participants who also extended the Partners Card discount online.

As the event concluded, the chairs invited guests to keep the party going with mid-day “after parties” that included dessert and special activations at Creed, Etro, Glossier, Kendra Scott, and Rothy’s.

I used my Partners Card to buy everything from salted Italian butter at Eataly to a festive sequin skirt at J.Crew. For charity, of course.