For her book party at the Burberry Galleria boutique, it seemed only fitting that Plum Sykes sported a double strand of pearls. The author of Bergdorf Blondes and The Debutante Divorcee has penned a stylish murder mystery titled Party Girls Who Die in Pearls, her first novel in a decade.
To celebrate the launch of the comic whodunit, the first of a series of mysteries set at Oxford University, where the British native went to college in the '80, Sykes touched down in Houston, where pals Allison Sarofim and Courtney Sarofim hosted the get-together featuring cocktails and canapés, including bite-sized samplings of Shepherd's Pie.
Sykes roamed the boutique, greeting each guest individually, engaging in conversation about the book, which has been described as "Clueless meets Agatha Christie," and posing for photographs with the adoring crowd. Guests also eagerly eyed the new Burberry DK88 handbag collection, which was unveiled at London Fashion Week in February, and cool jersey unisex sweatshirts emblazoned with a helmt motif inspired by Henry Moore’s 1954 drawing "Pallas Heads."
Seen in the pearl-studded crowd were Lynn Wyatt, Elyse Lanier, Susan Sarofim, Alyya Stude, Neal Hamil, Lindley Arnoldy, Ting Bresnahan, Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl, Isabel David, Dr. Jennifer Segal, Jennifer Ban, Jeremy Garcia, Carolyn Dorros and Ann Ayre.
During her whirlwind one-day visit to Houston, Sykes also huddled with CultureMap over a British breakfast of two eggs boiled for 4-1/2-minutes, double toasted toast and tea at the Hotel ZaZa (look for our interview in a future story), and signed copies of her novel at Murder By The Book.
Sykes, who is a contributing editor at Vogue magazine, launched a 10-city book tour in New York last week with a party at Brooks Brothers hosted by Zac Posen. She continues on to Chicago and Dallas this week.
Plum Sykes.
