Had a fun morning in New Orleans last weekend at Leontine Linens with some girlfriends and our bride-to-be, designing her hand-sewn jewelry round. New Orleans is a sentimental place for my dear friend Lauren, thus the gift felt particularly personal. Leontine is a must on Magazine Street.
'Party Like a Southerner'
One of the very first stops I make when I'm in New Orleans is Leontine Linens on Magazine Street. Jane Scott Hodges' shop is an absolute jewel box full of beautiful, finely crafted monogrammed linens. Each piece is cut and sewn by an artisan to the specification of the client and with an array of intricate stitches, you will swoon at the mere sight of such couture. There is something just so wonderfully old-fashioned about coveting these pieces in an everyday modern fashion. Perhaps it's a modern nod for keeping the old-world romance alive.
In Garden & Gun's October/November issue, they point to Jane Scott Hodges who makes a case for the garden landscape as the main stage for celebrations. Above, is the home of her Aunt, Ruthie Frierson, an avid gardener and a well respected activist in the New Orleans community. The women and their families have enjoyed many parties among the greenery and Jane insists that enjoying the outdoors is quite often more desirable than hosting indoors: “There’s a freedom to entertaining in an unconfined environment, in discovering lily pads and vines instead of appreciating furniture or finery,” she says. “It allows for an intimacy you can’t have in a living room.”
Jane's new book, 'Linens for Every Room and Occasion' was released last spring and remains on my list of must-haves for my expanding collection of coffee table books. 
