2025 inauguration : fashion & table settings

Happy Tuesday! Please remember that this a non-political post and I just wanted to share some fashion, the table setting and menu from yesterday’s inauguration.

 

This first part is just a show-and-tell of some of the pretty ball gowns seen last night with just a little bit of interesting trivia. Did you know Ivanka’s gown was inspired by a very famous dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in 1954?

 

Photo by Remoulade Sauce on X 

I really love all the fashion I’m sharing with you all today. First up, of course is the First Lady, Melania Trump. It’s simple, elegant and so stylish!! This white with black gown compliments Ivanka Trump Kushner’s gown so perfectly!   

   

Photo by Remoulade Sauce on X 

Here’s Ivanka’s Givenchy gown inspired by Audrey Hepburn’s beautiful dress she wore in the movie Sabrina. I just love it!! It’s such a classic style and a wonderful nod to Audrey and Givenchy! (More on Audrey’s iconic dress in a minute…)  

 

Photo by Remoulade Sauce on X 

Beautiful Tiffany earrings worn earlier in the day by Ivanka. 

Photo by Remoulade Sauce on X 

The Second Lady of the USA, Usha Vance, looked equally stunning in this sparkly gown by Reem Akra in the most beautiful blue color.

 

Eric Trump’s wife Lara is seen here in a lovely red gown with sister-in-law Tiffany Trump. Tiffany is expecting and looks pretty in this silver-grey gown.

 

Photo by Remoulade Sauce on X 

First granddaughter and teenager Kai Trump, daughter of Donald Jr, wows the crowd in this Sherri Hill beaded gown.

 

 

Sabrina happens to be one of my favorite movies, so this custom Givenchy dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in the party scene is etched into my memory. You can see how pretty all the details are…

 

 

I found this colorized photo of Audrey and a couple of cute poodles on the internet and it looks like the embroidered design of this famous dress is different shades of brown, but alas, it’s not accurate.

 

Here are a few current pictures of the same exact dress Audrey wore in the movie. As you can see it has yellowed considerably over the last 70 years but still looks as gorgeous as ever!

 

It was sold at auction last year for $125,000. This dress was one of many rescued by Debbie Reynolds when the big studios like MGM sold off most of their costumes and props many years ago.

 

Now on to the table settings! You know how much I love a tablescape, so I wanted to give you all an up-close and personal look at how they set the tables yesterday for the 2025 inauguration.

 

The tablecloths are a patriotic navy-blue color, but with muted tones. This color is the perfect backdrop for the gold flatware and gold-rimmed plates used here for this official event.

 

Lots of pretty white and neutral colored flowers line the length of the main table. I spot mostly roses, a few anemones, and maybe a few ranunculus.

 

Handwritten in pretty calligraphy, the place cards here reflect some pretty famous names!!

 

Here’s an overview of the whole room during the inauguration luncheon yesterday. This is the Statuary Hall in the US Capital building.  

 

And now for my favorite bit of info from yesterday’s big luncheon, the menu!! What did all these illustrious people eat for lunch!?

 

Wonder no more! Crab Cakes (yum), Ribeye Steak and basically a fancy apple pie a la mode! Works for me!!

Some Photos by Remoulade Sauce on X, and Getty Images

 

In case you haven’t heard, I started a new Instagram page in October and named it Claudia Fabiana Home. My former page is still up, but after getting a new phone, I was no longer able to log into this account, so the new profile was born!

 

I hope you’ll follow along with me on Instagram for all the latest projects and décor I will be sharing in 2025.

 

 

 

ciao fabiana

 

 

For lots of fun extras, follow me on Instagram!

 

 

 

You can check out some of my favorites here at “Tablescaping Essentials” 

 

 

 

Please note that this post may contain affiliate links.

 

dinner and a movie

Roman Holiday (1953) 

Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck share an understated chemistry together in this sweet romantic film.  Set in 1950's, Hepburn plays a sheltered European Princess who escapes her royal duties while she is visiting Rome.  Fate is on her side, when she is  rescued by hunky American newsman, Joe Bradley.  His intensions may seem purely selfish, but the princess soon  innocently wins his heart.

  

Peck and Hepburn are both so sweet, charming and gorgeous in this film.  It truly transports you to another  time and place.  The supporting actors are also well  cast, including Eddie Albert as Joe's best friend and a variety of authentic Italian players, who make you feel so drawn into the story.  This Oscar-winning performance is Audrey Hepburn's first starring role,  and there's no denying her talent.  She's breathtaking.

Open a bottle of wine and order a gourmet Margherita pizza.  I suggest you start off with an easy-to-make Tuna Bruschetta (recipe below the photo gallery).   And then finish it off with some  gelato.  It'll feel almost like a mini-vacation.  Ciao!

Tuna Bruschetta aka 

Bruschetta con Tonno

Recipe courtesy Mario Batali  Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup canned tomatoes, crushed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 bunch parsley, leaves chopped
• Fresh bread crumbs made from 1 slice white bread, crusts removed and torn into large pieces
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Pinch chili flakes
• 1 pound fresh tuna, large dice
• 12 (3/4-inch) slices Italian peasant bread, toasted

Directions

In a 12-inch saute pan, heat the olive oil over high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the tuna and cook until white and just cooked, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and tomatoes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add parsley.

Meanwhile, soak the bread crumbs in the milk.

Remove the garlic from the saute pan, and discard. Add the soaked bread to the pan. Season the mixture again with salt and pepper. Use a fork to gently mash the mixture.

Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with chili flakes. Place the mixture into a mixing bowl. Either spoon on the toasted breads and serve, or serve the mixture in the bowl, surrounded by the bread.

ciao! fabiana

my favorite Audrey Hepburn book

I'm loving this new book about Audrey Hepburn! “Audrey at Home” is lovingly written by her son Luca Dotti, and the best part about it is that this book includes dozens of her favorite recipes that she prepared for her family and friends. 

It's a combination cookbook, memory book and biography from the viewpoint of a son remembering his mother. Luca includes lots and lots of intimate family photos of Audrey just being a mom, a hostess and occasionally a movie star. 

This is the perfect book for me, as I love Audrey, bios and cooking! The great news is that most of the recipes are for yummy Italian dishes, with a few Dutch and French specialties thrown in.  I am sharing a some of my favorite pages from the book here, as well as three recipes. 

The Tricolore Caprese Salad with the addition of avocado sounds amazing! I'm fixing that for Labor Day. 

 Bon appetit!

Pandeli’s Sea Bass en Papillote 

This dish is from Pandeli restaurant in Istanbul, which my parents visited after falling in love on a cruise in 1968. There’s a photograph of them on the restaurant wall – Mum is laughing, Dad is studying the menu. 

I try to imagine him struggling over the words Le bar en papillote – sea bass in parchment (though in this case it’s cooked in foil to retain moisture).  

Serves 4

·    20 cherry tomatoes, quartered

·    1 medium shallot, finely chopped

·    A few sprigs of parsley, finely chopped

·    A few sprigs of basil, finely chopped

·    4 potatoes, boiled, peeled and sliced into 1cm (½in) rounds

·    8 sprigs of fresh thyme

·    4 sea bass fillets, approximately 1kg (2lb 4oz) in total

·    Sea salt to taste

·    Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Mix the cherry tomatoes with the shallot, parsley and basil. You’ll need 8 sheets of aluminium foil. Set out 4 sheets.  On each sheet, prepare a bed with potato slices and thyme sprigs, lay a sea bass fillet on top, then top each fillet with salt, pepper and the chopped tomato mixture.  Enclose each ‘packet’ with a second sheet, being careful to seal well so that no sauce escapes, but leaving room above the fish so it won’t cling to the foil. Bake for about 20 minutes. Carefully open the packets directly at the table when you serve the fish.

Tricolore Caprese Salad

This salad, originally from the Italian island of Capri, is one of my mother’s classic dishes.

Serves 4

·    2 medium-ripe avocados, pitted, peeled and cut into 5mm (¼in) slices

·    450g (1lb) buffalo mozzarella, cut into 5mm (¼in) slices

·    2 large tomatoes, cut into 5mm (¼in) slices

·    Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

·    Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

·    Fine sea salt

·    A handful of basil leaves, torn

Alternate slices of avocado, mozzarella and tomato on a platter.  Drizzle the oil and balsamic vinegar over all, season with salt, and sprinkle with basil leaves.

Spaghetti al Pomodoro

Mum had a serious addiction – she couldn’t do without pasta. In restaurants, she’d ask, ‘If it isn’t too complicated, a lovely, simple pasta al pomodoro with a bit of olive oil would make me so happy.’ 

At home, it would be her way of saying to friends, ‘Here, this is my house, this is how I am, don’t expect me to be otherwise.’ Serves 4

·    1.3kg (3lb) vine-ripened tomatoes, cored and coarsely diced

·    1 onion, peeled and left whole

·    1 celery stalk, cleaned and left whole

·    1 carrot, cleaned and left whole

·    6 basil leaves, chopped, plus whole leaves to garnish

·    Extra-virgin olive oil

·    A pinch of sugar

·    Sea salt

·    Freshly ground black pepper

·    500g (1lb) dried spaghetti

·    Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Start by cooking the tomatoes in a large pan with a lid over a high heat, together with the onion, the celery and the carrot, for about 10 minutes to soften the vegetables.

Remove the lid and keep boiling for 10-15 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Lower the heat to medium-low, and add the basil leaves and a drizzle of oil. The sauce is ready when, as they say in Naples, it is ‘pipiotta’ – when the bubbles are no longer made of water but rather small craters of sauce. 

Remove from the stove, remove and discard the largest vegetable chunks, let the sauce cool, then purée it. Add a drizzle of olive oil and adjust the flavour with a pinch of sugar. Season with salt and pepper.

To cook the spaghetti al dente (firm to the bite), fill a large pot with cold water and place over a high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add a small handful of sea salt and the pasta. 

When done, remove the pot from the stove (perhaps even a minute sooner than the cooking time suggested on the package). Drain and add to the sauce with a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Toss and garnish with a few leaves of basil.

VARIATION - Mum also loved a light version of the classic pasta all’amatriciana. She’d cut prosciutto into strips and brown it in a small skillet until crisp, then blot it on paper towels before adding to the puréed pomodoro sauce and simmering over a low heat for a few minutes.

ciao! fabiana

be happy

“The most important thing is to enjoy your life, 

to be happy, it's all that matters.”   

― Audrey Hepburn

ciao! fabiana

june garden

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”

                                              ― Audrey Hepburn

ciao! fabiana

image via bhg

small tokens of love

Sending lovely thoughts and valentine wishes your way this week with a few sweet images and inspiring sentiments... 

"Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."  -- mother teresa

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”  -- martin luther king, jr.

"The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love." 

--hubert humphrey

“The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.”  -- audrey hepburn

“Friends can help each other. A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself - and especially to feel. Or, not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. That's what real love amounts to - letting a person be what he really is.”  

-- jim morrison

ciao! fabiana

photo credit:

Ballard Designs

Justine Taylor

Grey Likes Weddings

Martha Stewart

See Kate Sew

Ciao Newport Beach Blog