The Best Fashion at The Grand Dame of the Dallas Social Season — Inside the 74th Annual Crystal Charity Ball

Taking a Trip to the South of France for a Good Cause

Isabell Novakov Higginbotham, Andrea Cheek, Christa Brown Sanford, Katy Bock, Caroline Snell Wagner, Megan Steinbach (Photo by Tamytha Cameron)

Each year in early December, I look into my crystal ball and ponder: What does the Crystal Charity Ball gala have in store for me this year? The short answer is that I journeyed to the South of France that winter evening for the theme — Expedition d’Elegance — and joined more than 1,500 guests for cocktailing, dinner, and dancing.

This year’s chair, Mary Martha Pickens, chose the jet-setting vibe because of her own love of travel, coupled with the knowledge that Dallas’ well-heeled love glittering and glamorous excursions. She didn’t reveal the final port of call that evening until the doors of the Hilton Anatole’s ballroom flung open to channel the South of France.

For the uninitiated, the Crystal Charity Ball has been the grande dame of our social season since 1952, raising funds to aid, support, and make meaningful contributions to children’s charities in Dallas County. Over the years, the committee steering the nonprofit has given close to $200 million to 160 beneficiaries. In 2025, the 100 active committee members put the goal of $7,459,305 on the table to support seven Dallas charities: Café Momentum, Christo Rey Dallas College Prep, Dallas CASA, Foundation for the Callier Center for Communication Disorders, Retina Foundation of the Southwest, The Stewpot, and West Dallas Community School.

For the second year, I invited one of my besties, Pete West, to witness the cavalcade of gowns and glittering jewels alongside me. Pickens, in Michael Faircloth haute couture, greeted everyone as we passed through the doors, which were opened by male models in white tie and top hats. The scene was bustling in the casino and silent auction areas, but of course, my mission was to check out the main attraction of the evening: the fashions.

Read more at PaperCity Magazine.