A Recap of Fashioning History: featuring Nancy Johnson, Rowan Beaird, Melanie Benjamin, and Rebecca Makkai
The Chicago Literary Salon — March 19, 2026
There are evenings that feel beautifully planned—and then there are evenings that take on a life of their own. Fashioning History, our March Chicago Literary Salon, was the latter: a night where literature, fashion, and women’s stories intertwined in a way that felt both intimate and expansive, celebratory and deeply reflective.
Hosted inside the stunning Chicago showroom of M.M.LaFleur, the evening unfolded as a tribute to Women’s History Month—honoring the ways women have shaped, and continue to shape, their worlds through voice, presence, and personal style.
Cocktail Hour: A Room in Conversation
Guests arrived to a softly lit showroom, greeted by the gentle hum of conversation and the clink of glasses. The cocktail hour set the tone for the evening—elevated, welcoming, and designed for connection.
Light refreshments were thoughtfully curated, including an elegant spread of cheese, charcuterie, and crudités, alongside a curated selection of red and white wines provided by M.M.LaFleur. Tequila sodas by Inspiro Tequila added a crisp, refreshing touch—clean, luminous, and perfectly suited to the atmosphere.
As guests mingled, they were invited to engage with our printed conversation prompts—an essential element of the Salon experience. These questions, placed throughout the space, sparked thoughtful dialogue among strangers who quickly became friends:
What do you tend to wear when you want to feel powerful, confident, or ready for an important moment?
Do you think fashion still communicates social status as strongly as it once did, or has the meaning of “luxury” evolved?
If someone looked at your wardrobe, what story might it tell about you?
Do you think clothing reveals who we truly are, or do we sometimes use it to become someone slightly different?
In between conversations, guests explored the beautifully merchandised M.M.LaFleur collection—an experience that felt less like shopping and more like stepping into a philosophy of purposeful design. There was a quiet joy in seeing women try on pieces, style one another, and reflect on how clothing can shape not just how we are seen, but how we move through the world.
The Conversation: Fashioning History
As guests settled in, we gathered for an intimate panel conversation featuring four extraordinary authors:
Melanie Benjamin
Rowan Beaird
Nancy Johnson
Rebecca Makkai
Together, they explored the intersection of clothing, identity, ambition, class, and resistance—considering how fashion operates as both a personal language and a historical artifact.
Melanie Benjamin spoke to the role of clothing in bringing historical figures to life, revealing emotional truths through texture, silhouette, and detail. Rowan Beaird offered a contemporary lens on reinvention and womanhood, reflecting on how style can mirror internal transformation. Nancy Johnson examined the ways fashion intersects with race and class, particularly in her depictions of mid-century America. And Rebecca Makkai brought her signature depth and nuance, considering how what we wear can signal both belonging and rebellion.
The conversation moved fluidly—at times analytical, at times deeply personal—mirroring the very themes it sought to explore.
A Moment in Style
One of the most special elements of the evening was that M.M.LaFleur graciously dressed all four authors—as well as myself as host—creating a visual continuity between conversation and setting.
I wore The Meredith Executive Dress – Heritage Tweed, a piece designed for presence and intention. With its elegant boat neckline, dolman sleeves, and midi-length silhouette, it felt like stepping into a role—one that quietly echoed the evening’s themes of confidence, clarity, and purpose.
After the Applause
Following the panel, the evening softened into something even more intimate.
Guests lingered—continuing conversations, asking questions, and connecting one-on-one with the authors. Books were purchased through our partner bookstore, Three Avenues Bookshop, and signed in quiet, meaningful exchanges.
It’s in these moments—the unstructured, unscripted ones—that the heart of the Salon reveals itself.
A Parting Gesture
As the evening came to a close, guests who purchased tickets to our upcoming salons departed with curated gift bags featuring contributions from an incredible group of partners:
M.M.LaFleur, Three Avenues Bookshop, Ten|4 Candle Co., The Scout Guide Chicago, Muscle and Joint Physical Therapy, HastyBookList.com, Boka Restaurant Group, That Face, Bookshop.org, Rach B Jewelry, and Mahj Day.
Each item was selected with intention—a small extension of the evening, designed to linger.
Why We Gather
At its core, Fashioning History was about more than fashion or literature. It was about the act of gathering—of creating space for thoughtful conversation, for reflection, for connection.
In a room filled with readers, writers, and women from all walks of life, something quietly powerful happened: strangers became friends, stories were shared, and for a few hours, we were all part of something larger than ourselves.
This is the magic of the Chicago Literary Salon. And we’re just getting started.
March 19, 2026 @ 6:00 PM
M.M.LaFleur | 230 W Huron St, Chicago, IL 60654
Join us for a special edition of the Chicago Literary Salon, Fashioning History—an intimate evening of conversation at the intersection of literature, fashion, and women’s lives—hosted inside the Chicago showroom of M.M.LaFleur.
This salon brings together three acclaimed authors whose work explores history through the deeply personal lenses of identity, ambition, class, and resistance. Our conversation will consider how clothing, style, and self-presentation shape women’s stories—on the page and in real life.
Your evening includes:
An intimate panel conversation exploring history, fashion, power, and the ways women shape—and are shaped by—the worlds they inhabit
Light refreshments, including an elegant selection of cheese, charcuterie, and crudités
A curated offering of red and white wines
Printed conversation prompts designed to encourage thoughtful dialogue and connection
The opportunity to gather inside M.M.LaFleur, a women-led brand committed to purposeful design, community, and gender equity, and shop their latest collection at a 15% discount
This salon is designed to feel both elevated and welcoming—a chance to engage deeply with ideas, connect with fellow readers, and spend an evening in conversation that lingers long after the last glass is poured.
Seating is extremely limited.
Reserve your seat for Fashioning History today.
The evening will feature a panel conversation with:
Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of nine works of historical fiction, including The Aviator’s Wife, The Swans of Fifth Avenue, Mistress of the Ritz, The Children’s Blizzard, and upcoming The Windsor Affair. Her novels—translated into more than fifteen languages and frequently optioned for film—bring iconic women and hidden histories vividly to life. A Midwest native and longtime Chicago resident, Benjamin draws on her theatrical background and deep love of storytelling to illuminate the emotional truths behind historical figures.
Rowan Beaird, acclaimed novelist and short story writer whose work has appeared in The Kenyon Review, The Southern Review, and The Common. Her debut novel, The Divorcées, was named a best book by Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, People, and the Chicago Review of Books. Her forthcoming novel, Tenderness, will be published in 2026. Beaird brings a sharp, contemporary voice to questions of womanhood, independence, and reinvention.
Nancy Johnson, award-winning former television journalist and bestselling novelist. Her latest novel, People of Means—a powerful story of race, class, and resistance spanning 1960s Nashville and 1990s Chicago—has been named one of People Magazine’s most anticipated books of 2025 and praised by NPR as “important” and “thought-provoking.” Her debut, The Kindest Lie, was a New York Times Editors’ Choice and widely celebrated for its emotional depth and social insight.
Rebecca Makkai is the author of the New York Times bestselling I Have Some Questions For You as well as four other works of fiction. Her last novel, The Great Believers, One of the New York Times’ Best Books of the 21st Century, was a finalist for both the 2019 Pulitzer Prize and the 2018 National Book Award, and was the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal and the LA Times Book Prize among other honors. A 2022 Guggenheim Fellow, Rebecca teaches graduate fiction writing at Middlebury College, Northwestern University, and the Bennington Writing Seminars, and she is Artistic Director of StoryStudio Chicago.
About M.M.LaFleur
M.M.LaFleur is a New York-based fashion brand celebrating women through thoughtfully designed clothing, personal styling, and our community of 100,000+ purposeful women. M.M.’s thoughtful design touches, superior fabrics, and customer service make it easier for women to get ready every morning, so they can focus on the work that matters to them. M.M.LaFleur is proud to have dressed 500+ female candidates running for office through its Ready to Run campaign, as well as donate over $1M in clothing to organizations focused on gender equality, such as Bottomless Closet, The Girl Scouts, and The International Rescue Committee. At the heart of the company is the belief that when women succeed, the world becomes a better place.