Alan Peppard

Dallas aristos are currently waiting out the high-heat summer society doldrums. But plans are afoot for the beginning of the fall social season, when fashion-design lion Oscar de la Renta will roar into town for the Sept. 11 Crystal Charity Ball Fashion Show and Luncheon at the downtown Neiman Marcus.

Julie Turner is chairing the big event, which will feature a runway show of Oscar's latest collection plus the annual introduction of the 10 best-dressed women in Dallas.

Julie has arranged a special emolument for guests who pony up $2,000 for their seats to the luncheon. The top-level donors will be honored at two other events. The first is a seated dinner on Sept. 3 at the Nasher Sculpture Center featuring a retrospective of Oscar de la Renta fashions provided by a dozen Dallas women (all previous members of the 10 best-dressed list).

Gloria Eulich Martindale is chairing the December Crystal Charity Ball. She got her friend, developer Dan Boeckman, to have his Museum Tower project underwrite the evening. (Museum Tower is a 42-story luxury residential tower scheduled to be built next door to the Nasher.)

The second event to honor top-tier donors to the best-dressed luncheon will be a Sept. 10 cocktail party at the Strait Lane home of former beer distributor Tom White and his wife, Lauryn Gayle. JPMorgan Chase's Dallas chief Elaine Agather (also a former best-dressed list member) has arranged for JPMorgan to underwrite that event.

This will mark the third appearance of Mr. de la Renta as guest designer for the Crystal Charity luncheon. He was also here in 1995 and 2003.

The Gerald Peters Gallery recently decamped from its longtime home on Fairmount Street for a new one on Dragon Street. Pop artist Peter Max will soon be occupying the former Peters space.

More than 150 Peter Max pieces will be displayed and available for purchase at a special early fall exhibition. There will be works ranging from his well-known heart series to his Max-ified football helmets.

Mr. Max will be on hand for the Oct. 4-5 show to autograph pieces for purchasers, but the work will be available for viewing starting Sept. 26.

In fact, there will be a special "Uncrating Party" on the 26th as the pieces are unpacked.