Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Oklahoma City native Perle Mesta, who inspired the phrase “hostess with the mostest,” reigned over Washington, D.C.’s social elite for more than three decades and was a force to be reckoned with. She was renowned for her world-class parties featuring politicians and celebrities whom she entertained at her luxurious residences. Her secret, she revealed once, was “cool guests, cool music, hot food and a warm hostess.” Biographer Meryl Gordon and Linda Fairstein invite us into Perle’s lavish life and society adventures while highlighting her important, but overlooked, contributions to American politics and the feminist movement.
Oklahoma City native Perle Mesta, who inspired the phrase “hostess with the mostest,” reigned over Washington, D.C.’s social elite for more than three decades and was a force to be reckoned with. She was renowned for her world-class parties featuring politicians and celebrities whom she entertained at her luxurious residences. Her secret, she revealed once, was “cool guests, cool music, hot food and a warm hostess.” Biographer Meryl Gordon and Linda Fairstein invite us into Perle’s lavish life and society adventures while highlighting her important, but overlooked, contributions to American politics and the feminist movement.
