The
Hamptons Have It All Long Island’s exclusive enclave
can be an informal beach getaway
or the center of the summer social scene – all the
while
tempting you with eclectic dining, nightlife and shopping.
BY
JASMINE MIR
The Sag Harbor Marina.
Clockwise
from bottom left: Cindy Willis and Sheila O'Malley Fuchs,
chairmen of Southampton Hospital’s 2005 Summer
Party, at last year’s event. Jaci Wilson Reid
and Jalen Rose at the 2nd annual VH1 Save the Music
celebrity fundraiser Music & Mojitos at the Reids’
East Hampton estate. Lorraine Bracco at the Hampton
Classic.
Address
Book
Dining Bamboo,
47 Montauk Highway, East Hampton; 631.329.9821
Della Femina,
99 North Main Street, East Hampton; 631.329.6666
Jean-Luc
East, 103 Montauk Highway,
East Hampton; 631.324.1100
Nick &
Toni’s, 136 North
Main Street, East Hampton; 631.324.3550
The Star
Room, 378 Montauk Highway,
Wainscott; 631.537.3332
Nightlife Cain at
Cabana, 281 Country Road
30, Southampton; 631.287.9888
Jet East,
1181 North Sea Road, Southampton; 631.283.0808
Resort,
44 Three Mile Harbor Road, East Hampton;
631.329.6000
Shopping Balassas
House Antiques,
208 Main Street, Amagansett; 631.267.3032
Calypso,
24 Jobs Lane, Southampton; 631.283.4321
Georgica
Creek Antiques,
332 Montauk Highway, Wainscott;
631.537.0333
Catherine
Malandrino,
25 Newtown Lane, East Hampton; 631.329.6990
Scoop,
47-51 Newtown Lane, East Hampton; 631.329.8080
Tracy Feith,
38 Park Place, East Hampton, NY; 631.329.8213
The Brennan & Mouilleseaux booth at the 2004 Hampton’s
Antiques Show.
.Hamptons
Calendar
July
1 – August 6
2005 Hampton Designer Showcase benefiting
Southampton Hospital
631.745.0004
July 2
Halsey House Gala to benefit the Southampton
Historical Museum
631.283.2494
Immortalized in American literary tomes and made a household
name by salacious bits in weekly tabloids, the oceanfront
stretch of Long Island known as the Hamptons is the East Coast’s
most legendary summer destination. Everyone from Gatsby to
Diddy has favored a seasonal relocation from
Manhattan’s steamy asphalt jungle to the stately beachfront
manors off the Long Island Expressway (whose Friday-afternoon
traffic is almost as legendary as the destination itself).
For some among us, a relaxing weekend à la mer is easily
accessible via the new Hamptons Seaplane service.
At once quaint and luxurious, the collections of towns that
make up the Hamptons reflect a classic New England coastal
sensibility. But don’t be fooled by the shingled-house
and windmill landscape – patches of prime real estate,
particularly in East Hampton, have given way to a distinctly
more modern vision of beach getaway. Many a Hamptons hostess
spend the better part of spring creating an “effortless”
look for their houses. Think equal parts Shabby Chic
and Jonathan Adler.
Like the homes, the summer social scene in the Hamptons is
a blend of relaxed informality and the rigors of New York’s
must-attend event circuit – call it cultivated casual.
Take, for example, the Hamptons’ summer polo scene.
Over six consecutive Saturdays in July and August, the Tracy
Tooker hats come out to the Bridgehampton
Polo Club for a day of champagne sipping and horse
watching. The real jockeying, however, takes place not on
the field but on the sidelines, as the rich, the famous and
the would-be-eithers rub elbows and network. Is that Star
Jones? Kim Cattrall? A Weinstein
or two? You’d better believe it. The star-studded scene
is just another day at the field in the Hamptons – especially
at the famed Mercedes Benz Polo Challenge’s
main event on July 20. For the blasé Hamptons regulars
in the crowd, the most scintillating social enticement is
seeing which new polo players come into town. The arrival
of sultry Argentine players is generally heralded by a wave
of after-parties to demonstrate appropriately enthusiastic
hospitality. The horsey set continue the festivities through
the Butler Hampton Handicap on August 20
and The Hampton Classic’s equestrian
events across the week of Labor Day.
With the high concentration of New York’s most prominent
hostesses, it should come as no surprise that charity events
abound during summer months in the Hamptons. Throughout July,
the Hampton Designer Showcase features the
work many of the country’s most lauded interior designers,
benefiting the Southampton Hospital. July
is studded with galas – including the Halsey
House Gala on July 2 sponsored by The Southampton
Historical Museum, The Parrish Art Museum
Midsummer Gala on the 9th and the Bay Street
Theatre Gala on the 23rd. For Hamptons first-timers,
being visible on the horse-and-gala circuit is instrumental
in gaining entrée into the most coveted of inner circles
through private invitations. Lavish summer homes were just
made for afternoon barbecues and sundown fetes en plein air,
but be warned – it takes a lot more than a funnel cake
and neighborly smile to make it past the merciless PR mavens
guarding the gates.
Making Lizzi Grubman and her PoweR Girls
look like a welcome wagon is the Southampton Bathing
Corporation, the most exclusive of old-world private
clubs. Though naive hopefuls do occasionally try to add their
names to the strictly Social Register membership, there are
really only two ways to gain entrée – through
birth or marriage. And, in many cases, marriage isn’t
even enough. Among a membership that includes Muffie
Potter Aston, Nina Griscom, Louise
Grunwald, Cristina Greeven Cuomo
and Frank Wyman are those who have not (or
will not) petition the board for membership for a spouse.
Forget diamonds – a membership to the Southampton Bathing
Corporation is forever.
A night out on the town is, thankfully, not – which
may explain the careless social high jinks that take place
all summer long at Hamptons hot spots like Cain at
Cabana (formerly Cabana), Resort,
JetEast and, most especially,
at the appropriately named StarRoom.
Who needs a post-Oscar bash when you can sip drinks at The
Star Room and just watch the parade of Olsen twins
and slightly more mature starlets like Liv Tyler,
Mira Sorvino, Molly Simms
and Famke Janssen? It’s no wonder that
The Star Room is where Amy Sacco, arbiter
of all that is after-hours, has been known to party when in
the Hamptons. Though The Star Room’s door policy rivals
Sacco’s own Bungalow 8 in Manhattan, the good news is
that since the Hamptons’ scene is a microcosm of Manhattan’s
massive totem pole, once you’re in, you have carte blanche
until Labor Day.
While some celebrities eschew the nightlife scene, all Hamptonites
flock to several favorite local restaurants. East Hampton’s
Della Femina, which started out as a mere sojourn
project of advertising guru and philanthropist Jerry
Della Femina, is a must, as is Nick &
Toni’s on East Hampton’s Main Street.
Regulars like RobertDeNiro,
BradPitt, JackNicholson and BarbaraStreisand
go for the home cooking and low-key atmosphere. The buzz surrounding
1770 House, which recently snatched away
chef KevinPenner from The
Star Room, has drawn in those looking for a new hot spot,
while the widely recognized standard in Hamptons dining is
set by The Laundry. Formal diners also head
to the James Lane Café at The Hedges
Inn or Jean-Luc East for Gallic cuisine.
Featuring a chef from Nobu and connoisseur-worthy martinis,
Bamboo on Montauk Highway is drawing the
crowds in for the Asian fusion food and buzzworthy scene.
As New York area socialites know, the Hamptons offer shopping
opportunities not found in the city. Although there is the
requisite Saks and PoloCountryStore to satisfy
basic summer needs, intrepid shoppers need only dig a little
deeper to find the hidden gems scattered throughout the area.
Cognoscenti sneak over to Haven’s House Vintage
Clothing in Sag Harbor to find glamorous one-of-a-kind
pieces, such as ‘60s Courreges couture dresses and Pucci
accessories. The gypsy-esque skirts, tunics and embellished
tank tops at Calypso are every woman’s summer survival
kit, which explains why there are three Calypso
outposts in the Hamptons. Bohemian-chic fans also drop by
Tracy Feith and Scoop, while
the more daring trendsetters pick up their summer dresses
from the Catherine Malandrino store on Newton
Lane in East Hampton. Locals stop in regularly for antique
home furnishings – whether a doorknob or chandelier
– at Architrove in East Hampton or
set aside a full afternoon to dig around the three buildings
of Balassas House Antiques in Amagansett.
Unsurprisingly, many antique furniture stores carry fantastic
outdoor pieces and garden accessories, such as Bridgehampton’s
Laurin Copen Antiques and The American
Inn. Less country and more elegant French city is
the collection at Georgica Creek Antiques.
For serious collectors, Georgica owner Jean Sinenberg and
her daughter Suzanne also run high-end antique shows throughout
the summer.
From bold bling to casual chic, a summer in the Hamptons is
more than the mere sum of its parts – perhaps the best
visits involve a bit of both.
Jasmine
Mir is a writer and editor living in New York City.
Photo
credit
Image 1: Bob Strovink, Courtesy of the Hamptons Visitors Bureau;
image 2: Vic Cangro; image 5: Suzanne Sinenberg.
