Lux Lotus

What to Wear to Montauk?

Taking a bubble bath and a nap, then throwing a few things in my (best gift ever) summer white Balenciaga tote, including Serious Pleasures and then heading out to Montauk to rendezvous with jewelry designer Laura Lobdell at Ruschmeyer's (sister restaurant to the Fat Radish, where I had dinner on my birthday and a thousand other nights), when she gets in from Block Island.

On Boundaries

 Enough champagne! Honestly, it's been pouring down my pretty swan neck since lunch. Off to meet Elizabeth Claire Taylor at Delmonico's. For a ginger ale. Estate Jewels necklace, Sally Cohen Vintage dress, Gerald DeCock hair, Dior lips. And...?

On Reflections

This week, a good one for presents! Yesterday, a truly exquisite vase by the artist Molly Hatch, in homage to a "Meiping Vase, Guizhou, Northern Song, 11-12th Century," pictured. The day before, Kiehl's Imperial Body Balm: "It just sounded like you." 

Related, from the Lux Lotus archive: Sgraffito Chic & Tea (2005).

On Balance

Looking at my fall travel options and obligations, which could include a leg so stressful (Mitteleuropa to the Midwest, at breakneck speed) that I'll head over there early. It could be true that I'll find any excuse to go to London for two weeks. Why not?

Windowlicker

'Freedom is not given to you –– you have to take it,' she said.

Wear these and wonder: What Would Méret Oppenheim Do?

[Alexander Wang Fox-Fur Patent Leather Sandals, $995 at Saks]

Windowlicker - from the French for window shopping: faire du lèche-vitrine - often appears on Tuesday and Thursdays at 10am EST-ish.

LuxLoves: Ferry Magic

My view from the boat this afternoon... I love the East River Ferry and the weekend one to Governors Island, too. Point: New York.

More Cash, Less Dash

You know the old wives' tale that if your hand itches, money must be on the way? I decided to up that factor with a manicure in Butter London's Dosh, "molten apple green shot through with gold," plus my green tourmaline "Daphne," emerald rings, et al.

On Faith

While I would have loved nothing more than to have dashed off this morning to take up an invitation to sail for a couple of days in a regatta, the truth is, I have to work for a living (quite a lot, as I do quite a bit of living). Not my last chance, though; only the first.

Alex in the Afternoon, Timothy at Twilight

Met Alex Chee for lunch at Lupa Osteria in the Village. He was dressed perfectly, and he is charming, and it was so nice. Topics discussed: roses, travel, grand hotels, adaptations. If you need summer reading, and you do, check out his Edinburgh. Now I am dashing out the door to Barnes & Noble in Tribeca, nominally in the neighborhood, to see Timothy Schaffert, the charismatic man responsible for my trips to Nebraska –– I'll be there in October to launch Terese Svoboda's Bohemian Girl with a big party at the Lit Fest –– read from his lauded new novel, The Coffins of Little Hope.

On Wishes, & How to Get Yours

Last night, after a long weekend in Provincetown, where I had the Mercedes cab company on speed dial, and Martha's Vineyard, I arrived at Boston's Logan Airport to discover that my 40-minute flight to New York was delayed at least four hours. I pondered the prospect for three or four minutes, canceled my ticket, and checked into the Harvard Club for an idyllic evening and one of the best night's sleep I've had in ages, after staying up to read M.F.K. Fisher's tale of coming across her favorite restaurant in Switzerland: ‎'The chaffeur was sleepy after a night spent in a hotel filled with unusually pretty kitchen maids, and he lost the way.' (From Endless Feasts: 60 Years of Writing From Gourmet). 

I took the train, first-class, where I should have been all along, today, straight to two back-to-back meetings and then a dinner party at a secret restaurant, up the stairs, and down the stairs again, on a little patio way out of the way. Extremely glamorous people (sommeliers, cheesemongers, French perfumers, fashion people, finance people, et al – like the Noah's Ark of chic, especially when it poured for a bit) there, although I was too tired to be especially clever. I was with dear friends, lovely and bright, who want to start a new festival. I told them what to do next.

Wish fulfilllment is one of my specialties. The key is to break down your fondest dream into steps. Anyone can start with a step. After ten years doing what I do, you can tell me something that seems impossible, and I'll tell you how to put in motion by tomorrow at 10.  My next step is to work on my own for a while.

The Grindstone wrote about careers in public relations, and me. 

Tomorrow I'll unpack my new fur cape, from Mother's, and my caftan from Miss Mizepah's and make arrangements to pick up the bracelets that Estate Jewels found for me (pictured). Nurture a relationship with people who know your taste, and look after you. Say exactly what you want, and it will materialize. This works for most things. Essentially: when you're exhausted, sleep.