Hamptons Packing List
What to bring and do when the weather is not great
I came home to a heat wave, now I’m with dear friends in chilly East Hampton, enjoying the kind of weekend I love, once in a while: cool, cloudy with a chance of rain. Time to catch my breath, having beaten the post-vacay blues, which coincided with the heatwave. Thanks to my hosts for providing me with this soft landing. Re-acclimating myself to the city after two months on the coast of the Mediterranean is best done in increments.
The weekend started at Tutto Café in East Hampton for a coffee and a little bite to eat. Italian in feel, the food and coffee are always excellent, and the wait staff couldn’t be nicer or cuter! Donna Karen popped in. No surprise, her daughter Gabby’s Italian husband is a partner in it. She caused a stir looking every bit the legend she is, in an oversized white chunky sweater, which I would guess was knit in a tubular cashmere yarn that looks much heavier than it is. Trust me, it was luscious, though I wouldn’t dare try to snap a picture of her.
The always bucolic Hamptons couldn’t be more verdant after a very rainy spring. All this rain got me thinking about wet summer weekends. If spring is any indication, we may have more than our fair share of rainy weekends this summer. Though I’m a sun worshiper from way back, the occasional rainy beach weekend can be cozy and relaxing. I love long beach walks on cloudy days or just meandering around town, browsing in stores, and drinking copious amounts of coffee.
With that in mind, I created four different outfit options for foul-weather weekends.
Coffee in Town
Start the weekend at Tutto Cafe in East Hampton for a café au lait and a light bite to hold you over to dinner. Wear a mango cashmere crew with faded stovepipe jeans, a white anorak, a rafia bag, and my favorite sandals of all time, recently reissued (at triple the price for the original ’90s version, sorry) by Prada. Trust me, they are the best.
Saturday Morning Farmer’s Market
Start the day early-ish at Ashawagh Hall Farmer’s Market (open 9:00 to 1:00 Saturday) for fresh-baked bread and primo produce. To wear: a cashmere crewneck in maize, the perfect anorak, white, wide-leg jeans, a pegasus bandana for your yet to be styled hair, and A. Emory suede sandals.
Yesterday at the market, I met Aileen Florell, a local artist selling her truly spectacular ceramics.
Long Walks on the Bay
Go for a long walk to enjoy the tranquility of a cloudy day on the water, but make sure you’re pulled together; you never know where you’ll end up. It could be the Prada store in East Hampton to admire this perfect summer bag. In these tumultuous times, why not spread the love in this sweatshirt (on sale)? Wear it with relaxed, pull-on cotton pants, a lightweight windbreaker, and Nikes in a fun color.
Enjoy the Garden
Enjoy the beauty of the garden in its prime. Stroll around the grounds to see what’s blooming, doze off on a lounge chair listening to the birds, and appreciate just being outside. What better to wear than elevated sweatpants with a half zip sweater, a mango anorak (half off now!), white Birkenstocks, and a floppy green hat.
Editor’s note: OK, the weekend turned out better than expected, the sun is shining, and it never rained, but we will, no doubt, have some foul weather weekends. Why not be ready? ;)
Thanks for reading. I hope you’re enjoying your weekend wherever you are! Please comment, I love to hear from you, subscribe, and spread the word for What Looks Good!
xxx Jolain
In case you missed it…
I don't know The Hamptons but if I hadn't known I might have thought, looking at the photographs, that it was somewhere in the UK. Even the ceramics looked as if they were perhaps from a Cotswolds' pottery. Bizarrely here in the UK we have a heatwave. I should correct that it's mostly in England and mostly in the south so our lovely swathes of green pastures will be getting a tad brown around the edges. Loved the pink Nikes. Can't beat a pop of crazy colour especially in footwear.