She Lives!! I was almost starting to get worried...
NEW YORK- Has everyone’s favorite socialite really gone undercover? Nope—she’s just clubbing in the Hamptons, among other pursuits. BY EDDIE ROCHE
Is it true you’re writing a novel?
Yes! It’s called
Southern Charm and it’s coming out in May 2012. It’s about a girl from the South who moves to New York. I was going to write a style guide, but it wasn’t easy.
You’re a Southern girl yourself.
I would not be who I am in New York today had it not been for my roots. It took me a while to realize that. I even lost my accent slightly. It took me a couple of years to embrace it. My Southern upbringing helped me be out there and meet people and get noticed.
When did you wake up to discover you were officially a “socialite”?
I was featured in an article from the Styles section of
The New York Times in 2005 about socialites borrowing clothes. At the time, it was more acceptable for celebrities to borrow. Now, nobody would be embarrassed about borrowing clothes, but… There were four pictures of me on the front page, wearing various dresses. After that, the word socialite became something that I was associated with.
Of all the column inches written about you, which were the most painful?
My dad has had a drinking problem, which wasn’t part of my life as a child. After my parents got divorced about 10 years ago, he did something really stupid—he read something inaccurate about me that was written in the
New York Daily News. He had a few drinks, called the writer, and left a crazy message on the guy’s phone, which he transcribed and posted online. My dad said some horrible, hurtful things about other people.
Did it stop you from going out?
No. I wasn’t going to let that get to me. Before it came out, I was representing a company with my handbags, and it was part of my job to go out. Growing up in Virginia, I was a big tennis player, and I was always doing something different from the rest of the girls. People would talk some smack about me, and I rose above it. Now there’s so much negativity about me—but there’s so much about everybody! I used to get Google alerts on myself, but I don’t anymore. I don’t need to upset myself.
You don’t go out as much these days. Was that a conscious decision?
I was seen as the girl that went out a lot, but I was always going to cocktail parties, not nightclubs. Now, I’m in nightclubs. When you’re trying to build yourself a bit and get known, you do need to go out a lot more. I’ll go out a couple of times and get photographed, and that works for me. It sounds so cliché, but I do want to be happy, and a lot of that stuff I was doing wasn’t making me so happy.
What do you mean?
It’s difficult, sometimes, to enjoy yourself while you’re constantly going to these events. Your day is shortened. It’s a big production for just one little night. It’s nice to scale back—say, once a week. It’s better than four nights! It’s a lot for a girl to curl her hair and put on fake eyelashes…it gets tedious. It sounds stupid, but it’s stressful. Going through separation and divorce over the last two years, I’ve sort of dropped back because I’m working on myself and being happy.
When did you start going to the Hamptons?
I started going out years ago with my then boyfriend,
Topper [
Mortimer], when we were in boarding school. We’d go out there to see his family in Southampton. I’ve been going ever since. My boyfriend [
Brian Mazza] is a partner at the Axe Lounge at Dune.
How do you get here?
We drive, but I’m totally not opposed to taking the Jitney.
What’s a typical Hamptons day?
We hang out by the pool. I exercise and play tennis. Lots of barbecues....
Do you go to Dune?
I do. It’s fun. In my twenties, I didn’t go out as much as I should, because I was very into my husband, and we were together for so long.
What do you drink when you’re out?
I usually have a vodka cranberry.
We’re nosy. What kind of vodka?
I’m not one of those girls who cares. I don’t think I can tell the difference. Any vodka is fine for me.
How do you really feel about the paparazzi at events?
I’m a Leo, and I like it. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be putting myself out there. It’s kind of fun, right? Who doesn’t like a step-and-repeat now and again?
A 2007 New York Times profile noted that there were nearly 2,000 photos of you on PatrickMcMullan.com. How many do you think are up there now?
Maybe 4,500?
Actually, 3,307. You really are going out less!
[Laughs] I’ve gotta get out there!
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