New Hamptons Subway Route Map

....no, not really. But a company called Transit Authority Figures has come up with an idea of what exactly efficient underground mass transit would look like on the East End. Probably the best way to get from Westhampton to Montauk on a weekend, when 27 looks more like a parking lot than our main thoroughfare. There's even a Plum Island stop! Looks like this tube is still a pipe dream, though.

Hamptons Subway Map Poster, $20 (pre-order), transitauthorityfigures.com

Saturday Cocktailing | Wölffer Rosé

Well, it's Memorial Day weekend, kids. This kicks off the unofficial summer season in beach towns and backyards everywhere. The pools are open, the grills are fired up, and the summer share folks are leaving the city in droves for greener pastures. This is one of the best times of the year to have a drink alfresco - and what could be better than a chilled bottle of rosé. While rosé had previously gotten a pretty bad rap, in the past few years it's come back in vogue. Just be sure to get a dry variety - too sweet and it tastes like melted candy. One of my favorite rosés comes from Wölffer Estate in Sagaponack, New York. They've just released their 2008 vintage, and it's about to start flying off the shelves for a few reasons - it's mighty tasty, and at $16 a pop, you won't mind if your guests throw some ice in it (hey, it's summer...relax). If you're not in the New York area, you can always order online (link below). Might want to get a bottle (or a case) sooner rather than later - these have been known to sell out pretty quick.

Wölffer Estate 2008 Rosé, $16, wolffer.com

The Perfect Picnic

There's something about coolers that just...irks me. The hard plastic ones are sort of retro-chic but bulky and not so easy to carry, and their softer-sided alternatives are functional but pretty damn ugly. So I was pleased to find this cooler today at an LL Bean shop in Pennsylvania, which deftly combines the best of both (cooler) worlds. Looks just like a classic Boat & Tote, except that it's fully insulated and has a zip top. Sneaky, huh? Comes in a lunch size and a "picnic" size, perfect for a trip to the beach with some sandwiches and perhaps a bottle of rosé.

LL Bean Picnic Tote, $49.50, llbean.com

Come on Baby, Light My Fire

Nothing says "fancy fête" quite like custom-printed matchbooks. They're a great finishing touch for the well-kept home. Keep 'em in the bathroom by your Jo Malone candles or place them on the patio in ashtrays for the smoking set. These also make a fabulously unexpected host or hostess gift. Get them printed with your monogram, your address, or your favorite Sartre quote (disclaimer: "Hell is other people" would not be apropos for giving to a hostess...).

Set of 50, $44, foryourparty.com

Dapper Max

Photo: Stephanie Leondis

Hitting newsstands today: New York Magazine's Spring Design Issue, featuring the fabulous Drew University dorm room of my dear friend Max. Check out the article here.

I remember his first dorm decorating job as a senior at Choate. The walls were wallpapered with nautical charts (from Papa), there was an antique trunk at the foot of the bed full of cashmere cableknits, and part of our hallway was commandeered for use as a dressing room. Max could often be found on the fire escape, starching and ironing his white Frette hotel sheets.

One of our first design collaborations? A set of pink and green china for the dorm, $10 from a local thrift store. Takeout from Wallingford Pizza never looked so good.

Summer Shirts from J.Crew

It seems that, at the moment, everybody loves J.Crew. Even the Obamas. A few years back, I had the privilege of meeting the man responsible for the company's turnaround from plain vanilla mall store to destination of chic, Mickey Drexler. Fascinating guy. I was working at their store in the Hamptons, and he popped in for a visit. He's quite hands on, and was very interested in hearing opinions from salespeople and customers alike about the product and what could be done differently.

Anyway. They have some great mens's shirts right now, which, paired with some great white jeans, give you that casual Hamptons summer vibe. The first, pictured below, is their linen-cotton camp shirt, $98, in cool dusk. Even the color sounds perfect for dinner alfresco at Sunset Beach. The epaulets remind me of that cobalt blue Ralph Lauren number that twink icon Zac Efron was wearing in GQ this month, but this one seems much more wearable.

Next up is this chambray specimen, also $98. Say what you will about the whole workwear trend, but I feel like blue chambray has a certain classicism about it that's got definite staying power. Just please, don't wear it with blue jeans. Every few years someone comes out with a horrible proclamation that says it's okay to wear denim with denim as long as the colors don't match (ie dark jeans with a light denim shirt). I don't approve of this practice; I still think it makes you look like a farmer. I love the way this color looks with stonewashed khakis or white denim.
Then we've got this blue irish linen shirt, $79.50. I really think linen might be the perfect summer textile. The more you wash it, the softer it gets, and I love the way it wrinkles just so. Looks great with a tan. This particular shirt reminds me of a version Brunello Cucinelli did this spring, but J.Crew did it for about $400 less. Simple, classic, elegant, and not breaking the bank.
Grab a shirt in the city, hop on the LIRR's Cannonball, and you're ready for Hamptons cocktail hour.

Posh Platters

One tricky thing about entertaining? Finding an attractive place to corral all those cocktails and canapés. Fortunately the retailer iomoi has a solution. Their lucite trays are practical (wipe clean!) as well as customizable with a monogram or name. And their choices of backdrop are perfect - colorful elephants, monkeys, florals, and bold graphic designs - lending a sense of vintage Palm Beach glam to the pieces. The "Mustique," pictured above, is one of my faves - looks like a groovy Goyard trunk. Also cool? "Horse Knocker:"


The "Pagoda:"

They also have glass coasters, perfect for a hostess gift when you're crashing a pool house in the Hamptons this summer (Molly, take note). The "Graph" pattern:

The "Sandy Cay:"

And while their prices aren't exactly recession friendly, these personalized entertaining pieces are built to last until the next recession.

iomoi.com, trays, $100-650; coasters, $95/set of 4