August 2009

EDITOR’S LETTER

Time is running out
In six weeks, dates and hours and circuitous directions to birthdays and benefits and barbecues will disappear from your inbox. A "back to school" mentality arrives mid-September with the crisp air, prompting to-do lists and big projects to tackle before winter. But not August. This month's agenda is to do the things you've promised yourself: swim; laze around the house with iced tea and a good book; and make good on all those well-meaning, "we'd love to have you guys over for a cocktail sometime" quasi-invitations that never seem to materialize. (Yes, some of us are keeping track.) So pick up the phone already, won't you?

This month HC&G offers a few lessons from party-throwing professionals such as Libby Langdon, whose porch-front dining table appears on our cover (pg. 68), and the talent behind a Brazilian-themed féte (pg. 52). Partygoers offer wisdom, too. I'm particularly fascinated by those seasoned guests who abstain from food or drink. It's not their willpower that impresses, but that, for them, a party isn't a vehicle for freebie food and drink, but a social occasion—an unparalleled opportunities to reconnect with old pals and meet new ones. Take a cue from these folks and focus on the guest list, not the menu.

To me, a party is nothing if not a chance to propel your life in an unexpected direction. It was at a gathering this past holiday season that I met—and gushed to—talented tabletop designer Michael Aram (pg. 30). It was at the grand opening of Green Depot that I bumped into the Ekstracts, who floated the possibility of my editing HC&G this season. And then there was the party coup to end all others: Six years ago I met my husband at a press event in the Union Square showroom of Ann Sacks tile.

Nothing ever happens when you stay home—unless, of course, you're hosting. A couple final suggestions for the partied-out: Shop for hostess gifts (pg. 32) and late-summer fashion staples (pg. 14); retire to a seaside restaurant for cocktails and a bite (pg. 82); or dive into a good book such as The Embers (see an excerpt—plus the home of author Hyatt Bass—on pg. 60). Rest up, you've got a big month ahead of you.

SOPHIE DONELSON
Editor in Chief