OCTOBER 2026
FIELD & COUNTRY ISSUE
VICTORIA SALNIKOFF, FERNANDA KELLOGG, ERIN MCKENNEY, AND JACQUELINE THORNE questmag.com
MILLBROOK, NEW YORK
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CONTENTS Field & Country Issue 84
A SHOOTING PARTY Everything you need to know to be the perfect
guest at a shooting party in the UK. by Letty White-Spunner
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KEEPING IT COUNTRY A guide to Dutchess County’s beloved institutions,
organizations, and traditions-old and new. by Karen Klopp
102 BELVOIR TO BEAVER: OF CABBAGES AND KINGS An informal look at ducal life through a visit to the childhood home of Emma Manners, Duchess of Rutland. Written & Photographed by Nancy Ellison
108 SINS AND SUCCESS IN THE SHOOTING FIELD The author recalls moments of pure elation—and others that still make him inwardly wince. by Jonathan Young
114 QUEST STYLE Fashionable fall looks from seasons past. 120 SHOPPING GUIDE The best of Millbrook, Bedford, and Greenwich.
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A S P R E Y. C O M
A S P R E Y X S I LV I A F U R M A N O V I C H : THE JADEITE JE WELLERY COLLEC TION
6 7 8 M A D I S O N AV E N U E B E T W E E N 6 1 S T & 6 2 N D S T R E E T S , N E W Y O R K , N Y 1 0 0 6 5 , T E L + 1 2 1 2 6 8 8 1 8 1 1
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CONTENTS Columns 20
SOCIAL DIARY Another month on the social circuit. by David Patrick Columbia
56
HARRY BENSON Memories of photographing The Beatles and Cassius Clay in Miami in 1964.
58
TAKI Musings on the Democratic stupidities of America. by Taki Theodoracopulos
60
AUDAX Honoring Paul Mellon and his abiding passion for horses. by Jamie MacGuire
62
BOOKS Reviewing Between Chapters, a new book by Zibby Owens. by Elizabeth Meigher
64
MEMOIR Three chapters of Laughing Through Life provide a peek into Barbara Tober’s past.
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FRESH FINDS Fashion and accessories curated for October. by Brooke Kelly Murray
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REAL ESTATE Conversations with Top Agents in New York City, Greenwich, and Palm Beach.
82
SOCIAL CALENDAR Our guide to the month’s upcoming luncheons, galas, and benefits.
124 YOUNG & THE GUEST LIST PYTs partying in New York and the Hamptons. by Brooke Kelly Murray 128 SNAPSHOT A visit to Champêtre, a beloved restaurant in Pine Plains. by Karen Klopp
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L O N DO N OVER 60 YEARS OF BRITISH CRAFTSMANSHIP
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questmag.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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TYKISCHA DELGADO MANAGING EDITOR
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JULIE SKARRATT SOCIETY EDITOR
HILARY GEARY
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
GIGI BENSON JANE CHURCHILL DOMINICK DUNNE (RIP) TONY HALL ROBERT JANJIGIAN RICHARD JOHNSON KAREN KLOPP JAMES MACGUIRE DUNCAN MCLAREN HAVEN PELL CHUCK PFEIFER JANIE PIERREPONT LETTY WHITE-SPUNNER TAKI THEODORACOPULOS CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
HARRY BENSON CAPEHART PHOTOGRAPHY BILLY FARRELL MARY HILLIARD CRISTINA MACAYA CUTTY MCGILL PATRICK MCMULLAN NICK MELE
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PUBLISHER’S LETTER
Clockwise, from bottom left: Contributor Letty White-Spunner; Grateful Pub with Contributor Karen Klopp in Millbrook; a young Barbara Tober on horseback; a Millbrook welcome sign; Contributor Jonathan Young; Champêtre restaurant; Photographer Nancy Ellison.
YOUR GRATEFUL Adirondack pub writes from my cabin office Up North, where a glimpse of Indian Summer is beginning to break through. I’m surrounded by the haunting cry of mating loons and the crunch of leaves underfoot ... safely distant from the slings and arrows thrown my way, having expressed caution in last month’s Letter regarding the encumbrances of unchecked AI content theft. Indeed, worse has been said, and written. October’s annual Field & Country number is one of my favorite issues, and we’ve ventured again into the Hudson Valley to the ever vibrant Town of Millbrook, supported by our keen-eyed and learned contributor, Karen Klopp. Nestled around this Dutchess County hamlet are farms and country homes that date back to the late 1700s, with a community thread that embraces the love of the land and generational respect for its heritage. Quest has tapped into the soul of this colonial lifestyle, where conservation and preservation are the credo of its townspeople, with a renewed focus on the performing arts and emerging culinary cults (check out pages 100-101 re: Stissing House, plus our SnapShot column saluting Champêtre, the newest darling of Upstate foodies). Further along, we welcome back contributor Jonathan Young, the former and esteemed Editor of The Field, still the most revered staple of English sporting life. Jonathan regales us with wit and accuracy on his “sins and successes” over four decades of legendary shoots on both sides of The Pond. Equal to Jonathan’s recollections is another ace UK contributor, Letty WhiteSpunner, who indoctrinates us in the traditions and etiquette of driven bird outings, including her insightful recommendations on suggested kit and gear, plus a clever primer of “DOs and DON’Ts” for a guest gun’s successful weekend. Conveniently juxtaposed to Letty’s house-parties piece is a photo essay by the renowned Nancy Ellison, who has stunningly captured life in the Welsh countryside during her recent visit with Emma Manners, the Duchess of Rutland, the latter who was celebrat-
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ing the birthday of her mother, Roma Watkins, at their family home in Wales. Said Her Grace in toasting her dear mum: “she’s always red-carpet ready, with her own essence of love, glamour and strength”. And speaking of an elixir that combines strength and character, don’t miss the first chapters of Madame Barbara Tober’s autobiography that begin on page 64. Seriously, Barbara’s cogently written tome is as riveting as it is gobsmaked revealing! As I reluctantly take leave from my favorite lake and mountains, returning to an urban civilization where the fault lines seem to be widening, I’m again reminded that Thoreau got it right: “there exists a solemn truth in country life, with its plain appeal to the human senses”. I believe we tend to laugh more in the country, which has always been God’s therapy. Dickens summed it up perfectly: “there is nothing so irresistibly contagious as good humor”. Amen! u
Chris Meigher ON THE COVER: Mrs. Victoria L. Salnikoff MFH, Mrs. Fernanda M. Kellogg MFH, Erin McKenney Huntsman, and Mrs. Jacqueline S. Thorne MFH at Thorne Building in Millbrook, New York. Photographed by Lindsay Baldwin.
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DAV I D PAT R I C K C O LU M B IA
David Patrick Columbia
NEW YORK SOCIAL DIARY
WELL, GOODBYE SUMMER.
Almost overnight, the city feels different: mornings filling earlier, traffic thickening almost to a standstill, and the day taking on that more struc-
tured flow again — commutes, drop-offs, crowded sidewalks, a much fuller calendar — assuming you can get where you need to go. The city, like it does time and time again, has
geared itself back up. It made me think back over the summer that’s just ended — August’s slower rhythm already receding into whatever comes next. I was stand-
ing on that same corner near Eli’s Essentials, the restaurant/café on Madison Avenue, back then, before any of it had set in, and what struck me was how unhurried the whole
OCE ANA’S NE W YORK GAL A
Bernadette Castro
Cade Alami and Alexis Loomans
Jaimie Alexander 20 QUEST
Daniela Fernandez
Susan Rockefeller and Sam Waterston
Emilie Goldblum and Jeff Goldblum
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Constance Callan and Christina Ochoa
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DAV I D PAT R I C K C O LU M B IA NYC SECOND CHANCE RESCUE’S CONCERT IN BRIDGEHAMPTON
Maria Fishel
Carole Radziwill
Jerry and Suzan Kremer
Lisa Blanco, Ashanti, and Jennifer Brooks
scene looked: sneakers and gym shorts, for by lots of men of every age, a delivery truck idling without anyone honking, lots of strollers passing by. Nothing unusual, which was exactly the point. The neighborhood was still itself, doing what it does every summer whether or not anyone’s paying attention. One of the regulars on that corner was Lulu, a Yorkie-Maltese mix walked twice a day by a neighbor of mine who is nearly ninety. Lulu rides part of the way in a stroller these days — her eyes 22 QUEST
Kate McEntee
aren’t what they used to ing their own kind of noise be — but the route never across town and down the coast changes: — proof down the block, past that our devotion the newss t a n d , to them b a c k stretches from again. She n e i g h isn’t just a borhood pet to the sidewalks w o m a n straight who owns into the her; she’s A young DPC with his dog heart of the sothe reason to get dressed and go out- cial season. Out on the South Fork, side, twice a day, every day. the Animal Rescue Fund Speaking of dogs, there of the Hamptons held its were also plenty of dog annual Bow Wow Meow events this summer, mak- Ball, drawing a crowd as
Robin and Lenn Tanenbaum with Holly Cardinale
committed to abandoned animals as to any gala on the calendar. In the Hamptons, NYC Second Chance Rescue staged its Concert for a Cause, while in New York City, Animal Haven held its celebrity-studded runway show, where familiar cultural faces walked alongside adoptable dogs. Petfinder livestreamed the event to a national audience. I won’t rehash every detail, but it does make one realize how closely connected they are: whether it is a rescued dog looking for a second chance or an elderly Yorkie faithfully
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Leesa Rowland and Larry Wohl
DAV I D PAT R I C K C O LU M B IA making her rounds past a neighborhood newsstand, it is all part of the same story. A little further from the neighborhood, at the Spitzer School of Architecture at City College, I stopped by Publicolor’s Summer Design Studio. Ruth Shuman, who has run Publicolor for thirty years now, won’t let you get away with the easy version of the story, the one where a coat of bright paint on a school hallway fixes everything. She’ll tell you herself that paint is where Publicolor started, decades ago,
but it was never the real for elderly residents, sinpoint. The point is put- gle mothers, survivors of ting teenagers who don’t domestic violence. Square get many footage, c h a n c ventilaes into a tion, where room and the light ma k i ng comes in. them do When Ruth real design walked the work. room and T h i s p u s h e d s u m m e r ’s back on assignt h e i r ment was choices, affordable nobody Chauncey Stillman with housing. b a c k e d his grandson I watched a down; they roomful of them discuss- defended their plans like ing, compromising, so- they’d built them. Which, cializing over floor plans in a sense, they had.
Dutchess County itself was hosting nearly four hundred people for the Friends of Wethersfield’s sixth annual Garden Luncheon. Even from a distance, Wethersfield is the kind of place that reminds you the word “estate” used to mean something specific: a Georgian house, formal Italian gardens, a woodland bosco, sculpture tucked along the trails, all of it built on Chauncey Stillman’s old idea that beauty ought to be shared. This year’s luncheon honored Zibby Farran Tozer with the Spirit of
A DAY AT GREENWIC H P OLO
Kira Cooper
Erica Pelosini and Cindy Cederlund
Annette Perry, Christain Perry, and Caroline Applegarth
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Polo match
Sofya Turker, Liz Kovics, and Emma Allen
Fabiane Koerner
ROB RI C H / S O C I ET YAL L U RE. C O M
Danielle Black
Angela Teffer
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DAV I D PAT R I C K C O LU M B IA CINEMA SOCIE T Y ’S SCREENING OF PAPER TIGER IN E AST HAMP TON
Eleanor Nuechterlein, Jeff Nuechterlein, and Linda Wells
Kelly Turlington Burns and Brian Burns
Candace Bushnell and Melissa Landau
Andrew Saffir and Daniel Benedict
Wethersfield Award for years of devotion to the place, with tables set under bespoke Quadrille toppers patterned in peacocks and ferns, and Michael Poulin running the auction. But what stays with you from afar isn’t the auction; it’s the trees — the sense that whoever planted them wasn’t thinking about a single summer’s luncheon so much as luncheons fifty summers from now. Heading up that way always does it to me; it puts me in mind of another drive, a long time before any of this, that actually changed my life. This was the early seventies. I was in the brokerage business 26 QUEST
Christie Brinkley, Brooke Shields, and Beth Stern
Happy Massee, Lucy Sumner, and Griffin Dunne
then, wore a tie to the and bought the green one. office every day, bought It felt like a small extravagance at my shoes the time; at Brooks it turned Brothers out to be and kept the cheapthem long est tie enough to anyone in prove it. New York A few has ever years earlibought, er my wife c on s i d e rhad come ing what h o m e he did talking Ralph Lauren with the about a young necktie salesman at idea afterward. The same restlessness Bloomingdale’s — wider ties than Brooks sold, sol- that made a five-dollar tie id colors, navy and British feel like news is more or racing green and grey, five less what put us on a back dollars apiece. His name road near Pound Ridge was Ralph Lauren. I went one Sunday, driving no-
where in particular, when we passed a red barn that somebody had turned into a shop. I couldn’t tell you exactly what got into me, but I looked at that barn and thought: why not us. A few months and a real estate agent later we had the lease — two hundred dollars a month, two rooms, each with its own gas stove, the barn itself built in 1839 by a man named Selleck who’d made baskets for the Fulton Fish Market. We called it Whipsnade’s, after the W. C. Fields character, mainly because we liked watching people try to say it back to us. Halston and Blass and Kasper eventu-
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Gwyneth Paltrow, James Gray, and Brad Falchuk
DAV I D PAT R I C K C O LU M B IA ally came through those two rooms at a discount, and women drove up from New Canaan and Bedford to see what we had.. That particular life ended along with the marriage, and led me somewhere else — but I still recognize the logic of it whenever I make this drive. A man, well still a boy in my mind, spends his weekdays in a tie bought at Bloomingdale’s and his Sundays deciding, on the strength of one red barn glimpsed from a car window, to leave the city altogether. Dutchess County runs on that same impulse.. Somebody looks
at an old house and a evening called Mozart in stand of trees and decides the Moonlight, with Kimthe thing is worth doing berly Allan, Ellie Manko Libby, and Marta de Radproperly. zyminski, to On the benefit the South Fork, American the frantic Mozar teum energy of Society. Anearly summer was aldrew Hawready givkins, the ing way to S o c i e t y ’s that flatter, president, golden light made the August East case — as he End regulars does every Simone Levinson know well, year — for though the social calen- getting younger audiences dar hadn’t slowed down into a room with chamto match it. In Southamp- ber music before they ton, Maryann Marston decide it isn’t for them. opened her house for an The Boho4 String Quartet
played Mozart’s D Minor Quartet under the actual moon, interspersed with readings from Anna Enquist’s Kwartet. Just up the road on Jobs Lane, Simone Levinson spoke to a packed house at the Southampton Arts Center’s SummerFest Gala, marking how far the place has come as a cultural hub for the village. The three acres around the building have been quietly transformed — new brick paths, better circulation, mature trees that actually shade something — thanks to John Paulson and Alina de Almeida, who funded the
DEN YCE GR AV E S FOUNDAT ION’S C OC K TAIL PAR T Y IN NE W YORK
Alexandra Penny
Ann Ziff and Matt Bird
Ann Van Ness 28 QUEST
Bernadette Zumot, Clyde Jones, and Carrie Rebora Barratt
Huanjie Yuan, Barbara Tober, Denyce Graves, and Edgar Batista
Kathleen German and Thomas Knapp
PATRI C K M C M U L L AN
Maria Eugenia Maury and William Haseltine
DAV I D PAT R I C K C O LU M B IA SMITHSONIAN ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART’S GAL A IN NEW YORK
Kate Earnest and Ben Gillespie
Stephanie Dorsey
Anne Helmreich and Christian Wulffen
restoration with Frederick Law Olmsted’s old idea in mind: that a park belongs to everyone, not just to whoever can afford the house next to it. Mayor Manger made the point himself at the gala — mothers with strollers, kids hanging their art on the gallery walls, someone just grabbing lunch, all sharing the same patch of grass now. It’s a small thing that makes a big difference. By the time Labor Day weekend rolled around, I was back on my favorite corner in Carnegie Hill, 30 QUEST
Laura and Todd Galaida
Ann Temkin and Martin Puryear
and back on the promenade off what was, at the time, the largwatching est planned the river traffic explosion a n y o n e the way had ever I sometimes do, attempted, just to thinking blast away about Hell enough rock Gate — to make that narthe passage row, mean su r v iv abl e. stretch It took deof water John Paulson and Alina De Almeida cades to really where the Harlem River, the Sound, tame it. I thought about that and the harbor all try to occupy the same space at watching the boats go by once. In 1885, the Army — some headed toward Corps of Engineers set Sag Harbor, one or two
Pamela Joyner and Fred Giuffirda
clearly on a longer trip than that — because it occurred to me we’re not so different now, still trying to navigate whatever’s making the water turbulent, still fairly sure we’ll eventually get things on an even keel. The sun was catching the hulls of a few private cruisers heading toward quieter harbors, and it was hard not to think that’s really what all of this — the galas, the garden luncheons, the long look back across the seasons — is actually for: somewhere to put down anchor for a night. ◆
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Carol LeBlanc and Denise Elliott
DAV I D PAT R I C K C O LU M B IA HAMPTON CLASSIC HORSE SHOW
Hilary Geary Ross
Kelly Klein and Gabby Karan de Felice
Michael Lorber
Alba and Peter Cook
Mary Massey 32 QUEST
Joey Wolffer with her daughters
Cathy Fergusson, Allison Morrow, and Helen Fagan
Leonard Lane, Ava Maloney, Bonnie Comley, and Stewart Lane
Bella Chin
ROB RI C H / S O C I ET YAL L U RE. C O M
Kiana Lair and Piper Phipps
DAV I D PAT R I C K C O LU M B IA AL ZHEIMER ’S A S SOCI AT ION’S C OC K TAIL PAR T Y IN NE W YORK
Noel Momsen
Natalie Agresta and Scott Francis
Camila Vignaud 34 QUEST
Alexandra Mack and Alexander Wilson
Oliver and Brooke Kennan
Domenica Albero, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, and Lis Waterman
Maja Olivares-Co, Josie Natori, Jeannette Chang, Mimi So, and Sarah Tam Marin
Lucia Hwong Gordon
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Chelsea Stellick and Katherine Schultz
DAV I D PAT R I C K C O LU M B IA MIC H AEL KORS’ DINNER AT T HE HEDGE S INN IN E A S T H AMP TON
Carolyn Murphy
Lizzie Tisch, Aerin Lauder, and Mason Rudnick
Fiona Rudin and Kara Feifer 36 QUEST
Sarah Wetenhall and Valesca Guerrand Hermès
Naomi Watts and Michael Kors
Molly Sims
Jane Krakowski and David Rockwell
Sylvia Edwards and Tamron Hall
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Christie Brinkley and Sailor Brinkley-Cook
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FRIENDS OF WETHERSFIELD’S GARDEN LUNCHEON IN AMENIA
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1. Oakleigh Thorne, Clair Glover, Jacqueline Thorne, Lindsay Baldwin, and Daniele Bodini 2. Katie Tozer and Gloria Fieldcamp 3. Perrin Berkey and Holly Lipsky 4. Nancy Hathaway, Zibby Tozer, and John Budnik 5. Farnham Collins and Nancy Hathaway 6. Brooke Kennan, Meghan Klopp, and Natasha Blodgett 7. Jim Tozer, Marina Kellen French, and Genie Revson 8. Anne Johnson, John Block, and Anna Tcherepnine 9. Chris and Claire Mann with Jon Shoates and Laura Washington
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6 5 1. Cece Cord, Ronald Linclau, and Kathleen Augustine 2. David Thieringer and Feli Thorne 3. Erik and Jennifer Oken 4. Irene Banning, Barbara Tober, and Jack Banning 5.7J. Barclay Collins, Bindy Kaye, and Richard Armstrong 6. Jack Budnik, John Budnik, Tara Shafer, Steven Finley, and Linda Stillman 7. John Knott, Marian McEvoy, and John Fondas 8. Chip and Susie Fisher 9. Lillian Simons, George Whalen IV, George Whalen III, and Susie Whalen
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DAV I D PAT R I C K C O LU M B IA IN T ERN AT ION AL T ENNIS H ALL OF FAME ’S INDUC T ION CELEBR AT ION IN NE WP OR T
Celebrity Pro Classic
John McEnroe, Mary Carillo, and Patrick McEnroe
Tracy Austin 40 QUEST
Dan Faber and David Haggerty
Roger Federer
Lleyton Hewitt and Steve Flink
Gabriela Sabatini
Stan Smith
G ET T Y I M AG E S
Bob Bryan
DAV I D PAT R I C K C O LU M B IA RH E S TAT E S’ GR AND O PENIN G IN GREENWIC H
Ali Galgano
Erica Silverman and Rachel Doneger
Michael and Reesa Lake 52 4 4 QUEST
Demi McCormack and Sterling Dio
Paige Paul, Gary Friedman, and Bella Hunter Friedman
Martha Stewart
Hilary Haroche and Shirin von Wulffen
Samantha and David Yanks
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Athena Calderone and Derek Blasberg
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DAV I D PAT R I C K C O LU M B IA J .MCL AUGHLIN’S COC K TAIL PART Y IN NE WPORT
Jack Lynch and Jill Roosevelt Earl and Elizabeth McMillan with Daphne Darling
Lindsey Page with daughters Lucy and Britty
Ben Hilliker, Tristian Dyer, Gary Wolf, Christopher Bancroft Mandly, and Paul Parker
Meghan Boss and Brent Morris
Katy Duckworth-Schachter and Suebelle Robbins
Nicole Limbocker and Merrill Debbs
Pamela Taylor Yates, Karen Klopp, and Meg Braff
CA SITA MARIA’S COC K TAIL PART Y IN NE W YORK
Shannon Donnelly and Guy Clark
Jeanne Lawrence and CeCe Black
Chris Walling and Lina Luaces 54 QUEST 4
Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia and Margo Langenberg
Beth Hardwick, Jackie Weld Drake, and Felix Urrutia, Jr.
Michael Witmer and Janet Mait
AN N I E WAT T
Jamie DeRoy and Catherine Adler
920 S. Ocean Boulevard, Palm Beach, Florida An irreplaceable Palm Beach landmark, Casa Eleda embodies the romance, history, and architectural grandeur that define the town’s most storied estates. Affectionately known by locals as the ‘’Ham and Cheese House,’’ a reference to Maurice Fatio’s iconic use of alternating brick and coquina stone, Casa Eleda stands as a masterwork of timeless design. Designed by Maurice Fatio in the Italian Romanesque style, the estate offers over 150 feet of direct ocean frontage and features a rare private tunnel to the beach complete with an elevator. The beachfront cabana creates a seamless extension of the home’s luxurious lifestyle. EXCLUSIVE OFFERING
Integrity. Commitment. Excellence. C 561.629.3015 T 561.659.6551 E cjangle@anglerealestate.com anglerealestate.com THOUGH INFORMATION IS ASSUMED TO BE CORRECT, OFFERINGS ARE SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION, ERRORS, OMISSIONS, PRIOR SALE, AND WITHDRAWAL WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL MATERIAL HEREIN IS INTENDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND HAS BEEN COMPILED FROM SOURCES DEEMED RELIABLE. OUTLINES AND RENDERINGS ARE FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY.
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RALPH LAUREN’S RUNWAY SHOW IN NEW YORK 1. Ralph and Ricky Lauren 2. Claire Rose Cliteur and Zita D’Hauteville 3. Dylan Lauren and Paul Arrouet 4. Anna Wintour and Cynthia Erivo 5. Julius Tennon and Viola Davis 6. Model on the runway 7. Eiza González 8. Meghann Fahy and Rachel Brosnahan
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1. Andrew Lauren and Natascha Schuetz 2. Kelsey Merritt 3. Lauren Bush Lauren and David Lauren 4. Patrice Louvet and Christine
7 5. Elizabeth Debicki, Laetitia Louvet Casta, and Ariana DeBose 6. Devon Lee Carlson and Sydney Carlson 7. Ella Hunt 8. Ro Brahmand and Sophia Roe
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DAV I D PAT R I C K C O LU M B IA NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC’S OPENING GAL A
Daniel Boulud and Katherine Gage Boulud
Elizabeth and Bart Asner
Candace Bushnell, Roy Kean, and Lee Fryd
Grimanesa Amoros 5 44 8 Q QU UE E SS T T
Francine LeFrak and Rick Friedberg
Colleen Rein and Elizabeth Segerstrom
Mikhail Baryshnikov and Lisa Rinehart
Marilyn Kirschner and Judith Pisar
Galina Novikova
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Brian Federico and Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner
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The Beatles and Cassius Clay at the Fifth Street Gym in Miami, February 1964. 00 QUEST
HA R RY B E N S O N
IT SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY AFTER THE BEATLES’ success on The Ed Sullivan Show in New York on February 9, 1964, they were booked for a second appearance to be broadcast from Miami the following week. When we got to the Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach, I turned on the television in my room and saw Cassius Clay (before he became Muhammad Ali) shouting and bragging about how beautiful he was and how he was going to win the world heavyweight boxing title from the champ, Sonny Liston. I thought, well, that would make a good picture, so I suggested to the Beatles that we go to meet Clay. They all agreed, but then John said he didn’t want to meet the big mouth; he wanted to meet the reigning champ instead. So I went to Liston’s training gym. Liston was tying his shoes and didn’t even look up at me as he replied, “I don’t want to meet those bums.” Remember, at the time the Beatles were causing a sensation, but they were very different from any group that had come before (think Elvis), and some people were leery of Beatlemania, which was sweeping the country. In any case, I hired a large car and picked up the Beatles, who thought they were going to meet Liston. Instead I took them to the Fifth Street Gym where Clay was training. For once, the Beatles encountered someone who was as quick-witted as they were. Clay had them walking around holding signs while he danced around the ring pointing to Paul and shouting, “He’s pretty, but I’m prettier.” He made the Beatles line up then lay down in the ring while he literally stole the show. They were taken aback and furious with me afterward, saying, “Clay made a fool of us, Benson, and it was your fault.” They wouldn’t speak to me then, but I didn’t mind, as I left the next day to photograph Ian Fleming at his home in Jamaica. The recently released film Dr. No, based on Fleming’s book of the same name and starring Sean Connery as James Bond, was causing a sensation of its own. I returned to Miami to cover the Clay-Liston fight, in which Clay became the heavyweight champion of the world and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. And when I saw the Beatles a few months later, they were fine—all was forgiven. Gigi and I are heading to LA for the September 30th opening celebration of my collection of unseen Hollywood photographs, which will be on display at the Beverly Hills Hotel until early next year. Join us for the fun! ◆ OCTOBER 2026 57
NTA AM K IE
DEMOCRATIC STUPIDITIES OF AMERICA
Clockwise from left: Claude Rains as Captain Louis Renault in Casablanca 1942; a dissapointed Uncle Sam; cover of Hoppe’s Democracy: The God
A FRIEND OF MINE, Hans-Hermann Hoppe, wrote a seminal book on democracy some time ago called Democracy: The God That Failed. It is revisionist in nature, and reaches the conclusion that monarchy is a lesser evil than democracy. After my take last week on the British monarchy, I might not be the right person to comment on his views, but I do have an excuse. I only mentioned the Brits’ monarchy, and not the ones that actually work: Japan, the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands, and even 08 5 0 QUEST
Spain all have responsible constitutional monarchies that fulfill their duties almost to perfection. (Arab “royalty,” with the exception of Jordan’s Hashemite dynasty, is largely fictitious, made up of autocrats calling themselves royals.) Democracy, on the other hand, has been under attack since time immemorial—Spartan monarchy versus Athenian democracy 2,500 years ago, and so on. Marxism, Communism, Leninism, Stalinism: All these isms are basically euphemisms for tyrannical dictatorships.
The latest aberration is the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA for short), an absurd collection of self-promoting nobodies who attract lots of media attention. The fourth estate always does its best to publicize the worst, but from what I gather from the DSA’s own ravings, the group stands for everything
PHOTO CREDIT GOES HERE
that Failed.
TA K I that is un-American. The DSA’s conviction that the country is divided into oppressors and oppressed, just as it is in most African countries, is beyond the pale, as is doing away with the Senate and the Supreme Court in order to improve the lives of these so-called oppressed. Crazies like Hasan Piker and Abdul El-Sayed, with their insane communist schemes, including open borders and no prisons, are promoted by the lefty media, but voters should be alerted to these dangerous clowns. All these radical ideas began after the French Revolution, during which seizing property and making it communal were viewed as democracy in action.
Communism sold to unaware folk 100 years ago. The irony is that foreign names are commonplace among DSA leaders, such as Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez, Melat Kiros, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, even Zohran Mamdani. I hope no one assumes I’m a racist, not with a name like Taki, but whatever happened to Anglo-Saxon or European-sounding names? There is also Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who sounds like a descendant of the conquistadors and used to tend bar in the Bronx; she gets a pass because she’s also rather cute, but that’s it. Convincing people they are marginalized, oppressed, and left behind is easy in Africa. In America it’s harder, but if you
genius Rousseau, whom Voltaire called a tramp who would like to see the rich robbed by the poor, did not go as far as the present DSA rabble. That was back in the 1750s. Today’s mob promises unrealizable dreams of prosperity, but as we all know, even if every penny of every millionaire, billionaire, and multinational corporation were taken away, it would suffice to keep things going for barely a few months. But Americans fed up with high prices might listen to doing away with rent, free healthcare, and student loan forgiveness. Fantastically empty promises and unimaginable lies work at times. This is why I’m worried. The Donald’s unique combination
Clockwise from left: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and Zohran Mamdani, 2025; The Democratic Socialists of America logo; then-President-elect Barack Obama with
M IL LS /THE N EW YORK TIM E S
LP UIZ H O T RO A CMRPE E DLOT I T TO G O/DPA E S H/EE UR ROPAN E EWS WIRE /P IC T URE ALLI AN C E /S IPAP ; DOU G
then-Vice President-elect Joe Biden, 2008.
Two-hundred fifty years later, a bunch of con artists want open borders in order to let the mobs come in, and plan to get rid of institutions that enforce the laws of this country in order to gain and remain in power. This would be fine if it took place in some distant African nation—as it does—but what amazes me is that people like Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Liz Warren, James Carville and Eric Holder support them. Like Captain Renault in Casablanca, I’m shocked, shocked. Actually, these DSA clowns claim that America today is a woefully backward country, an unhappy place requiring immediate change. This is demagoguery at its best, the kind of bull Leninism and
let enough people in who have no skills and less money, the task becomes easier. The notion that personal ambition and freedom of choice are the enemies of society is a socialist concept. The politics of envy prevail; state dependency and welfare, rather than self-reliance, dominate. I see the whole problem starting long ago, when the right took a defensive position on behalf of wealth creation, whereas the left took up the godly pose of moral righteousness. The caricature, promoted by the movies, cartoons, and plays, not to mention the media, was that the left was kind and meant well, while the right was ruthless and amoral but good at wealth creation. Even the trouble-making French
of vanity and venality could open the door to revolution from the left, just as happened for the right back in 2016 and 2024. Lower-income voters in rural areas had been abandoned by the catastrophic Obama-Biden globalist regime. Today’s metropolitan middle classes feel threatened by inflation, AI, and wars against countries they can hardly pick out on a map. As a sophisticated Yankee recently told me, “I never thought I’d see Uncle Sam playing second fiddle to Israel.” I put it in cruder terms: “I never thought Uncle Sam would turn into an Israeli catamite.” ◆ For more Taki: theamericanconservative.com O C T OM BA EY R 2 0 2 63 5 09 0
N AA UM DA EX
MELLON RACING From above: Owner Paul Mellon with his winner Mill Reef at Ascot; Jerry Bailey after
IN ADDITION to his many philanthropies—in agriculture at Oak Spring, preserving the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area, and multiple art institutions—Paul Mellon had an abiding passion for horses. An avid equestrian, fox hunter, and long distance rider throughout his long life, he was also a deeply committed race horse owner, including such Hall of Famers as Arts and Letters and Fort Marcy, trained by the late Elliot Burch. Undoubtedly, however, his two greatest horses were Mill Reef and Sea Hero. Both of them were bred at Mellon’s Rokeby Farm in Upperville, Virginia. Mill Reef was sired by Never Bend. The bay colt was named for the Mellon’s Antiguan winter retreat. Early on it became clear his natural action 60 QUEST
might predispose him to racing on the turf, and he was therefore sent to Ian Balding to train in England rather than on the flat in America. He won two races at two but blossomed as a three-year-old in 1971, winning the Epsom Derby, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and capping that great season with a victory in the Prix de l’Arc de Tri-
AN N E E B E RH ARDT / B L O ODH ORS E P H OTO
winning the Kentucky Derby aboard Sea Hero.
NAME
Clockwise from bottom left: Sea Hero statue in Saratoga; Mill Reef winning the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes; Paul and Bunny Mellon following Sea Hero’s
C REATI V E C O M M ON S ; J I M M ORRI S / C O U R TE S Y OF OAK S P RI N G G ARDE N F O U N DATI ON
1993 win in the Kentucky Derby.
omphe at Longchamps. Mill Reef had some success as a fouryear-old but was bedeviled by a virus and a near-fatal injury. His cannon bone was stabilized in a six hour operation, and he became a successful stallion at Newmarket Stud. A statue of him stands at the National Stud, where on the plinth Paul Mellon’s tribute to him from the Gimcrack Dinner in 1970 is inscribed: Swift as a bird I flew down many a course Princes, Lords, and commoners all sang my praise In victory or defeat I played my part. Remember me, all men who love the horse. If hearts and spirits flag in after days; Though small, I gave my all. I gave my heart. It was a long but patient wait for Mellon’s American champion. Sea Hero, by Polish Navy, was foaled at Rokeby on March 3, 1990. In 1993, Mellon, then aged 84, began dispersing his racing stock, but he kept Sea Hero in training with the legendary Hall of Fame Kentuckian horseman MacKenzie Miller.
Considered temperamental at first, Mack Miller experimented with equipment to prevent Sea Hero from getting his tongue over the bit. His two-year-old campaign started slowly, and Sea Hero did not win his first race until September 7th but went on to win the Grade I Champagne Stakes in the Fall of 1992. 1993 was also a slow start for Sear Hero, but after finishing fourth in the Blue Grass Stakes, he confounded the handicapping experts by winning the Kentucky Derby at 13-1 over the favored Prairie Bayou. It was the first Derby win for jockey Jerry Bailey, trainer Mack Miller, and owner Paul Mellon, making Mellon the only owner ever to win the Kentucky Derby and the Arc de Triomphe. In August of 1993, Sea Hero won the Travers Stakes at Saratoga, the so-called Midsummer Derby, capping an extraordinary season. Paul Mellon died at Oak Spring in February of 1999 at the age of 91, one of the Racing Hall of Fame’s few “Exemplars of Racing,” but his legacy will live on there and on so many other fronts. He was, indeed, a man in full. ◆ OCTOBER 2026 61
BY ELIZABETH MEIGHER
Z I B B Y M E DI A
LIFE LESSONS BETWEEN THE CHAPTERS
Z I B B Y M E DI A
BOOKS BEST-SELLING AUTHOR and award-winning podcast host Zibby Owens’ life is not what it was ten years ago. Back then, Zibby was a recently divorced stay-at-home Mom, mother-of-four and writer living on the Upper East Side. Today, she lives in LA with her husband Kyle, hosts the award-wining podcast Totally Booked With Zibby and the weekly TV show Totally Booked with Zibby (formerly Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books) on JBS (Jewish Broadcasting Service). Along with other women approaching fifty, Zibby has gained and lost weight, gained and lost friends, weathered divorce, remarried, suffered loss, balanced life as a wife, mother, sister and daughter… And somehow managed to remain the CEO of a major media company. Born Elizabeth Schwarzman, her friends could not pronounce all four syllables and shortened her name to “Zaibeth”, which her parents later changed to “Zibby”. Today, Zibby shares the same name of her media company, Zibby Inc. An outspoken supporter of authors and readers, Owens is a bookstore owner, publisher, TV personality, event host and community builder. Her podcast, Totally Booked With Zibby, was launched in 2018 and has since featured over 2,000 guests. In 2021, Zibby Media was formed. The woman-owned company is devoted to connecting story lovers on and off the page through conversation, self-discovery and shared passion. Founded along with the launch of Zibby Publishing, Zibby Media offers unique, year-round events and retreats for book lovers. Zibby is known for her willingness to share personal experiences that her readers and followers can learn from and easily relate to. Her journey through relationships with family and finding new love is heartfelt and comforting (even educational) for anyone who has ever struggled in similar areas. Each chapter of upcoming Between Chapters is its own story, touching on a unique topic. Between Chapters begins with the story of how Zibby met her current husband, Kyle. Zibby’s relationships with Kyle is an ongoing storyline throughout most of Zibby’s writing. Watching their love story develop as they weather life’s challenges is compelling, if not hopeful. Not only do Zibby and Kyle share a passion for tennis (they met on the courts), they also seem to have discovered how to manage life’s challenges as a team. In the book, Zibby addresses her struggle with weight, a topic she has written about extensively in the past. In the chapter Let’s Lose Weight Later, she recalls her experience as a leader at Weight Watchers and admits that the program’s obsessive calorie-counting and weekly meetings grew tedious. Zibby is open about taking the weight-loss drug Mounjaro, which she addresses in the chapter Yes, I’m Taking A Weight Loss Drug. At an annual check-up, she discovers that she has gained 30 pounds following the pandemic. When her doctor asks, “What are you going to do for weight loss?” Zibby’s eyes well up with tears as she recounts her endless struggle with weight. Her doctor recommends an endocrinologist who specializes in women’s health. After reviewing her bloodwork, the endocrinologist reviews Zibby’s history of yo-yo dieting and explains that Zibby is prediabetic, noting high cholesterol, her relationship to insulin, and menopause as additional factors. She recommends Mounjaro (Metformin had proven ineffective and Ozempic made her sick). After years of attempting various diets, Zibby loses 30 pounds and is freed from the grips of constant calorie counting and weight obsession, with all her blood levels
returned to normal.” Mounjaro is a miracle” she writes. Zibby’s book also addresses her relationship with her parents. The challenge of pleasing a perfectionist mother is not easy—and takes on a new perspective with age and loss. Zibby reflects on the death of her father-in-law, Howard, with love and heartfelt attention to her mother. In the book, she becomes plainly aware of how much she will miss his familiar habits, along with his saying “Hey kid,” always followed by a compliment. Anecdotes she shares in the chapters related to her children are a reminder of why even small and fleeting moments should be cherished. Family vacations, Memorial Day Weekends, Thanksgiving dinners, school dropoffs… As parents grow older and children leave home, every minute starts to count. Woven in with happy family memories, Zibby quietly juxtaposes harsh realities: loss of a loved one; unwarranted mass persecution; the inexplicable suffering of innocent children, unheard of natural disasters—lending perspective to simple moments shared with family. At the end of the book, a taxi whizzes across Central Park, and Howard’s memory is quietly honored. The last chapter begins with a stack of pancakes as a family prepares for school. The realization of time on the horizon is coupled with plans for a family dinner. Zibby and Kyle agree to keep meeting more authors and publishing more books—and eating more pancakes. When the book comes out Zibby’s twins will have just headed to college. “Monjouro and Zoloft, you’re coming too.” Wish them all luck! ◆ Above: Between Chapters: How I Started Over, Took Some Chances, and Found The Plot by Zibby Owens. Opposite: The author in the doorway of her bookstore in Santa Monica, California. OCTOBER 2026 63
LAUGHING THROUGH LIFE: WORDS TO LIVE BY MEMOIR OF BARBAR A S TARKE Y MARCO DONOVAN TOBER
00 QUEST
MEMOIR
EARLY LIFE I NEVER EXPECTED to be born perfect... and I wasn’t. But I was born and I survived, and that’s more than some people get. I had an older brother who died at the age of two. One successful birth of my sister; then after two more “death disappointments,” when my parents least expected it, I CAME ALONG. “It’s a girl” and someone said “SURPRISE!” YES, INDEED! I hope my life was a welcome relief for my parents. To my older sister, Jeanne Elizabeth, on the other hand, I was a source of intense resentment. By coming into the world when I did, after she had been the “only one” for seven years, I had unwittingly stolen the spotlight. We did not have a close relationship, and she let me know in no uncertain terms that I was an annoyance when I came to play in her room. My sister LOVED movies, movie stars, portraits of actors and actresses, and the walls of her bedroom were papered with photographs. Probably she would have loved that life, but her life, like mine, took a different turn and our parents began to point us in a different and disastrous direction. I was a bucket of colds and complaints, keeping mostly to my room and a comforting collection of stuffed animals with which I conducted various dramas and plays to fill the lonely hours when I could not go to school. I think imagination comes from the early exercise of the brain and there was ample time for that. When I was three or four, my governess, Belle, was giving me a bath. During this, I recall that she said, “Remember Barbara, you have to be GOOD...” and I said to her, “What does it mean... to be GOOD?” I wanted her to explain her terms—what action or inaction did she really WANT? I have always wanted to define my terms, to find out what people really mean. Cloudy thinking begets misunderstandings, always, and behaviors must be carefully defined so they are not misunderstood. I believe that sloppy thinking and imprecise speech can cause chaos in this inaccurate and battle-hungry world.
Barbara Tober at five years old. Opposite page: Barbara and Donald Tober with their horses at a horse show.
Because we had the money, I was able to attend Kent Place School for Girls, a private school in Summit, New Jersey, for grades K-12. Somehow, however, there was no connection between my parents and the “other parents” whose children attended. I was considered strange, I guess, because I was absent so often and sick at home. The Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, was the focus for my parents’ social life. They didn’t entertain at home, always “The Club.” My parents seemed happily in the throes of a spiraling social life at Baltusrol
where cocktails, social exchanges, and probably a little flirting, went on. They often remained for dinner but sometimes came home where Inez and Tom (our cook and butler) would ceremoniously serve. My father, Rodney Starkey, was a handsome, smart man with a fine career, debating medals, and great grades in school... all the elements of success to propel him forward. Rodney Starkey had been equipped with a flashier position at Columbia Pictures prior to Price Waterhouse but chose to come back to the east coast for... more money. OCTOBER 2026 65
Barbara Tober mounted on her favorite black horse.
My mother lacked his higher education, but she was very beautiful and a creditable golfer. The decision to send me to the best school possible in the area, however, did not energize her to participate in parental activities, so I just came home every day driven by our uniformed chauffeur, Tom, who wore a 06 6 0 QUEST
conservative grey suit and cap and drove a grey Plymouth. Once home, there were two choices... go to my room and play with my stuffed animals or DEVOUR the contents of a considerable library stocked with books on entomology, zoology, animals around the world, horses, Oriental rugs (some of which we
owned), maps, and of course the everpresent Encyclopedia Britannica. Kent Place School was, when I could attend, the best of the best. French lessons began in kindergarten. Speaking English elegantly, arithmetic, reading, and cursive writing were basics. There was a heavy emphasis on art—we
MEMOIR painted, sculpted, and often worked on group murals of flowers, creatures, and animals. Some girls tried desperately to “stand out,” even though this was supposed to be a “group effort.” At school, the other girls used to gather under the branches and giggle when I walked by... a “strange little girl” always alone, always missing school because she’s sick. Finally, I befriended another lonely little girl from a nearby town whose father was a truck farmer and rich enough to send HIS daughter to Kent Place. We became best friends... I even remember her name, Shirley Leseckla. I felt “out of place” but I had a friend and that meant the world to me. We were inseparable and even sat together when we, “the kindergarteners,” wove together the flowers for the annual Daisy Chain that lined the route for the seniors as they collected their diplomas and graduated. I once won a rabbit... a nice, soft adolescent rabbit. that turned out (as rabbits do) to live unhappily in a cage even though we lavished it with food and love. The story of how I won the rabbit is germane: I attended an event at school in a very full auditorium where a magician was performing magic tricks for an audience of little girls, and I convinced Belle to take me there. I was very young, didn’t know much about magic, but I wanted to GO SOMEWHERE because we seldom had such an opportunity. We went, the magician performed magic tricks, then brought out a rabbit and continued... more tricks with the rabbit. Finally, he finished, and said, “Who would like to own this rabbit?” Chaos reigned because every little girl in that auditorium wanted that rabbit and they were jumping out of their seats and wiggling, shaking their arms hard... trying to stand out. I, on the other hand, had not even a CHANCE to get the rabbit, so I put up my arm and held it very quietly in the middle of all that wriggling. Suddenly I heard the words, “That little girl with the quiet hand.” And someone came over and said, “You won.” I learned a valuable lesson that day about “containment” being more powerful than pushing hard to get what you wanted. One warm and sunny day, I decided to walk home and not call Tom to pick me
Cornelius Peter Donovan and Barbara Tober being married, 1968.
up. The world was DIFFERENT then—at least between Kent Place and our house at 18 Edgewood Drive—so being curious and confident, I walked, peered into other backyards, and once went right into what I knew was an “empty house.” I climbed over the stone wall, entered the front door... but nobody was there and I satisfied my curiosity by determining that “our house was nicer” and continued home. “BE CAREFUL,” said Belle, who had lovingly created corkscrew curls for my “formal portrait” taken when I was about five years old, in a pretty white lacy dress. “You should not go down there by yourself.” Our house was on top of a modest hill in the middle of Summit, New Jersey. Trails led down to the railroad tracks; gardens and trees surrounded the property. Of course, I had to wander down to those tracks, and I did see some people that I found just a bit frightening, so I didn’t go there again. After all, I thought to myself, I am wearing such a pretty dress, and someone might be jealous... the decision not to go there was mine. There was growing contention in the air at home and I sensed it. I remember my parents having dinner in the
dining room. I was in my room and I said to myself, “I don’t know who this man is. I don’t know my father. I think I’ll sneak downstairs and watch them.” So, I quietly crawled down the carpeted stairs one night and sat on the third step listening. After a few minutes, my father sensed this “interloper” peering at their all-too-silent meal. He got up, walked over, brought me upstairs to my room, plunked me into bed, whacked my behind and said, “Don’t ever do that again!” And... LEFT. He never did spend any, what is now called “quality time,” with me; I think that my mother, having experienced less-than-satisfactory results of having children, must have said something like, “maybe you should go elsewhere to have ‘fun’”—which is what many women did at the time before there was any reliable “birth control”... and HE DID. But he ended up with a chorus girl and member of the German Bund named Irene, who fancied this tall, handsome, rich American who drank too much and thought, “How nice it would be to own him.” And an amazing part of my story is how she managed to be completely successful in achieving that. OCTOBER 2026 67
MEMOIR
TEEN YEARS, EARLY ADULTHOOD Around the time I turned fourteen or fifteen, Irene—my father’s mistress—and her lawyer, Frackman, came to the farm. They told my mother and me that she had a “very nice apartment in Englewood, New Jersey” for us. I protested, “But I live here at Starwood; it belonged to my grandfather.” Irene simply said, “Not anymore.” I cannot accurately describe now how I felt at that precise moment, but I know that I felt betrayed by my very weak, very drunk father. So, my mother and I got in the car and went to Englewood. All at once, the horses, my butterflies, my moths, my books, my swamp with all the turtles and everything else, were gone. Suddenly, I’m walking the streets of a suburban town called Englewood and I’m looking at concrete sidewalks. It’s shocking, but there I am, in school and I know I must get good grades to graduate. Meanwhile, I’m living in the apartment that was selected for us—a “garden apartment” with two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, two bathrooms and very few clothes because we had to pack fast at Starwood. The place was sterile and sad; it felt small. Walking outside was all unwelcoming, at least to a “farm girl,” but there we were. My mother and I were locked in, with her drinking as much as she could. Going to school was liberating, and I remember the bus somehow. Those “sidewalks” of concrete drove me crazy, coming as I did from 200 acres of land and trees and grass and “mine”—my land, my home, my life, which was interrupted in the most criminal way. Sometimes Irene’s lawyer didn’t deliver the check on time. One night, there was only some leftover sauerkraut and bacon in the refrigerator. But there was always enough money for booze. The booze was endless. I remember my mother drinking Manhattans and saying to her, “Oh mommy, mommy, I hope you have another one so I can have the cherry.” I got the cherry but later realized that I was dealing with these incredible alcoholics who were ruining my life. I seem to have had a literary gift, and the records from school—at Kent Place, then Newton High School, then the Englewood school papers—show 68 QUEST
scholarly intelligence and a will to succeed. It was difficult to study when my mother would scream “Why don’t you MANIFEST yourself?” (as if she actually knew what that meant) at me when she was drunk. I tried not to let it affect me by going into the “other room”. The “other room” ceased to exist one day when Irene, seeing the downward shift in my father’s health and ability to handle the simplest tasks, sent him home to my mother, along with his Doberman pinscher dog and a bottle of Canadian Club whiskey. She had extracted everything she wanted from him and sent him home to my mother to die.
sixteenth year, having skipped a grade at Kent Place School for Girls, but there was no money for college. On my own, I was completely careless and clueless, once dating a young banker to be and getting pregnant. He, being a particularly fine young man, took me to Cuba in 1959 when Castro was firing guns around the perimeter of Havana, and I had an abortion in a perfectly upscale hospital, before fleeing the country together the next morning. We said “goodbye” to one another once we returned. Years later, Donald and I met him at the opera in Santa Fe and had a fun, short, smiling “hello.” I turned to Donald and said, “This
Jean Paul Marco and Barbara Tober, early 1950s. Opposite page: Donald putting the ring on Barbara's finger, 1973.
The months of my parents’ destruction were excruciatingly painful. I slept on a trundle bed in the living room and continued going to school. I don’t remember an awful lot about school, except for the senior prom, when I wore a black dress—and, of course, it was a disgrace to everything because all the girls were wearing little pink and blue frilly dresses and there I was, so grown up. I was already, I don’t know, twenty or so in my mind. Those days were agonizing, and all I wanted to do was get out of the house. I had graduated from high school in my
is the man who took me to Cuba” (I was never one for subterfuge.) Donald looked at him and said, “Thank you for taking such good care of my girl.” I managed to get a job through the High School Placement Department (my grades were good), so on to Standard Oil I went where I was a “Page”, registering oil deeds downtown at City Hall and watching the secretaries take threemartini lunches. I used to go downstairs to Schrafft’s and have a chopped ham on toasted cheese bread each day. I was hoping for more, so I asked... and was given another job at De Pinna
Department Store, a high-end clothing store founded by Alfred De Pinna. That was “more like it” with fashion all around me, and a more peopled atmosphere. I was also sixteen, going on seventeen, fun loving, wore high heels, dressed older than my age. I went out dancing a lot at night, sometimes on the tables at the Stuyvesant Casino in the East Village and playing the castanets, until Evelyn Brehm, the placement officer at the high school, interceded and told the De Pinna folks that I was “too fancy,” inappropriate for the store, and should be let go. Okay, I’m “let go.” To where, I wondered? That time required ingenuity (at least) and imagination, and I was scared. I enrolled in a school for switchboard operators but absolutely could not keep up with “the rhythm” of the thing. I read the “want ads.” Meanwhile, I’m still living in Englewood where my mother is urging me to date this “nice man who keeps calling” because he has spotted me for his “stable” and is trying to introduce me to “nice men” I should know. I’d kept my eyes open to what was going on in the nether regions of New York City and recognized he was a pimp.
It was a very, very scary time. One day, I read that Honeymoon Lane needed dancers, and I’m a heck of a dancer. A good one… I had even mastered the castanets! So, I climbed somewhat dolefully up the steep steps of a building somewhere like 44/45th street and Broadway to Honeymoon Lane, and I knocked at the door. Greeting me on the other side was a not quite middle-aged short man named Mr. Popov and his blonde wife. With a big smile on my face, I stammered and said I knew how to dance and was looking for a job. They looked at me and said, “Oh I don’t think you want to be a dancer here, but we are looking for a young lady who could be our secretary.” I heard those words and it was like a lead ball had been released from my leg. I didn’t know exactly what a secretary was supposed to do, but I had watched a few, so I said I would be very happy to help them in any way that I could. Thus began my training as a “secretary” at Honeymoon Lane where I learned the “ins and outs” of dictation, dedication, and Times Square’s “Do’s and Don’ts,” as well as a certain European gracefulness (the Popov’s both immigrants of course, having seen their fill of wartime misery
were somehow quite sanguine with the fact that the “other women” made their living in a different way at the dance hall next door.) I think “Live and Let Live” was the order of the day in those wartorn, “what do I do now” years. (Even Irene didn’t want to be a Member of the German Bund and a dancer at Jimmy Kelly’s Bar any longer when she spied my handsome, tall, successful father.) I spent about a year and a half with my “adopted surrogate parents” as they taught me what it takes to run a small business. Meanwhile, I began reading the “want ads” again after the first year, thinking that “there must be another job like this in a regular company” somewhere… and there was.
MEETING DONALD TOBER Donald Tober was an unknown quantity. He appeared as the “last man invited” at a dinner party where six other men had been unable to attend—newly divorced and not particularly favored by the hostess (probably because he was too elegant; her husband was the most profane human being I had ever met.) OCTOBER 2026 69
LUCKY ME! I came with my French teacher, whom I invited at the last minute because we were having our last lesson (unknown to him yet) and I felt sorry for him. So, I invited him to have a “quick dinner” with me. THEN the phone rang, and the hostess was on the telephone inviting me to dinner. I said, “Can I bring someone?” and she said, “YES...” So, on we came at the appointed time. Donald was on the far side of the living room, quietly reading and away from the “small talk.” Then the time came to “come to table,” and he subtly slid into the “head” chair and sat down. Dinner progressed; he had a lot of things to say with a certain elegant charm. Heated subjects were somewhat avoided. Then dinner was over, and quickly he slipped away to the nearby spinet piano and began to play Rodgers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, and other classics. I’d always been told I had a lovely voice, so I joined him in singing, and I really enjoyed singing. So, I’m singing away, singing away; he’s playing away, playing away. We had a fine time for about an hour while the others talked politics, etc., and finally, my “date” said he had to leave. I looked at my watch (it was late), and we all started to say, “Good night.” Donald said something crass to me as I was leaving and I said, “don’t ever talk to me that way again.” He never did. Donald called the hostess and asked for my phone number, then called me at Bride’s magazine, where I was then Editor in Chief, and invited me to the BALLET. I thought, “This is a civilized human being,” and I said... “I have a slight complication: I’m leaving the next morning really early on a business trip. Could we skip dinner before and just have a drink before the ballet?” He said, “Yes,” so we met for a glass of wine and then went our seats. Intermission came... we walked around politely chatting when a woman (who, it turned out, was his ex-wife) accosted him and snarled, “Where’s my check?” at which point he turned yellow, purple, pink, and blue and said... “Would you excuse me, please?” And I said, “No problem.” He went away but returned in a few minutes, still somewhat “colorfully ruffled,” and said, “Oh, Barbara, I’m so 7 00 QUEST
Arriving at La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Gala. Donald wears suitable decorations.
sorry.” I said, “Donald! We are lucky that wasn’t MY ex-husband, who got up in the middle of Richard Burton performing Hamlet (drunk as a skunk) and started talking to him in the dark.” Donald blanched just a bit, and I continued: “Donald, from now on, NOTHING should surprise us!” He looked relieved and suddenly relaxed, and I laughed and said something neutral. We went back to the ballet, and that moment was the beginning of a life FULL of surprises INDEED, but it set the pace for sanguine behaviors, problem solving, and absolute adoration for the decades to come. I invited him to come to dinner at my apartment in the very beginning of
our relationship, with pals of mine from Condé Nast Publications. He brought lovely wine for dinner, I had beautiful glasses, and I had made a (perfect) Boeuf Bourguignon with all the trimmings. The evening progressed beautifully until we went to sit at the table, which I HAD FORGOTTEN HAD A BAD LEG. Of course, the bad leg was on the outside of the table, Donald’s foot hit it while pouring the wine, and ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE. Everybody screamed, of course... but I went back into the kitchen to reorganize my Boeuf Bourguignon. Donald came into the kitchen holding a half-full glass of wine with a broken stem and a smile on his face, and said,
MEMOIR
“Barbara, this is beautiful wine.” AND I SAID TO MYSELF, “This ‘son of a bitch’ is so resourceful and charming he can get me through anything in life,” at which point I KISSED HIM, and we went out and had the dinner that we had quickly “recouped” ... We met April 5th, 1972, and decided we needed to spend a year of fortune just to get to know each other very, very well. I had been married twice before; I thought to myself, “What are you, crazy, doing it again?” But I liked him so much; he was just such a solid son of a gun. So, we continued our courtship, we continued talking, and we continued going everywhere, together. We had a weekend away in Maine in Acadia National Park and he made sure that we had two bedrooms. Very proper. We were out walking, and I spied a stable up on the hill and I thought, “Well, he seems very athletic, and I said, “We could go horseback riding.” He said, “Oh, that would be fun; I think I’d like that.” He was born in Brooklyn; he didn’t know a thing about a horse except for police horses, so we rode with western saddles, which are much safer for a first time. I show him how to get on the horse and he’s riding along and he says, “I love the musculature of the horse; you feel the power when you’re riding a horse.” And I thought, “Oh boy, this is really exciting.” And so, I said, “Would you like to trot with me?” And he said, “Sure, I’d love to trot.” So, we started trotting. And then I thought, “Well, what the hell?” and I said, “Would you like to canter?” He says, “Sure, bring it on.” We went into a canter, and I looked back, and I saw this ashen-faced human sitting on the back of a horse, holding onto the pommel of the saddle. And I thought, “I don’t want to lose him that fast.” So, we slowed down and we kept going, but when we finished the ride, he said to me, “I really love the feeling of being on the horse.” I thought, “Heaven; I mean, my God, I’m so happy.” And he was ready for everything. I mean, this guy, he was very brave. We set our marriage date for April 5th – one year after we’d met. He introduced me to his family... some of them didn’t approve. They were a bit afraid of me; also, I wasn’t Jewish. His mother was okay with me; his father somewhat; his brother was
very concerned; his business partner was equally wary. I was “too expensive,” “too fancy,” and “too much to handle” ... We were to be married by Judge Shanley Epeth of the Civil Court of the City of New York in his offices. Donald came down with his partner and brother Ed, but ED FORGOT THE MARRIAGE
scheduled to leave early in the morning to fly to the West Coast on business. I was also scheduled to leave in the morning to go to the Atlantic City Tabletop Show, on business for Bride’s. We were saying “good night” on our wedding night, which was unusual to say the least, but necessary and would be part of life for the foreseeable future because,
The Tobers having fun in Venice, Italy.
LICENSE, and they had to go back uptown (in traffic) to get it. Obviously, Ed thought the judge would give up and leave, but HE DIDN’T; so, an hour and a half later, they reappeared with the necessary document, the judge read a beautiful essay on kindness that he had prepared for us, and we were WED. This WAS the beginning of a beautiful life; I was 39, and Donald (he always said) was 41 and a half. We had no honeymoon. After our charming little dinner at the wine room at Delmonico’s Hotel, Donald took me home to my apartment on East 60th Street. He was still living at the (now Trump) Hotel at 59th and CPW and was
for US, “business came first.” So... he is holding on to me, and we are saying “goodbye,” but actually it is “so long” because we’re married after all, so this is merely temporary. BUT it IS our wedding night and somewhat disconcerting. So, I am shedding a tear or two and he is holding me tenderly. Then he looks at me and says: “I have a feeling I’ll have ‘wet lapels’ for the rest of my life.” I burst out laughing and it’s obvious that all is well, all WILL BE well. We release our grip, wish each other love and good tidings, and he went back to his hotel. I took off my wedding dress, hung it up, and went peacefully to sleep. ◆ OCTOBER 2026 71
QUEST
Fresh Finds B Y B R O O K E K E L LY M U R R AY & ELIZABETH MEIGHER
EMBRACE THE season’s shift with our October fashion edit, inspired by crisp days in the country and the polished ease of fall. From Greenwich to Millbrook, autumn calls for cozy layers, rich seasonal hues, and timeless pieces that move effortlessly from town to country.
Elizabeth Gage’s Rubellite Oscar de la Renta’s Beaded Mixed Botanical Embroidered Halter Gown. $28,990 at
and Enamel Persian Queen Earrings. $34,900 at elizabeth-gage.com.
oscardelarenta.com.
TAMARA COMOLLI’s GRAPES Necklace Tahitian Pearls ‘Chestnut’ in 18k rose gold blends elegant sophistication with a playful spirit. $21,500 at us.tamaracomolli.com.
Barton & Gray Mariners Club offers an assortment of membership options. Members enjoy a lifetime of yachting with the ability to adjust their membership and take advantage of the ever-expanding harbors and new yachts being added to the club. Visit bartonandgray.com.
Purdey’s ($4,000)
Men’s Fredrick Box Check Tweed Kit includes the field coat, high collar shooting vest, and two pleat breeks. Sold separarely: Men’s Aberdeen Sock in
Audley
Red ($240) and Men’s Grain Leather Twin
Beretta Gallery’s Italian
Strap
Boot in Dark Brown ($1,400). For more
Silk Pointer & Bird Motif
information,
visit shop.purdey.com.
Tie in Dark Navy. $165 at berettagallery.com.
Ralph Lauren Home’s Winthrop Trinket Box in White Multi. $495 at ralphlauren.com.
Rizzoli’s A Year at Clove Brook Farm by Christopher Spitzmiller, with a Foreword by Martha Stewart. $45 at rizzolibookstore.com.
Exemplifying Asprey’s dedication to craftsmanship and elegance, the Duck Head Decanter in Smoke is expertly mouth-blown and hand-cut from leadfree crystal. $7,800 at asprey.com.
OCTOBER 2026 73
Fresh Finds
Head to La Romana, the Dominican Republic this season with Casa de Campo Resort & Villas’ Fall Savings package! Stay in one of the spectacular villas or Inspired by classic French wedding cake, Flamingo Estate’s new Croquembouche Candle was created by founder Richard Christiansen
comfortable rooms, while saving up to 50% on your escape. For more information, visit casadecampo.com.do.
as a wedding present for his friends. $75 at flamingoestate.com.
J.McLaughlin’s Laurel Jacket in Bordeaux ($328), Bridgette Cable Knit Sweater ($298), Avery Corduroy Pants in Camel ($198), Liv Leather Belt in Saddle/Gold ($128), and Eloise Scarf in Yellow/Multi Belle Epoque Bloom ($98). For more information, visit jmclaughlin.com.
Stubbs & Wootton’s Dressage Burgundy Slipper.
The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Years Old
$700 at stubbsandwootton.com.
whisky is known for its natual color and deep, succulent flavors. $417 at select liquor stores.
74 QUEST
Kinderbrook Home’s Madeline Kaftan is made from silk with intricate embroidery. $425 at kinderbrookhome.com. Shreve, Crump & Low’s 23.04 Total Carat Weight Pink Sapphire and Diamond Chandelier Earrings. $50,000 at shrevecrumpandlow.com or call 203.622.6205.
Tucked away on quiet South Summer Street in Edgartown village, The Charlotte Inn in Martha’s Vineyard is exquisitely appointed with fine art, English antiques, luxurious linens, and fresh flowers—a romantic reflection of a bygone era. Visit thecharotteinn.com.
Ginori’s Floral Mug ($170) and Floral Charger Plate ($220) were inspired by the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach. Visit thecolonyedit.com.
Nestled in Via Mizner on Worth Avenue, Renato’s Palm Beach impresses in every way, making it the perfect restaurant for any special occasion. Visit renatospalmbeach.com.
DANA KOCH Corcoran / 561.379.7718 / Dana.Koch@Corcoran.com
Q: Who is the Palm Beach buyer today? A: The Palm Beach buyer today is sophisticated, well-traveled, and discerning. We are seeing buyers from across the country and increasingly from around the world, alongside generations of families who have loved Palm Beach for decades. One of the most interesting changes is that Palm Beach is no longer viewed simply as a seasonal retreat. For many of my clients, it has become a primary home and a place where they can genuinely live their lives—not simply escape for a few weeks or months a year. They are looking for a certain lifestyle and the things Palm Beach does exceptionally well: beauty, privacy, outdoor living, walkability, excellent dining, culture and a real sense of community. They also have a very clear understanding of quality. Today’s buyers are much more conscious of time. There is a real premium on homes that have been thoughtfully renovated and new homes that have been beautifully executed. People want to spend their 76 QUEST
time enjoying Palm Beach, not managing a three year construction project. Q: Anything else you’d like to share? A: Palm Beach has become more dynamic without becoming less authentic. There is certainly more happening here than there was several years ago, but the things that drew people to Palm Beach in the first place hasn’t changed. The architecture, the landscaping, the ocean, the Lake Trail, Worth Avenue, the history and, perhaps most importantly, the sense of community are still at the heart of the experience. We are a town of philanthropic people who like to go to social events and interact with each other. I always tell people Palm Beach is a place where you can be as involved as you want or as anonymous as you want. We moved to Palm Beach in the late 1970s and I have spent almost two and half decades working in this market, and I think that perspective gives you an appreciation for what is truly lasting. Trends come and go. Palm Beach’s appeal is much deeper than a trend. From above: 265 Seminole Ave in Palm Beach, Florida, llisted for $6,750,000; Dana Koch.
C O U R TE S Y OF C ORC OR AN
Q: Tell us about the Palm Beach market. A: From a real estate perspective, the fundamentals remain exceptionally strong. We have a finite amount of land, very limited inventory, and tremendous demand for truly exceptional.
R E A L E S TAT E
NIKKI FIELD The Field Team at Sotheby’s International Realty / 212.606.7669 / Nikki.Field@Sothebys.Realty / NikkiField.com
C O U R TE S Y OF S OTH E B Y ’ S I N TE RN ATI ON AL REALT Y
Q: Tell us about the New York market right now. A: New York’s luxury market is really a tale of two speeds this fall. Broad-based inventory has softened seasonally into September — that’s typical, deals always slow heading into the fall — but the top of the market tells a different story entirely. Trophy product, when it’s genuinely trophy, is still moving with urgency because there simply isn’t enough of it. What we are seeing at The Field Team is that qualified buyers aren’t waiting around; when something exceptional comes to market, the right buyer moves decisively. Scarcity, not sentiment, is driving this market. Q: What are today’s buyers having the hardest time finding? A: Genuinely irreplaceable product. Buyers can find “nice.” What they can’t find is a full-floor residence with real light and volume, a prewar layout that hasn’t been chopped up, or a new development that offers something structurally different rather than just another glass box with a gym. New development launches are down sharply from historical norms, and co-op inventory in prime locations has tightened as well. So the buyers I am working with aren’t struggling to find options — they’re
struggling to find the one that doesn’t require compromise. Q: Do buyers prefer the prestige and character of a classic prewar co-op or the amenities and ease of new development? A: Honestly, it is less “either/or” than people think — it’s about what a buyer is solving for. The prestige and provenance of a great prewar co-op on Park or Fifth is timeless, and there are buyers who will always want that pedigree and won’t compromise on it. But we are seeing enormous appetite for new development that’s built around something more than finishes — wellness infrastructure, longevity-focused amenities, real service. At NY’s newest Super-Tall, 262 FIFTH AVENUE, that positioning around wellness and longevity engineering has resonated precisely because it’s not just “new,” it’s designed around how people actually want to live now. So I believe: co-ops win on soul, new development wins on a new value proposition — and the smartest buyers are asking which one enhances their life, not which one is trendier. From above: Rendering of 262 FIFTH AVENUE in New York, New York, offered from $8 million to $100 million+; Nikki Field. OCTOBER 2026 77
JOHN CREGAN Sotheby’s International Realty / 847.651.7210 / John.Cregan@Sothebys.Realty
Q: Palm Beach has changed dramatically over the past several years. Who is the Palm Beach buyer today? A: It’s not so much that the Palm Beach buyer has changed as that they’re more numerous and varied. The traditional migration of wealthy retirees from cold climes continues as reliable as the Serengeti herds. But 15 years ago a California buyer was a rarity. Now we see tax refugees from Los Angeles and San Francisco all the time. And age is the other big demographic change. COVID and work-from-home kicked off a swell of young families interested in Palm Beach’s sunny year round lifestyle and the town has adapted. Schools have expanded, the Recreation Center is hopping and Palm Beach-adjacent neighborhoods like 78 QUEST
SoSo and El Cid in West Palm Beach have become acceptable, more affordable alternatives. Q: What is commanding the greatest premium right now? A: Nothing incents a buyer like scarcity and there are few commodities as rare as a home on the Palm Beach waterfront. Properties are being snapped up on both the Intracoastal and ocean shorelines, including places that need renovation or will be torn down. And we have our perennial demand for beachy North End streets and walk-everywhere in-town bungalows and condos– especially if they’re move-in ready for season. Q: Anything else you’d like to share? A: Following on the above discussion, there is a nuance to considering a condo in need of updating. Palm Beach buildings only allow “noisy” work May through October. So a buyer willing to put up with some imperfections for the winter season can find price per square foot bargains like our elegant, big apartment in the Villas at 425 Worth Avenue. Move in now, see how you live, hire your contractors and be ready to go when the whistle blows in May. From above: 425 Worth Avenue #2F in Palm Beach, Florida, listed for $6,250,000; John Cregan.
C O U R TE S Y OF S OTH E B Y ’ S I N TE RN ATI ON AL REALT Y
Q: Tell us about the Palm Beach market. What’s new and notable in town? A: We’ve had an early kickoff to the market with multiple late summer showings and closings. Inventory will start to build again come Fall, but for now, it’s still on the light side. One exciting bit of news is the teardown of the old Ambassador Hotel in the South End. In its place will be the Olin Palm Beach, the first new condo built on-island in 25 years. The developers are the OKO Group, the people behind the super-luxury Aman hotel chain. Five stories, just 32 units and right on the beach.
R E A L E S TAT E
SALLY MALONEY
C O U R TE S Y OF B ROWN H ARRI S S TEV E N S
Houlihan Lawrence / 203.962.2100 / SMaloney@HoulihanLawrence.com
Q: Years after the initial migration out of New York City, what is continuing to draw buyers to Greenwich? A: I think what we’ve learned over the last five years is that the move to Greenwich was much more than a pandemic trend. Buyers initially came looking for space, but they discovered everything else Greenwich offers — a wonderful sense of community, excellent schools, beautiful neighborhoods, exceptional recreational opportunities and, of course, proximity to New York City. The buyer today is perhaps a little more thoughtful and deliberate than the buyer we saw five years ago. In 2020, decisions were often being made very quickly and were driven by an immediate need for more space. Today, buyers have a clearer idea of how they want to live long-term. Many have friends, family or colleagues who have already made the move, so they arrive knowing Greenwich quite well. We’re also seeing people who already live in Greenwich choosing to stay here and make their next move within town. Q: What types of properties are generating the most competition right now? A: The best properties are still attracting tremendous attention. A beautifully maintained or renovated home, in a desirable location, with a good floor plan and at-
tractive outdoor space is always going to stand out — particularly when there simply aren’t many comparable choices available. Today’s buyers are sophisticated. They understand that in a market with limited inventory, they may not get everything on their wish list. We are seeing buyers compromise on things like acreage, square footage or certain cosmetic elements of a house if the location and overall property are right. Q: Anything else you’d like to share? A: Having worked in Greenwich real estate for many years, I’ve seen the market change through many different cycles. Five years ago there was a great deal of discussion about people “leaving the city.” I think that’s too simple a description of what’s happening today. Buyers aren’t just moving away from something; they’re choosing Greenwich for what it offers. You can live close to Greenwich Avenue, near the water, in one of our neighborhood communities, on a beautiful Mid-Country property or on several private acres in Back Country — and still have New York City within easy reach. From above: 50 Zaccheus Mead Lane in Greenwich, Connecticut, listed for $8,000,000; Sally Maloney. OCTOBER 2026 79
KRISSY BLAKE Sotheby’s International Realty / 203.536.2743 / Krissy.Blake@Sothebys.Realty
Q: Are buyers still prioritizing acreage and privacy, or have walkability, proximity to town, schools, clubs, and an easier commute become more important? A: All of these priorities remain important to buyers. This is another strength of buying in Greenwich and Northern Westchester; buyers do not all have to be 80 QUEST
looking for the same thing. Some prioritize acreage, privacy, and a more rural setting, while others want walkability, proximity to town, schools, clubs, and an easier commute. That diversity of choice has contributed to this market remaining so strong and sought after. Buyers can find very different settings and lifestyles within Greenwich and Northern Westchester, depending on what matters most to them. Q: Tell us about a standout listing. A: Buxton Pond Farm is a rare 11-acre offering in Bedford that beautifully combines privacy, history, and convenience. Tucked along a quiet country lane yet just minutes from the train, shops, and schools of Bedford Hills, the property is centered around a gracious six-bedroom Colonial and surrounded by sweeping lawns, mature gardens, open pastures, historic stone walls, and a pond. A collection of outbuildings, including a barn with a two-bedroom residence, greenhouse, antique chicken house, and pool, creates a true family compound. It captures what is so special about the Bedford lifestyle: acreage, beauty, all a short distnace to Manhattan. From above: Buxton Pond Farm at 161 Buxton Road in Bedford Hills, New York, listed for $4,500,000; Krissy Blake.
C O U R TE S Y OF S OTH E B Y ’ S I N TE RN ATI ON AL REALT Y
Q: Five years after the initial migration out of New York City, what is continuing to draw buyers to Greenwich and Northern Westchester? A: Greenwich and Northern Westchester continue to attract discerning buyers from across the region and beyond. What draws them is the exceptional lifestyle these communities offer across generations. Buyers value the schools, active lifestyle, strong sense of community, and the opportunity for more space and privacy, all without sacrificing convenient access to New York City. The buyer profile has also evolved. Significant wealth creation has expanded the pool of buyers at the luxury end of the market, while a growing generation of Millennials, benefiting from both earned and inherited wealth, is entering the market. We are seeing many relocate from Manhattan, along with buyers who have longstanding ties to Greenwich and Northern Westchester and are choosing to return.
R E A L E S TAT E
CRISTINA CONDON & KEVIN CONDON
C O U R TE S Y OF S OTH E B Y ’ S I N TE RN ATI ON AL REALT Y
Sotheby’s International Realty / 561.301.2211 or 646.457.8919 / Cristina.Condon@Sothebys.Realty or Kevin.Condon@Sothebys.Realty
Q: Tell us about the Palm Beach market and what’s new in town. A: The market in Palm Beach is picking up entering season as it continues to draw the attention of buyers pursuing flexible taxes and the desired island lifestyle the area offers. The renowned Worth Avenue is undergoing two major transitions in the former Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus spaces that will offer new luxury retail and restaurants. These redevelopments will add to the mix of older island establishments that give Palm Beach its unique charm - offering something for everyone. Downtown West Palm Beach has turned into a vibrant cultural and financial center leading to a continuous development of high-rise buildings catering to buyers who seek a modern and urban lifestyle close to the water.
seeking a vibrant lifestyle along with the tranquil beaches that line the coast.
Q: Palm Beach has changed dramatically over the past several years. Who is the Palm Beach buyer today? A: Palm Beach remains a coveted destination for a laid-back resort lifestyle with unmatched privacy and security. Multigenerational families are seeing the benefits of lower taxes, exceptional schools, beautiful weather year-round, an abundance of outdoor activities, and great social gatherings for the entire family. The continued expansion of downtown draws in those
Q: Tell us about a listing. A: Available for rent for the season, 141 Australian Avenue is a three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath beach cottage in the heart of town. The home was fully renovated and is nicely furnished. It boasts close proximity to the beach, Worth Avenue, renowned restaurants, Lake Trail, and the town docks. ◆
Q: What is commanding the greatest premium right now? A: Palm Beach has a finite amount of inventory across the board, especially waterfront homes which drive a competitive market where properties are appreciating and act as secure long-term assets. Buyers today understand the premium that is associated with the scarcity of Palm Beach and their desire of carving out their piece of paradise. Each buyer has certain preferences and specific desired locations; waterfront, close proximity to town, deeded beach access; a general consensus is minimizing the projects after closing. Turnkey and new construction remain a high priority.
From above: 141 Australian Avenue in Palm Beach, Florida, listed for rent for $32,000 monthly; Cristina and Kevin Condon. OCTOBER 2026 81
CALENDAR
OCTOBER
On October 14th, the Women's Committee of the Central Park Conservancy will hold its annual Fall Luncheon at 12 p.m. For more information, visit centralparknyc.org.
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HARRY BENSON IN LA
Harry Benson's In the Room exhibition will be on display at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles through January 24, 2027. For more information, visit dorchestercollection.com.
at Cavalier C + C Gallery at 3 West 57th Street in New York. The exhibition celebrates the wedding anniversary of the couple. For more information, visit candcgallery.com.
CASITA MARIA'S FIESTA
Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education will host its annual gala at The Plaza Hotel in New York at 7:30 p.m. Casita Maria is a youth, family and
community serving arts, culture and education organization in the Hunts Point/Longwood section of the South Bronx. For more information, visit casitamaria.org.
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ASPCA AWARDS
Artist Don Hershman will present = OUT OF LINE =, a solo exhibition opening at One Art Space in Tribeca. For more information, visit donhershman.com.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) will hold its annual Humane Awards Luncheon at The Plaza Hotel in New York. For more information, visit aspca.org.
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CARNEGIE HALL OPENING
ONE ART SPACE
HAMPTONS FILM
The annual Hamptons Film Festival, featuring screenings and events throughout the Hamptons, will take place through October 12th. For more information, visit hamptonsfilmfest.org.
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HARRY BENSON WEDDING
Through November 6th, Harry & Gigi Benson 59th Anniversary Celebration will be on display 82 QUEST
On October 29th, American Ballet Theatre will host its Fall Gala at David H. Koch Theater in New York at 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit abt.org.
Carnegie Hall will launch its 2026–2027 season with its Opening Night Gala featuring the legendary Berliner Philharmoniker and opera superstar Jonas Kaufmann. Kirill Petrenko conducts an allItalian program that showcases Kaufmann’s vibrant voice in some of his most renowned repertoire. The evening begins at 7 p.m. For more information, visit carnegiehall.org.
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Klopp, Christopher Spitzmiller & Anthony Bellomo. For more information, visit dutchessland.org.
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CPC FALL LUNCHEON
The Women’s Committee of the Central Park Conservancy, along with Event Chairs, Pamela Craig, Sarah Johnson, Mara Kanner, and Muffy Miller, Junior Chair, Sabrina Persaud, and Women's Committee President, Barbara H. Scott, will hold its Fall Luncheon at 12 p.m. For more information, visit centralparknyc.org.
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GO WILD! IN GREENWICH
Greenwich Land Trust will hold its Go Wild! event, the town's biggest and most fun family field day, at Greenwich Polo Club at 2 p.m. For more information, visit gltrust.org.
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IMAGINE BENEFIT
On October 8th, Carnegie Hall will host its Opening Night Gala at 7 p.m. For more information, visit carnegiehall.org.
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CASA FOOD & WINE
Casa de Campo Resort & Villas in La Romana, the Dominican Republic will host its 4th Annual Food & Wine Festival. Enjoy two days of sophisticated cuisine, exceptional wines, and innovative mixology in the elegant Grand Tasting Pavilion at the Marina Riverside Center. The festival features live demonstrations by distinguished chefs including Michael Mina, Joe Isidori, Hubert Keller, and Dominican chef Gabriel Tejada Núñez, alongside exclusive tastings and insightful discussions with acclaimed chefs and winemakers. For more information and reservations, visit casadecampo.com.do.
FALL LUNCHEON
for an evening celebrating film, creativity and the energy HIFF brings to the Hamptons each fall. For more information, visit bakerhouse1650.com.
Dutchess Land Conservancy will host its annual Fall Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. at Bontecou Preserve in Millbrook. Co-Chairs: Brooke & Oliver Kennan, Meghan & Adam
Alzheimer's Association will host its Imagine Benefit at The Plaza in New York. For more information, visit alz.org.
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ABT GALA
American Ballet Theatre will hold its annual Fall Gala at David H. Koch Theater in New York at 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit abt.org.
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BAKER HOUSE & FILM
The Baker House 1650 will hold a special reception celebrating the 34th Hamptons International Film Festival. Set within the historic East Hampton property’s English-inspired interiors and gardens, the intimate gathering will bring together guests and friends of The Baker House
On October 9th through October 10th, Casa de Campo Resort & Villas in La Romana, the Dominican Republic will host its 4th Annual Food & Wine Festival. For more information, visit casadecampo.com.do. OCTOBER 2026 83
BY LETTY WHITE-SPUNNER 00 QUEST
C O U R TE S Y OF JA M E S P U RDEY & S ON S
A SHOOTING PARTY
DAI LY M AI L / S H U T TE RS TO C K
IN THE UK, pheasant shooting season officially begins on October 1st and with it comes the promise of frosted grass in the mornings and roaring fires at night. England goes from the red and gold of autumn to the dark green of winter, or white if we are lucky enough to get snow. Shooting invitations fill up diaries far in advance of the dates themselves, and so winter days can often be spent in either the freshest of air, or the heaviest of downpours. A day’s game shooting is a great mix of sport and hospitality. It is a strong family tradition for many, with parents teaching their children from a young age and generations shooting together over decades. One can hold a shotgun certificate in England at
quite a young age, so your first season might be at the discretion of your parents. Your last is probably at the discretion of your eyesight. Or your spouse. Lots of people will host casual, ‘walked-up’ days at home, but a formal day comes with its own structure and etiquette. Thankfully, what follows is a compendium of everything you need to know for how to be the best guest and get the most out of your day. From above: Queen Elizabeth II and Duke Of Edingburgh during a Shooting Party at Meagle Perthshire, 1958; setting off for a shoot. Opposite page: Serena Cross, née Williams, about to drop a high, driven bird. OCTOBER 2026 85
-A fieldcoat. Choose from tweeds, browns and greens but water resistance is key. The idea is to blend in with the landscape whilst remaining limber and warm. -A collared shirt for ladies plus a tie for gentlemen. Ties must not be garish in any way. -A waistcoat or jumper. The weather will dictate which you choose but if in doubt, go without; you will be perfectly warm enough carrying a bag of cartridges. -Plus fours. Tweed is very popular but moleskin is arguably more comfortable. -Shooting socks. These are allowed to be colourful as they will be hidden under wellington boots until lunchtime when everyone will comment on how jazzy they are. 06 8 0 QUEST
-A garter tie, to hold up your jazzy socks. -A flat cap is optional but good for keeping the rain off. The King wears one if that helps you decide. -Ear defenders or plugs. -A gun sleeve and cartridge bag. Leather is extremely smart, monogrammed even more so. -Footwear that can survive terrible weather and lots of standing around. -An emergency snack. Kit Kats are an excellent choice and go well with a hip flask of port. If in doubt (and in London), Farlows on Pall Mall or Cordings of Picadilly are both extremely well thought of and can kit you out completely. All The Gear, No Idea Itineraries differ between hosts but it’s good to have an idea of the general format of the day. [0900] Guns and guests arrive. Cue lots of introductions, coffee and making sure you have put the lead on the right dog. The really generous shoots hand out bacon sandwiches; a shoot day can be long with a lot of walking so get a proper breakfast in to keep you going until…well, elevenses.
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Kitted Out First, the attire. For those doing the actual shooting (the guns) there is a dress code to adhere to, although your host will hopefully extend some flexibility if you are fresh off a flight. The Game Act was established under King William IV in 1831, making game shooting an historic part of countryside life. The dress code is just one way of respecting the tradition, the land and those who have made shooting their livelihood. To look the part, your packing list should consist of the following:
From above: “Glorious 12th,” by Annie Tempest, printed in Country Life Magazine, 1998, available for purchase at totteringbygently.com, ref: CL0186; a Labrador Retreiver guarding her master’s kit; Prince Charles and Prince Harry in 1995. Opposite page: Shooters and dogs walk during the opening day of the grouse shooting season in Byrecleugh
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[1500] The afternoon involves another drive or two, by which point the guns are old friends. At the end of the day everyone places bets on the final number of birds, eats cake and says what a WONDERFUL day it was whilst swapping the best home remedies for preventing gout. Camaraderie and enthusiasm make a successful day and there is a great team behind the scenes; from the person who poured the coffee to whoever cooked the lunch, picked up the birds and definitely didn’t comment when your dog ran off with someone else’s pheasant. A prompt thank you letter must reiterate what a WONDERFUL day it was and if you really were on your best behaviour then you might be invited back the following year, because it was a blast wasn’t it? Even if you didn’t actually hit anything. ◆
G ET T Y I M AG E S
The guns will meet the gamekeeper who is in charge of the day and after a few safety precautions (don’t shoot anything on the ground, don’t shoot each other) the group heads off to their first drive where a horn or whistle will signal the start of active shooting. Beaters walk through the woods and undergrowth making cooing noises or hitting trees with sticks to flush out the birds, whilst the guns shout encouragements like “Jolly good” and “Over!” At the end of the drive, gundogs run around picking up their master’s birds and (hopefully) bringing them back. [1100] There are usually two drives in the morning with a break for elevenses where soup, sausage rolls and some sort of booze are amongst the usual offerings; nothing beats a nip of sloe gin on a freezing day. Networking is a good use of elevenses time; hosting a shoot isn’t cheap and with only eight to ten guns per day, be assured that you have been grouped together with much thought. [1300] After another drive it’s time for lunch, although later in the season when the days are shortest, you will occasionally shoot through and end the day with an afternoon feast. On those days, the Kit Kat comes in very handy. Shooting lunch is always something warming and typically English: stews, pies and casseroles washed down with copious amounts of sherry and wine and followed by a hearty pudding… then probably cheese. Families often join the afternoon part of the day so lunch is a sea of wind whipped faces and frosted hands satiating a well worked up appetite, while damp caps dry on radiators and dogs get a towel dry and a well-deserved treat. The assortment of alcohol makes for raucous chatter and a shoot lunch is never quiet.
From above: King Charles (then The Prince of Wales) shooting at Sandringham in 1981; a Boss & Co. sidelock engraved with Carolina duck and acanthus leaves. Opposite page, from above: A 19th century shooting lunch; a modern-day shooting lunch.
Do’s & Don’ts Do -Be safety conscious. Keep your shotgun unloaded and in its sleeve between drives. -Be a good sportsman, no boasting even if you were clearly the best. -Pick up your spent cartridges. -Say how delicious lunch was, even if it wasn’t. -Discreetly tip the gamekeeper at the end of the day. Ask your host for advice on this one. Don’t -Poach someone else’s bird. This is a huge faux pas and there will be much grumbling. -Comment on the bad behaviour of someone’s dog. It never goes down well. -Drink too much. Unless you’re staying overnight of course. Then the party just continues!
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KEEPING IT COUNTRY BY KAREN KLOPP
Time spent in Dutchess County, New York is a visit to country life as it was meant to be lived- country lanes, horse barns, farm stands, polo fields, and wide open swaths of protected land in all directions.
The 2025 Dutchess Land Conservancy Fall Luncheon. 1. Autumn views of the Pond 2. Jodie Fink, Elizabeth Mayhew, Lara Glaister Ferrarone, Connie Newberry, and Georgiana Bland 3. Alexander and Patricia Farman-Farmaian with Erik Oken 4. Luncheon 5. Meghan and Adam Klopp with their children 6. Patrick and Chrissy McCurdy with Julie and Andrew Vanderveen
THE DUTCHESS LAND Conservancy (DLC) is one of the organizations closest to the hearts of the local community and with the widest support. Its mission is simply stated: “dedicated to preserving the scenic, agricultural, and environmental resources of Dutchess County, New York, and the surrounding areas.” The DLC has now conserved more than 48,000 acres in Dutchess County and the Hudson Valley. DLC’s Chairman, Tim Mayhew, is passionate in his commitment. “This land is a privilege, and it is our responsibility to steward it well. Land that has been preserved provides watershed protection, wildlife habitat, and healthy forests. Preserved land protects our agricultural heritage, promotes our economy with agritourism, and ensures our patchwork quilt views. But most of all, land that has been forever conserved nourishes our 90 QUEST
souls in times of need. We are all beneficiaries of the land.” The Fall Luncheon kicks off the autumn season in sartorial splendor as attendees gather with friends just as the trees put on their own showy display, dressing the countryside in brilliant shades of russet, crimson and gold. This year’s location is the Jesse and Gayle Bontecou Wildlife Conservation Preserve, a 1,258-acre parcel gifted by the couple to remain undeveloped as a wildlife preserve. As a founding member of the DLC, Jesse, along with Gayle, recognized the need to protect the land and the many species found here. The Preserve is a working farm and is surrounded by 12,000 acres of contiguous conserved private lands. Its two walking trails are open to the public daily from dawn to dusk.
B ARB AR A B EAT T Y
DUTCHESS LAND CONSERVANCY
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THE TOWN of Pine Plains is at the center of historical preservation in the area. Memorial Hall was built in 1915 and given to the town by philanthropist Mary Ellen Lapham Saunders as a center of civic and artistic life of the area. It began as a venue for opera, theater, and silent movies, and in 1918, Memorial Hall was made an armory of the New York Guard. The Hall enjoyed a revival as a movie house and several other ventures through the years but nothing survived. In 2014, Jack Banning, Christian Eisenbeiss, and Ariel Schlein purchased the building at an auction after it had fallen into a state of disrepair. Banning recounts, “The building was abandoned, an eyesore, and we wanted to bring it back to life. It was in keeping with the original purpose of the building—center for community life with emphasis on performing arts.” They rolled up their sleeves and began a renovation that references the past while it providing up-to-date entertainment. Today, it operates as the Stissing Center for Arts & Culture. Patrick Trettenero, the Executive Director, shared his vision “I am happy to report that we have learned so much about how to program for our various communities. The audiences are large and enthusiastic, with no seats to spare.” The Center opened in 2019 with a benefit performance by Winston Marsalis and has been supported by donations and grants to fund the ongoing improvements and innovation. 3 92 QUEST
C O U R TE S Y OF S TI S S I N G C E N TE R
STISSING CENTER FOR ARTS & CULTURE
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1. Pianist Terrence Wilson makes his Stissing Center debut. 2. John Leventhal and Rosanne Cash perform during “Spark!” 3. Alan Cumming with Stissing Center volunteers. Opposite page: 1. Inside Stissing Center for the 2026 season’s “Spark!” launch event. 2. The building’s exterior, which is undergoing active ongoing renovations. 3. Memorial Hall with Company G of the 1st New York State (National Guard) Infantry lined up in front on May 20, 1917.
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1. Erin McKenney Huntsman 2. Community Day 3. Jacqueline Thorne MFH Opposite page: 1. Erin McKenney Huntsman 2. Ashlynn Price and Frances Fernanda Jess 3. Sebastian Steinau with his children Theodor and Philippa 4. Erin McKenney Huntsman (center right) with Masters of the Hunt Victoria Salnikoff, Fernanda Kellogg, and Jacqueline Thorne
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THE MILLBROOK HUNT
PHOTOGR APHED BY LINDSAY BALDWIN
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THE MILLBROOK HUNT is the Grand Dame of equestrian pursuits that traverse the groomed trails and tended obstacles of the Millbrook countryside. It is a brilliant spectacle to watch—and to follow on foot—as horse and rider form a colorful column through cornfields, across open meadows and over the rolling hills of this beautiful landscape. On closer inspection, however, the hounds are the true stars of the show. And with any great tradition, its future depends upon the enthusiasm and education of the next generation. In late August, the Masters of the Hunt Fernanda Kellogg, Victoria Salnikoff, and Jacqueline Thorne opened its kennels to its youngest followers, introducing them to the finer points of huntsmanship through the eyes of the Masters, Huntsman, and whippers-in. The children discover the care and training of the pack, the language and etiquette of the hunting field, and the responsibilities that come with riding across a countryside generously shared by landowners. Woven through it all are lessons in horsemanship, sportsmanship, stewardship, and respect—for the hounds, the horses, the land, and one another. By inviting its youngest members behind the scenes, The Millbrook Hunt is doing more than teaching the traditions of the sport; it is entrusting those traditions to the generation that will carry them forward. OCTOBER 2026 95
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FOR 30 YEARS, Christopher Spitzmiller has been designing his distinctive ceramics and lamps, based on classical forms whose timeless beauty has found its way into some of America’s most beautiful homes—including The White House. In true Renaissance fashion, his talents and passions extend well beyond the potter’s wheel, many of them finding expression at his celebrated Millbrook home, Clove Brook Farm. He tends to the property alongside his husband, Anthony Bellomo, a noted landscape architect whose discerning eye is evident throughout its remarkable gardens. The result is not simply a beautiful country house and garden, but a particularly Millbrook kind of life: creative, cultivated, and firmly connected to the land. 06 9 0 QUEST
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1. Christopher Spitzmiller and his husband, Anthony Bellomo, at a private club in Amenia, photographed for Quest’s December 2024 Issue. 2. Anchored by a sea of tulips and fritillaria, each of the four garden beds in the dovecote garden features tall, obelisk-shaped iron tuteurs for architectural interest. Climbing ‘Eden’ roses spring to life later in the season and envelop them. 3. Christopher Spitzmiller at the home’s entrance with his dogs. Photographed for Rizzoli’s A Year at Clove Brook Farm.
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CLOVE BROOK FARM
1 Views of Clove Brook Farm from Rizzoli’s A Year at Clove Brook Farm coffee table book. 1. Christopher Spitzmiller pushes a wheelbarrow full of McIntosh apples ready for the cider press. 2. The pool house was inspired by a rustic temple on the grounds of Arundel
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1. Event entrance in Mashomack Clubhouse 2. Final match 3. Nadja Swarovski and Cory Williams Opposite page: 1. Dinner 2. Kell Klopp, Sadie Cannova, and Thalia Adams 3. John Klopp 4. Milea Wine
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USPA NORTHEASTERN CIRCUIT WOMEN’S CHALLENGE AT MASHOMACK POLO CLUB IT WAS GIRL power in full gallop in Millbrook as 16 women took to the fields of Mashomack Polo Club for the inaugural 2026 USPA Northeastern Circuit Women’s Polo Challenge this past summer. The weekend began with a welcome cocktail reception and jersey presentation at the Mashomack Preserve Club, hosted by Karen Klopp of title sponsor What2WearWhere. Team sponsors Really Wild Clothing London, Milea Estate Vineyard, and One&Only Hudson Valley joined players and guests to kick off the inaugural tournament.
“This tournament was a milestone, but above all, it is a foundation for the future,” said John Klopp, president of Mashomack Polo Club. “I am incredibly proud of what we accomplished this weekend. The Women’s Challenge is the first of many, and we are already looking forward to building on its success next year and continuing to create momentum for women in polo.” Hat’s off to the fabulous women, their ponies and the sportsmanship that made the inaugural tournament such a sporting and spectating success. OCTOBER 2026 99
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STISSING HOUSE is another Pine Plains haunt that enjoys a lively history situated in one of the oldest taverns in America. Built in 1782 at a crossroad of historic routes and rail lines, it was the only venue for dining, drinking, and dancing for the many citizens who would cross its threshold each day. In a similar way to The Stissing Center, the inn was bought and renovated to preserve its unique history, including an original domed ballroom. Currently at the helm is Chef Clare de Boer, a Food & Wine Best New Chef and multiple James Beard Award nominee and semifinalist, whose arrival has brought a decidedly sophisticated culinary spotlight to this country town. The decor is rustic and candlelit with a fragrant smoky atmosphere that leads diners back in time. 100 QUEST
de Boer’s cooking is seasonal, deceptively simple and wonderfully suited to the restaurant’s wood burning hearth and the farms and producers of the Hudson Valley. “We feel so lucky to bring life into this beautiful building in this magical area every day.” And the guests feel lucky too! ◆ 1. Stissing House exterior 2. The bar 3. Chef Clare de Boer Opposite page: 1. Inside the dining room 2. At work in the kitchen 3. The author, Karen Klopp, at the entrance
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BELVOIR TO BEAVER OF CABBAGES AND KINGS WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY NANCY ELLISON
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1. Hearts’Ease Farm, Knighton, Powys, Wales 2. Luncheon in the coverted cow shed 3. Charles Manners, Marquis of Granby and Lord Hugo Manners 4. Phillip Burtt and William Lindsay-Bethune, Viscount Garnock, and seated are Lady Eliza Manners with her grandmother, Roma Watkins
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A MID-SUMMER invitation to a birthday party in the country ... sounds delicious! So, with my granddaughter, Wilha, in tow, we flew to Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, England, just in time to be driven to Her Grace Emma Manners, the Duchess of Rutland’s childhood home, Hearts’Ease, in Knighton, Powys, Wales. Emma
Manners, née Watkins, is the self-described “pony-mad daughter of a Welsh hill farmer,” and we were there to celebrate the birthday of her mother, Roma Watkins, whom the Duchess described to me as “our mum, granny and great granny … who has been our rock, our inspiration … who passed the baton of how to get through the OCTOBER 2026 103
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ups and downs of life and most importantly, how to work hard, play hard, and always enjoy a good party!” Framed by an informal garden, Hearts’Ease has all the charm that a traditional Welsh Georgian local-stone country home has to offer, with its accumulated Victorian- and Edwardian-style additions. I see the house, and I see its history. A luncheon of Salmon en Bellevue with Prawn and Av104 QUEST
ocado Mousseline was held in the farm’s old cow shed, which has been turned into a high-spirited family party shed. “I kept my pony Betty there as a child and it’s where my grandfather milked his cows, so that space holds amazing memories,” said Her Grace. In the traditional way, entertainment was provided by the family: Lady Eliza sang a gentle Irish tune a cappella, while her brothers, the Marquis of Granby and Lord
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1. William Lankaster and Lady Alice Manners 2. Lunch buffet brought from Belvoir Castle prepared by house professional Chef Jean-Francois Pozzetto, featuring Salmon en Bellevue with Prawn and Avocado Mousseline 3. Lord Hugo and Millie Watkins 4. Theo Lankaster 5. Roger Watkins, Katie Lankaster and baby Archie, and Roma Watkins Opposite page: 1. Harry Cragg, the family butler 2. His Grace The Duke of Rutland 3. Victoria Pomelle-Blanche 4. William Watkins 5. Phoebe Watkins
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1. Viscount and Viscountess Garnock (Violet and William) with their son John, Master of Garnock 2. Katie Lankaster with Archie 3. Archie Watkins 4. Her Grace The Duchess of Rutland and Philip Burtt Opposite page: 1. Her Grace The Duchess of Rutland and her mother, Roma Watkins 2. Lady Eliza Manners, Lady Alice Manners, and baby John, Master of Garnock 3. Charles, Marquis of Granby 4. Archie and Millie Watkins
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Hugo, created their own song and guitar duets. And, of course, the guest of honor rose beautifully to the occasion. Her Grace wrote, “She wore her favourite Worth Avenue outfit and made a moving tribute to her family. My brave, beautiful mum needed no preparation,
she is always red carpet ready with her very own essence of love, glamour and strength.” Four generations came together to celebrate the day, their old family home, and, most importantly, their Roma Watkins. u OCTOBER 2026 107
SINS AND SUCCESS IN THE SHOOTING FIELD BY JON AT H AN YOUN G
C O U R TE S Y OF J ON ATH AN YO U N G
Jonathan Young remembers moments of pure elation and others that still make him inwardly wince.
G ET T Y I M AG E S ; C OU R TE S Y OF J ON ATH AN YO U N G
THEY STOOD BEHIND me in silent rank, an army uniformly dressed in wax-proof coats, wellington boots and Kevlar-tough tweed skirts. Somewhat daunted, I tried a smile at the nearest and was met by an icy grimace, reminding me that social frivolities had no place in the stern world of competitive gundog trials, and especially not here. We were at the Royal Sandringham estate, by gracious permission of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, to put the cream of Britain’s labrador-retrievers to the test. My task, along with the other Guns, was to provide them with something to retrieve. I was 26 at the time, the newly-appointed Editor of the venerable sporting magazine, Shooting Times, and I was jittery. The other Guns were mostly the Queen’s neighbours and highly experienced, 30-shooting-days-a-season boys. Would I be able to hold my own in such company when the birds finally came over? Through the drizzle we could see the beaters pushing through the kale, a few pheasants curling back over their heads, when suddenly there was an eruption of buff and silver as a covey of wild English grey partridges hurtled straight towards me. I swung my pretty AYA12-bore onto the first bird, 30 yards out, and almost immediately closed up a second bird. They fell almost at my feet. I was cock-a-hoop. A right-and-left* of wild greys at Sandringham! After that, the pheasants seemed easy and I was feeling a trifle smug when the Scottish head keeper, Bill Meldrum, came up to me at the end of the drive.
“Pretty shooting, Jonathan,” he said (and my head must have visibly swelled). “Just a pity we weren’t shooting partridges today.” And with that he turned on his heel and marched back to the beaters. Ouch. Naturally, I’ve sinned since: those high, dark pheasants - true steeple-scrapers - that were definitely cocks when I pulled the trigger but unaccountably managed a sex change mid plummet to the ire of the shoot captain on cocks-only days; that common snipe rising from an Irish red bog that turned out to be a jack From above: HM Queen Elizabeth II at a field trial at Balmoral, 1967; a yellow Labrador Retriever working the field. Opposite page: Author Jonathan Young during a hunt. OCTOBER 2026 109
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ised’ so that the cream of it went to the host and his closest pals. And again, fair enough. Yet given the placement on the drives rotates, finally it was my turn to be in the centre of the line for the showstopper drive after lunch, with the VIPs on the outside. And yet they weren’t: unknown to me, they’d all been placed and hidden in a small dell behind me and I was standing 40 yards in front of my host. The pheasants were marvellous, all 40 yards up but following very much the same line - straight over me. I might have missed three. I’d had the most wonderful drive but couldn’t immediately work out why my host was so scratchy at teatime. I found out afterwards and inevitably never received another invitation. Given I edited Shooting Times for five years and was Editor of The Field for almost three decades, I’ve been fortunate enough to shoot a great many driven birds but it’s my mistakes and faux pas that remain most memorable with the formal days. With rough, knockabout shooting and waterfowling it’s different. The chances are fewer, good fieldcraft is essential and successes are remembered long after the blank days are forgotten. I’ll always cherish the right-and-left I had at wild bobwhite quail with a scratch farmer in the Ozarks, Missouri. He didn’t have too many front teeth and kept a tame black bear, to whom
J OH N F I E L DI N G
snipe on retrieval. Misidentification does happen, even with the best of us, and is usually forgiven. A more serious sin, usually remembered forever, is shooting too well in the company of certain hosts. You have to remember that any shooting invitation, especially on grouse or tall pheasants, is an extraordinary treat and you shouldn’t notice that the position of the standing Guns, decided by the drawing of numbers at the start of the day, is being ‘cooked’ so that the host is always under the birds. After all, he’s paying and one’s jolly lucky to be there with him. But sometimes it goes wrong, especially if there’s been a change in the wind direction. In the heat of the fray, you fell a pair of grouse that are entirely yours but which fall in front of your host’s grouse-butt. He gives a cheery wave but you can almost hear the teeth-gnashing. The grouse keep coming on that line, you keep dropping them by your host and you might as well enjoy the experience - because he’s never going to ask you again. Pheasants are far easier to drive, so in theory the host should be guaranteed the hot spot. But an error in the beating or an errant fox or deer can thwart the plan. At a driven pheasant shoot, a few years ago, I knew I’d be out of the shooting for most of the day. The line had been ‘organ-
C H RI S TOP H E R TH O M ON D ; J OH N AL EX AN DE R P H OTO G R AP H Y
Clockwise from bottom left: Pheasant hunting; a pair of Watson Bros guns with deep-carved game scenes; black Labrador about to deliver a pheasant. Opposite page: Sandringham House in England.
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1922; shooting on a pheasant drive in the UK. Opposite page, from above: stylish ladies on the grouse moors in Ayrshire, 1936; a grouse shooting scene in Yorkshire, 1836, painting by John Fearnley; waterfowl hunting in Argentina.
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From above: Loader (left) with a shooter on a driven grouse shoot in the Scottish Highlands,
J OH N F EARN L EY
I was formally introduced and which then hugged me in a disconcertingly friendly way. The farmer lent me a gun - an old Stevens 12-bore with 24in barrels - and within 100 yards of his farmstead a covey rose and I knocked down two. “Jeez, Jonnie, you shoot like Wyatt Earp!” announced my new friend, at which point we stopped shooting and tucked into his homemade moonshine. The booze was better in Cuba - aged rum served on ice and the bobwhite were abundant in the tomato fields, though they were an interlude between the waterfowling, which was first class. Our little team of six averaged 40 head per gun per flight, mostly American wigeon and teal - green-winged, blue-winged and Bahamian. I grew up on an estuary and waterfowling’s in my blood, so I’ve hunted duck and geese in Argentina, Europe, the States, Nigeria, South Africa and Kazakhstan (my base there was a sturgeon processing ship and I lived on black tea, caviar and sturgeon sandwiches for three days). We had a guide on all of these expeditions, from whom we learnt much, including that whatever the cultural and political differences, hunting men and women share a common bond of respect and love of their quarry and the environments that support them.
But when it comes to memorable shots, nothing equals trudging home with your supper earned through your own hard work and fieldcraft. And such moments, I suggest, remain brightest in the memory. ◆ Jonathan Young is a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers and was Editor of Shooting Times (1986 - 1991) and of The Field (1991 - 2020). *A right-and-left describes two birds shot with consecutive shots, one with the right barrel, one with the left. ODCETCOE BMEBRE R 2 022062 11 0 10 3
“There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!” — Percy Bysshe Shelley 114 QUEST
S L I M AARON S / H U LTON ARC H I V E / G ET T Y I M AG E S
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Counterclockwise from top right: Queen Elizabeth II with her black labrador retrievers (and a beloved corgi mix, far right) in front of Balmoral Castle during a family holiday in Scotland, 1971; Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull in between flights at London Airport (now Heathrow), 1968; Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart on the town in 1955; models aligned in Christian Dior leopard coats, London, 1969; Elizabeth Taylor walking down a London street dressed in head-to-toe whites, 1969. Opposite page:
G ET T Y I M AG E S ; RON G AL E L L A / G ET T Y I M AG E S
L I C H F I E L D ARC H I V E V I A G ET T Y I M AG E S ; H U LTON ARC H I V E / G ET T Y I M AG E S ; H U LTON ARC H I V E / G ET T Y I M AG E S ;
The Barrett family enjoying a picnic in the Arizona desert, 1978.
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ARC H I V E S ; TH E L I F E P I C T U RE C OL L E C TI ON / S H U T TE RS TO C K ; J OE L AI RD
S L I M AARON S / H U LTON ARC H I V E / G ET T Y I M AG E S ; AR TH U R E L G OR T / C ON DÉ N A S T / S H U T TE RS TO C K ; M I C H AE L O C H S
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Clockwise from top left: Karen Mulder and Carla Bruni, Vogue Paris, 1995; Princess Margaret smiling at Mick Jagger at a restaurant in Martinique, French West Indies, 1976; President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy watching the Americas Cup race off of Newport, RI, 1962; Andy Warhol reading the Daily News in his Factory, 1970; Lou Lou de la Falaise, Yves Saint Laurent, and Betty Catroux, 1969. Opposite page, clockwise from top: Lounging by the pool at Nelda Linsk’s desert house in Palm Springs, CA, 1970 (the house was originally designed by Richard Neutra for Edgar J. Kaufmann). Guests included actress Lita Barton (white sun hat), model Helen Dzo Dzo Kaptur (white crochet), and Nelda Linsk (yellow two-piece); Bill Cunningham with models Nadège du Bospertus (left) and Susan Holmes (right), Vogue, 1992; Jack Nicholson, 1970; John Wayne holding Oscars for Gary Cooper and John Ford backstage at the Academy Awards, 1953; Nancy
P RE S I DE N TI AL L I B R ARY AN D M U S E U M ; K ATE S I M ON ; G ET T Y ARC H I V E
S ATOS H I S AI K U S A / C ON DÉ N A S T ; JAC Q U E S G U S TAV E / AF P V I A G ET T Y I M AG E S ; ROB E R T K N U DS E N / J OH N F. K E N N E DY
Bass, former Texas Governor John Connally, and Anne Bass, 1981.
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@ M ADE L I N E O M AL L EY ; L ARRY F I N K ; J OH N D O M I N I S ; FAI RC H I L D ARC H I V E / P E N S K E M E DI A / S H U T TE RS TO C K ; AL F RE D E I S E N S TAE DT ; ROB E R T WH I TAK E R
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Clockwise from top left: Gloria Vanderbilt posing for a photo in 1968; Nancy Reagan visiting Smith College, 1969; Croquet on the lawn at Exeter College at Oxford; Jane Holzer at a party in New York City, 1965; Jackie Kennedy Onassis leaving The Colony restaurant, 1969; The Queen Mother visiting American tennis champion Helen Wills Moody during a break at Wimbledon, 1938. Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Madeline O’Malley and Julia Amory at the New York Historical Society; George Plimpton, Jared Paul Stern, and Cameron Richardson at Elaine’s, 1999; Steve McQueen outside of Hollywood Studios in his 1957 Jaguar XKSS, painted in British racing green (McQueen called it the ‘Green Rat’); Slim Keith, Oscar de la Renta, and Françoise de la Renta at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala, 1977; a scene from Kitty Miller’s New Year’s Eve party in New York City, 1956; George
JAC K ROB I N S ON ; B I L L P OT TE R ; @ WH ATS H OTB L O G ; B OB ADE L M AN ; TON Y PAL M I E RI / W WD ; F OX P H OTOS / G ET T Y I M AG E S
Harrison standing in Chiswick Park, London, 1965.
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[MILLBROOK SHOPPING]
CREEL AND GOW
3424 Franklin Avenue creelandgow.com Creel and Gow offers an extensive range of exquisite and rare objects sourced from all around the world by a team of avid collectors and world travelers. At Creel and Gow, customers can discover an impressive selection of rare minerals, taxidermy, coral, silver shells, unusual decorative objects, and exotic accessories that fill the store’s veritable cabinets of curiosities. What sets Creel and Gow apart from other businesses is its commitment to offering original and one-of-a-kind items that cannot be found anywhere else. The team is passionate about traveling the world in search of unique and beautiful objects.
ALICIA ADAMS ALPACA 3262 Franklin Avenue aliciaadamsalpaca.com
alicia adams alpaca is a family business which specializes in the design and production of textiles and clothing utilizing the natural and sustainable characteristics of one of the rarest and most luxurious materials: alpaca wool. alicia adams alpaca raises and manages a herd of over 200 Suri alpacas at a beautiful farm nearby in the Hudson Valley, where the brand was born. The flagship shop is located in the heart of town, with history deeply entwined with the community. The store offers a home collection with blankets, throws, and pillows; coats, sweaters, and accessories for men and women; and looks for kids and pets.
BABETTE’S KITCHEN
Babette’s Kitchen is a gourmet market, coffee shop, bakery, and catering company. The cozy café offers delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinners—all prepared completely from scratch with the highquality customer service you’ve come to know and love. Current owners Jennifer and Michael are dedicated to using local, seasonal ingredients, boasting strong relationships with local farmers who supply the shop with the best produce the Hudson Valley has to offer. Expect muffins, scones, croissants, sticky buns, and the famous buttermilk biscuits for breakfast; soups, fresh salads, and specialty sandwiches for lunch; and convenient grab-and-go dinners like grilled salmon and turkey meatloaf.
C O U R TE S Y OF RE S P E C TI V E B R AN DS
3293 Franklin Avenue babetteskitchen.com
[BEDFORD SHOPPING]
THE HORSE CONNECTION
38 Village Green bedfordhorseconnection.com Founded in 1992 by lifelong rider Natasha Tarasov, The Horse Connection has grown from a mobile tack shop into the beloved equestrian outfitter in the heart of Bedford Village. Housed in a historic building on the Village Green, the shop blends heritage charm with handson expertise. Known as the place “where trainers send their clients,” it offers a thoughtful selection of apparel, tack, gear, and gifts, all chosen by experienced riders who tailor recommendations to each horse and rider. For more than three decades, The Horse Connection has earned its reputation for trusted guidance.
BEDFORD VILLAGE PASTRY 426 Old Post Road bedfordvillagepastry.com
Michel Rossignol, owner and Executive Pastry Chef of Bedford Village Pastry, has been serving Westchester County for almost 27 years. After owning and operating a bakery in Scarsdale, New York for six years, Rossignol opened Bedford Village Pastry in 1996, and has been faithfully serving the residents of Bedford Village ever since. Rossignol takes great pride in all that he creates. He and his crew have perfected each and every dish—from danishes, cakes, and cookies to breads and quiches—they produce. The work speaks for itself! Call to inquire about items they offer, place orders, or just stop by & check it out!
CONSIDER THE COOK
C O U R TE S Y OF RE S P E C TI V E B R AN DS
26 Village Green considerthecook.com
Consider the Cook was started over 30 years ago by six young mothers who agreed that each would work one day a week and close on Mondays. The shop flourished, and in 2000 it was purchased by Dina Clason, a former china buyer. She relocated the store to Bedford Village. Its wares include dinnerware and serving pieces from England, Italy, and Portugal as well as elegant serving utensils, glassware, linens, and accessories that evoke the virtues of an aesthetically pleasing dining table and the right tools to prepare the meal. There are also home accents like lamps, sconces, mirrors, clocks, tables and at Christmas time a great selection of ornaments. OCTOBER 2026 121
[GREENWICH SHOPPING]
SHREVE, CRUMP & LOW 125 Greenwich Avenue shrevecrumpandlow.com
Shreve, Crump & Low is a family-owned and operated business founded in New England. The three-story flagship is located at 39 Newbury Street in Boston, Massachusetts with a second location on Greenwich Avenue. Shreve, Crump & Low features the finest diamonds, colored gemstones, timepieces, and estate jewelry from around the world, as well as one of the country’s finest and most exclusive china and giftware collections. The vast collection of the most famous Swiss & German brands, we carry the rarest and most valuable timepieces in the world.
J.MCLAUGHLIN
55 E Putnam Ave jmclaughlin.com The first J.McLaughlin store, located in an Ivy League-riddled enclave on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, was a small place with a welcoming, fadedpaint feel. Today, with brick-andmortar retail locations across the country, not to mention a flourishing e-commerce business, J.McLaughlin celebrates its continued success as a classic American clothier and one of the country’s last great first-name-basis retailers. The clothes are simple and smart—the J.McLaughlin website describes them as “innovatively nostalgic,” making them the perfect aesthetic for Greenwich style.
HOPSCOTCH SALON
For over 30 years, Hopscotch Salon has helped clients look good, feel good, and do good. Offerings include cuts and styling, color, Specialty Hair Treatments (from Conditioning and Clarifying to Keratin) and makeup. Beyond impeccable grooming, they nurture well-being and quiet confidence while giving back to the community they love. The salon also offers an extensive range of premium hair and skincare products from Oribe, Bumble and Bumble, Kérastase, Decléor, and SkinCeuticals. Their expert team can help you choose the perfect products for your needs—ensuring every visit leaves you polished, radiant, and inspired. 122 QUEST
C O U R TE S Y OF RE S P E C TI V E B R AN DS
1800 East Putnam Avenue, Hyatt Regency hopscotchsalon.com
[GREENWICH SHOPPING]
ROLLER RABBIT
103 Greenwich Avenue rollerrabbit.com Famous for its monkey print pajamas (with matching styles for the whole family), the Roller Rabbit story began in India with a piece of discarded fabric. More than a piece of hand block printed cotton, this fabric told the tale of a magical rabbit and its quest for joy. The spirit of that fabled Roller Rabbit has remained as a reminder that you can always find happiness... if you’re willing to look for it. The brand’s mission today is to outfit vibrant lives with clothes and accessories that lift up and allow people to cherish every moment with loved ones. Roller Rabbit offers ready-to-wear, accessories, bedding and, of course, the iconic sleepwear.
HOAGLAND’S
17 Greenwich Avenue hoaglands.com Hoagland’s has been the premier destination in Greenwich since 1937 for tabletop, home accessories, luxury gifts, and wedding registries. Generations of customers have selected Hoagland’s because its unparalleled selection is as special and unique as they are. The business has grown to offer Children’s apparel and gifts available in both the Greenwich Avenue store, and the Children’s store, Anna Banana, located in Old Greenwich. As it has done for the past 80 years, Hoagland’s continues to curate the finest product offerings and bring the best of the marketplace directly to you.
LOVESHACKFANCY
C O U R TE S Y OF RE S P E C TI V E B R AN DS
113 Greenwich Avenue loveshackfancy.com LoveShackFancy is a global fashion, beauty, home and lifestyle brand founded by Rebecca Hessel Cohen in 2013. It was created to celebrate love and revel in the beauty of a flower-filled, rose-colored world. The LoveShackFancy aesthetic marries vintage inspiration with a fun and modern take on femininity: An overflow of pink, prints, florals, ruffles, lace, and bows, LoveShackFancy is for romantics at heart and anyone who wants to feel beautiful and confident. LoveShackFancy has 21 stores worldwide, 450 retail partners, and collaborations with brands like Gap, Stanley, Pottery Barn, Bogner, Supergoop, and American Girl. ◆
M U R R AY
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THE YOUNG & THE GUEST LIST B Y B R O O K E K E L LY M U R R AY Pierre Beasley and Henry Beasley
G ET T Y I M AH E S
of Balu Brigada.
Clockwise from top left: Coco Jones and Jayme Lawson; Amelie Hoeferle and Ella Rubin; Olivier Polge and Lux Pascal; Ana Amelia Batlle Cabral and Marcello Hernández; Iris Law and Charlotte Lawrence.
G ET T Y I M AH E S
CHANEL’S PARTY IN NEW YORK
DURING NEW YORK Fashion Week, Chanel hosted a celebration at Balthazar to mark the U.S. launch of Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu, a more intense interpretation of the house’s classic fragrance. The lively evening featured cocktails, music by DJ Kitty Ca$h, and a surprise performance by indie rock band Balu Brigada. Guests included Olivier Polge, Ella Rubin, Sarah Catherine Hook, Marcello Hernandez, and many others. OCTOBER 2026 125
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BERGDORF GOODMAN’S ANNIVERSARY IN NEW YORK TO CELEBRATE its 125th anniversary, Bergdorf Goodman hosted an elaborate birthday party during New York Fashion Week. The evening featured light bites and cocktails, including Espresso Martini shots, along with a screen highlighting some of the store’s most memorable pop-culture moments. Guests were also treated to a live performance by Ravyn Lenae and, fittingly, a massive birthday cake.
Natalia Dyer, Hari Nef, and Bec Lauder
B FA
Michael Kors and Linda Fargo
Tracy Margolies and Andrew Taylor Nicky Hilton Rothschild Ravyn Lenae 126 QUEST
FEED FOUNDATION’S DINNER IN SAGAPONACK OVER THE SUMMER, Joey Wölffer and Lauren Bush Lauren hosted an intimate dinner at Wölffer Estate Vineyard in support of the FEED Foundation. The organization funds programs working to build a more sustainable and equitable food system for all. ◆
George Wells, Amy Burstyn Fritz, Erin Lichy, Sarah Paterson, and Manfred Rantner
K RI S TI N G R AY P H OTO G R AP H Y
Joey Wölffer and Lauren Bush Lauren
Harper Burtka-Harris and David Burtka
Serena Levy and Henrietta Conrad Vanessa and Joe Ariel OCTOBER 2026 127
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SNAPSHOT
Michel and Patricia Jean inside Champêtre; Michel Jean at the restaurant’s entrance (inset).
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VIE CHAMPÊTRE BY KAREN KLOPP
CHAMPÊTRE is a perfectly situated French boîte in Pine Plains, New York, run by legendary French chef, Michel Jean, and his wife, Patricia. The duo romantically paired while working at Regine’s in New York City in 1977, and went on to run Provence Restaurant on MacDougal Street for 20 years.
Charmed by the allure of the Millbrook area-riding, hunting, fishing, mushroom and morel discovery, and the bounty of the countryside-the Jeans settled in Pine Plains. The menu is seasonal and locally sourced, featuring a selection of bistro fare from Michel’s beloved Provence. ◆ 8
128 QUEST
A PARADISE FOR EVERY SEASON
Winter or summer? We have you covered. Winter at Palm Beach’s pinkest hotel and summer in East Hampton—because it turns out you know someone with a fabulous place in both locations. 155 HAMMON AVENUE, PALM BEACH, FL 33480 (561) 655-5430 THECOLONYPALMBEACH.COM 74 JAMES LANE, EAST HAMPTON, NY 11937 (631) 324-7101 THEHEDGESEASTHAMPTON.COM