By: Lieba Nesis

The Hamptons 2023 is experiencing a watershed moment as nearly every week the New York Post, Business Insider, or Bloomberg news documents the goings on in this uber wealthy enclave.  Hotels have never been pricier, restaurants more crowded or parties more well attended.  The weekend of July 28th has one highway motel room at the underwhelming “Hamlet Inn” charging $3,000 for two nights, along with the nondescript Mill House Inn with one weekend room left for $8800 and Topping Rose House with weekend prices starting at $11,000 completely sold-out-part of the out of control trend that occurs during the summer when the massive crowds are unable to be contained in the relatively small area.

Accompanying the burgeoning crowds is a record-breaking retail boom with commercial rates surpassing Hong Kong, New York, Milan, London, Paris and Tokyo.  Every major label wants the Hamptons eyeballs on their brand; so despite empty stores Prada, Chanel and Louis Vuitton have all set up shop in the tony East Hampton with LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault purchasing an East Hampton boutique for $22 million-a new record of $4,400 per square foot according to Bloomberg.  Weekends are replete with ten events packed into three days as a post-Covid Hamptons is bursting at the seams.

My week on Long Island began with a Matchbox Twenty concert at Jones Beach Theater on Tuesday July 18th where broker to the stars Michael Chadwick invited me to engage in one of the most unforgettable evenings of the year.  Sitting tenth row in one of the most glorious settings Rob Thomas and his bandmates wowed the crowd for over two hours with one hit after another including “3AM”, “If You’re Gone”, and “Push.”  Thomas and his mates frequently give private concerts for Jewish groups such as UJA and JNF.  Backstage, iconic drum player Paul Doucette thanked Corcoran superstar Chadwick for finding the most superlative rental warranting the best tickets and a meet and greet with musical phenom and leader of the band Rob Thomas-looking fresh as a daisy after a two-hour sweat fest who greeted Chadwick with “you must be the broker I heard so much about.”

Thomas hasn’t aged a day since he began his band in 1995.  The unheard of feat of a band remaining close after nearly 30 years together was incredible to witness backstage as their effortless fraternization was readily apparent. Matchbox Twenty is an unstoppable tour de force that continues producing hit after hit and touring the world with sold-out performances worldwide.  The blockbuster “Barbie” featured their “Push” song throughout the movie making them as current as ever to millennials.  The indomitable Chadwick similarly continues his conquering of the real estate world with 20 hour days and non-stop sales.

The weekend in the Hamptons really begins on Thursday, so I took the $47 10PM Jitney on Wednesday that plopped me in Southampton one hour and a half later to enjoy one of the most scintillating dinners held at the home of William and Mar Morosse Thursday evening. Flamenco by renowned troupe Sonia and Ismael along with art by Pierre D’Argyll and food by Citarella were the backdrop for an extraordinary evening that famed architect Peter Marino joined.  Marino, who heads a 160-person firm, was clad in his signature custom black leather getup; purchasing three paintings and watching the expert dance group with rapturous excitement. Splendid hosts William and Mar Morosse along with their twenty guests including Nicole Salmasi, Ruth Miller, Maria and Ken Fishel and Jean and Martin Shafiroff danced the night away.

The Fishels and Shafiroffs have been conquering the Hamptons summer at breakneck speed with Maria and Ken holding nearly a dozen events at their Bridgehampton Estate in conjunction with their publicity honcho Norah Lawlor.  Beginning on Friday evening July 21st  the Fishels welcomed 100 guests to a cocktail evening to celebrate El Museo Del Barrio the nation’s leading Latin American institution dedicated to preserving the art and culture of Puerto Ricans and all Latin Americans in the United States.

The theme of the evening was tropical and amidst all the beautiful ladies Maria stood out in a lively floral Johanna Ortiz frock accompanied by her newlywed son Brad and Alexandra Fishel who were lighting Shabbat candles in the kitchen.  No expense was spared for this entrancing fiesta taking place under a lavish tent with tambourines, festive decor and furniture and dancing until close to midnight.  Saturday the Fishels wowed once again with the most well attended Bridgehampton Polo in nearly a decade with Christie Brinkley proudly hosting the Oscar de la Renta sponsored event.  Hats and maxi dresses abounded as Maria Fishel and Ruth Miller wowed in pink and yellow Oscar dresses with matching floral hats-it doesn’t get any better.  For $200-$3,500 more than 750 guests enjoyed drinks, lite bites, and the polo match which lasted from 4-7 PM.

If you were unlucky enough to miss the past week’s festivities you can purchase tickets online for the July 29th polo match on the 16-acre Fishel estate. After herself attending polo Saturday night fellow philanthropist and socialite Jean Shafiroff co-chaired the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation Gala which honored Islanders and American Apparel owner Jon Ledecky and CEO of BARK Matt Meeker.  Jean in a turquoise blue Monique Lhullier spoke of the importance of the no-kill animal shelter.

Investment guru Jonathan Ledecky, a descendant of Holocaust survivors, described meeting his business partner Scott Malkin, after Scott’s mother Isabel admired Ledecky’s dog.  Leave it to a Hamptonite to make dogs into a billion dollar business as Matt Meeker’s BARK company has over $600 million in annual revenue.  As guests such as Matt Lauer and Jill Rappaport fraternized in the lavish MUSES venue accompanied by an appropriately delectable vegetarian dinner the $1,000 per person sold-out dinner ended with lively dancing by Instagram stars Elton Ilirjani and Jean Shafiroff.

The upcoming week promises to be equally exciting with a Jill Zarin Hamptons Luxury Luncheon scheduled at a Southampton Estate for July 29th, a French Heritage soiree on the Fishel estate July 28th, and a St. Jude’s Hope in The Hamptons dinner on August 5th.  The weekend wasn’t all fun and games as I witnessed an electrical fire at Stop & Shop on Friday night as well as a power outage from Montauk to Southampton Saturday night.  It was also revealed lawyer Mark Geragos was seeking $29 million for his Southampton Capri Hotel property which he bought for $4.8 million 8 years ago-good luck with that.

The current ketamine trend mentioned in the New York Post that has invaded this South Fork enclave is deplorable; if surviving the Hampton’s lifestyle requires mind altering substances perhaps it is time to reevaluate your Raison D’etre.