For the next two months, everyone is going to love the weather. Some places in the world are blessed with this climate year-round, but we only get it in a fleeting burst known as early fall. This issue captures all of the best to come in the month of September and, because a change of season is synonymous with a change of wardrobe, what to wear when going out to enjoy it.
Our annual style issue returns with the fashions trending for men and women this season. The daily ritual of getting dressed is at minimum an exercise in preparedness. The quest for personal style elevates that—it’s an articulation of our sense of self to the world. The conscious choices of colors, textures and trends that we incorporate (or don’t) are signals about our lifestyles that elicit how others respond to us. None of these decisions will save the world, but the attention to self undeniably engenders a feeling of confidence and control that may at least make for a better state of mind.
Our third annual style guide returns with a twist this year. Previous iterations had a decidedly male bent focusing on leaders in their industries like Rich Barrabi, (reporter at News12), Steven Dubb (Principal, Beechwood Organization), Robert Vitelli (LI LGBT Network COO) and Rob Basso (President, Advantage Payroll). This year we again profiled some favorite male influentials but their female counterparts joined them to model the looks that men and women would want to wear. The three inspired couples spent the day at our gold coast studios to capture the biggest trends for the season. The styling and backstories start on page 142.
This is also a time when our attention to trends takes over in other ways. We caught up with four self-starting style makers—Long Islanders pursuing their dreams of creating specialty clothing, grooming products and accessories to become significant brands on a global stage. Primary Elements is a look at the cosmetics that made the fall runways colorful and how to apply them to everyday wear. Retail Therapy returns with the accessories that can transition from late summer into early fall, as well as day into evening. And Science Behind the Sparkle follows the making of a diamond from rough crystal to devotion diamonds’ patented cut stone.
Of course our cover story, Fall Ambition, captures the looks our favorite designers are putting out this season. Shot on location at a private estate in Water Mill (a modern architectural stunner), these pages are rich with the textures, palette and patterns you will want to include in your own wardrobe.
Finding where to wear all of these great styles will be easy. Our culture pages line up the current happenings—like a review of the opening exhibit at the new Whitney. And our entertainment pages feature the latest culinary news (four stars at Montauk’s Scarpetta Beach!), where to find paint night and a look at the rise of merlot at local vineyards. Fall is ambitious indeed.
—nadA