Hamptons are still hot

For the last several months, locals have been caught up in an extended state of apprehension and suspense about what to expect from the upcoming summer season on the East End.

The sluggish national economy and faltering financial markets have given more than a few full-time residents pause about just how many of the typically plentiful summertime visitors will make the journey eastward this year. And, because of their dependence on the big-money seasonal tourist trade, cautious business owners have continued to tighten their belts against potential ho-hum summer sales.

Still, there are some hopeful signals, because even in the bleakest times it seems that those who have the financial wherewithal might still prefer a little luxury wherever they can find it, according to trendspotters in the national entertainment media and some of the more upscale, glossy magazines. In fact, the May issue of Town & Country is all about the unique collection of villages and hamlets that make up what East Enders call their home and the rest of the world knows as “the Hamptons.”

So those who live and work here—and depend on the influx of summer dollars for their livelihood—can quite possibly breathe a sigh of relief that, at least according to some accounts, the Hamptons are still hot.

Jessica Lange, who portrays “Big Edie” Beale in the recent HBO film based on the Maysles brothers’ “Grey Gardens,” graces the cover of May’s special home issue of Town & Country, headlined “The Hamptons Now!” Other cover articles focus on shingle-style and waterfront modern architecture, “village charm,” and two-time National Book Award-winning writer and environmental activist Peter Matthiessen who has a home in Sagaponack.

Inside, there is also a feature on part-time Southampton residents Joanne and Roberto de Guardiola and their 14-year-old twins, Mercedes and Roberto IV. The article weaves information about the family—she’s an interior designer, he’s an investment banker—and the five-acre property and house formerly owned by Andrew Carnegie they bought in 1994 into the kind of lush pictorial profile the magazine is known for.

Ms. de Guardiola’s favorite Southampton haunts are also featured, including Main Street stores Hildreth’s and Herrick Hardware, Topiaire Flower Shop and Stubbs & Wootton on Jobs Lane, Sip ’N Soda on Hampton Road, and Tate’s Bake Shop and Lynch’s Garden Center on North Sea Road.

The Hamptons-focused May issue also contains a “Traveler’s Notebook” of local hot spots and standards in a variety of East End locales, including places to shop, eat and stay. Mainstays such as Silver’s restaurant on Main Street in Southampton; Loaves & Fishes Cookshop in Bridgehampton; The American Hotel restaurant and inn in Sag Harbor; Nick & Toni’s, Della Femina and Cittanuova in East Hampton; and the Stephen Talkhouse nightclub and bar in Amagansett are all mentioned.

Also tucked into the “Traveler’s Notebook” is a “Down on the Farm” inset which points “locavores and slow food advocates” to a few of the magazine’s favorite East End farm stands, including the Amagansett Farmers Market, Hayground Market in Bridgehampton and North Sea Farms in Southampton.

The May issue of Town & Country will be replaced on newsstands with next month’s June edition this weekend.