Town & Country

ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S CHRISTMAS FEAST For T&C’s December 1968 issue, we paid a visit to Alfred Hitchcock at his home in Bel Air and asked him to plan an imaginary Christmas feast for Santa. He did not disappoint. The director began by rattling off the guest list: Scrooge, Lady Chatterley, Bronco Bill, Casanova, Marie Antoinette, and, “for a very special touch of gore, Anne Boleyn, who will arrive headless and carry her head on a claret velvet cushion.” He then went into extensive detail about the two-act, 11-course menu, complete with wine pairings and an intermission (“a sorbet of sauterne”). The whole affair would take place in a private room at the Plaza Athénée in Paris, “decorated with period French tapestries, the table set with the best Irish linen damask, fine…

I wondered aloud, as we were putting together this year’s madcap, slightly unhinged Gift Guide (and our other highly specific, highly opinionated suggestions on townandcountrymag.com), what the T&C team might ask for if money were no object. Would it be unlimited winter weekends at Four Seasons Surfside in Miami, and weekly Beauty Sandwich treatments, and all that Belperron being sold at Sotheby’s? Or is that just me? Roxanne Adamiyatt, Deputy Digital Lifestyle Director: A tandem facial-massage at Raquel Medina-Cleghorn’s studio, on a regular basis. The luxury, and the effciency, of it all. Natalie Boyce, Visual Assistant: A personal chef. Emily Burack, Senior News Editor: A three-bedroom apartment in NYC, a house in the Berkshires, and a ski chalet in the Alps. Pretty please? Nicole Clacken, Senior Visual Research Editor: My own airplane.…

WHERE ARE WE GOING? Few things foster a sense of unity like rooting for the same team. Come February, we’ll get a chance for some much-needed togetherness when the XXV Winter Olympics kick off in Italy. This year’s festivities will take place in locations between Milan, where the opening ceremony will be held, and Cortina d’Ampezzo, in the Dolomites some 250 miles away. We suggest you make your travel plans now. WHAT ARE WE WEARING? The Olympic mascots for 2026 are a pair of ermines named Tina and Milo. Since they’re not likely to reach the cult status of the Labubu (but who knows?), here’s a better investment: Omega’s Seamaster Aqua Terra, with its brushed black ceramic bezel and striking turquoise dial. The real flex, though, is inside: The caliber…

When I was 18 or so, I was asked by one of my grandfather’s pervy law partners if I intended to get by in the world on my smarts or my looks. Of course, I would have loved to have glued his mouth shut, but I also kind of appreciated the reveal: Anyone stupid enough to underestimate me is the one at a disadvantage, not the other way around. I do believe that this dumb little comment was meant to be flattering, but instead it underscored that complimenting anyone has always been a tricky endeavor. In the years since this exchange took place, the etiquette surrounding compliments—or what we think of as kindly words—has been overhauled, and offering praise today seems more trip-wired than ever. Does every“God, you look amazing”…

1. AIM FOR EARNEST When delivering what is called a velvet dagger, it’s best to appear sincere. “Bless your heart” hits only because you might actually mean it. 2. EMBRACE DENIABILITY If you seem too sweet to be making a nasty dig, it’s much easier to get away with it. Bonus points for batting your eyelashes. 3. MEAN TO BE MEAN You’re insulting someone, so if they catch you, don’t backtrack. Instead, wink and say, “You’re sharper than you look.” 4. CHANNEL MAGGIE SMITH Nobody delivered (or received) a burn like the Dowager Countess, who took everything as a compliment: “It saves many an awkward moment.”…

“Ithaka,” by C.P. Cavafy, may be the most quoted poem in the world, and the line about stopping at Phoenician trading stations to“buy fine things, mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony” does consistently captivate. It’s the journey, not merely the acquisition. Just ask Lucia Silvestri, Bulgari’s creative director, whose stone safaris take her around the world in search of exceptional specimens. Sometimes it’s New York, sometimes Hong Kong, but at least twice a year it’s Jaipur. “It is truly my second home,” she says. “A place that never stops inspiring me. Every time I walk its streets I’m surrounded by a symphony of colors and scents, the beauty of women in their vibrant saris, and the intricate details of its palaces and paintings. I see a palace and I immediately…