The East End All-Star Club
Noah co-founder Estelle Bailey-Babenzien's Hamptons Ten; Calvin Klein's $165 million former house; Formula by Meredith sashays to the UES; the U.S. Open's true MVP.
It’s only been a week since I reported on the highest-priced listing in the Hamptons—a $152.5 million Sagaponack compound—and it’s already been beaten. Calvin Klein’s former oceanfront home in East Hampton was just listed at $165 million, which would break records if met. My favorite detail in the story by the crackerjack reporter E.J. Solomont is that the listing was timed to coincide with the SpaceX IPO. “There are going to be more people that can afford this property,” said the agent Ed Petrie of Compass. The current (unnamed) owner has done a “major renovation” since buying the property from Klein. I could see the famously particular Klein, 83, shuddering at some of the changes.
On “Heart of the East End” radio this morning, leather daddy Peter Marino was encouraging visitors to come to his Peter Marino Art Foundation in Southampton while the roses are in full bloom in June (“A deer tried to devastate them,” he noted). Marino, who pretty much invented the look of the contemporary luxury store with his designs for Chanel and LVMH boutiques, opened the museum in 2021 to house his extensive art collection and rotating exhibitions. He called the current slate, including painters Betty Parsons and Robert Nava, a “smorgasbord of taste.”
Read on for an exclusive report on Meredith Shumway’s expansion into the city, the surprising star of the U.S. Open, and Estelle Bailey-Babenzien’s Hamptons Ten.
A Hamptons Workout Queen Lands on the UES
Former Tracy Anderson fitness instructor Meredith Shumway sells out her $55 dance-cardio workout classes from Memorial Day to Labor Day—no small feat in a cutthroat, crowded Hamptons fitness scene. As I reported last year, boutique fitness classes from Quogue to Montauk are known for wait lists, parking lots stuffed with vintage Land Rovers, and buff arms stacked with gold jewelry. “The Formula X Meredith” is one of the scene’s stars.
Working out of her mother’s modest dance studio, Shumway created a grassroots alternative to the branches of Equinox and Soulcycle right across the street in Bridgehampton’s Bermuda Triangle of Elite Fitness. Meredith’s classes, which are full of local women year round, have a cozy, independent feeling. That said, they’re still a scene: The music is so loud, ear plugs are suggested, and the handbags in the cubbies would rival the ground floor of Saks Fifth Avenue. Shumway, who just ramped up her business by opening a new studio on the Upper East Side, shares the secrets to her success.
On opening Formula on the Upper East Side:
After my first summer, so many clients kept asking the same question: “What am I supposed to do after Labor Day?” A huge portion of our summer community lives on the UES and it felt like the natural next step. The Upper East Side is filled with ambitious, busy women who prioritize their health and that’s exactly who I built The Formula for.
How she’ll manage working in two places:
A lot of time in the car and a very organized calendar! I’ll continue classes regularly in both locations because I feel most alive when I’m teaching, coaching and sweating with everyone. The Hamptons will always be home, but New York is an exciting new chapter. The goal has never been to replace one community with another, it’s to grow both. In the fall I will be in NYC two to three days a week and the Hamptons the remainder.
On the overlap between the UES and Bridgehampton clients:
Many of our Hamptons clients live in Manhattan during the week and head east on the weekends and in the summer. One of the things I’m most excited about is giving them a Formula home wherever they are. It’s been so fun watching our city and Hamptons communities start to blend together and realize they’re really part of one larger family.
On building a sold-out business:
I actually checked the schedule before this interview, and every class I’m teaching is sold out through Labor Day. There are a handful of 8:15 a.m. classes with one or two spots left, but that’s about it. The support from this community continues to amaze me.
What everyone’s wearing in class:
I’m a huge fan of onesies- I love layering them with shorts or track pants. That’s my staple formula uniform with a classic trucker hat. But I’m still seeing a ton of capri pants in class which are having a moment. And seeing a lot of matching sets so far this summer, beautiful neutrals, soft blues and classic black.
On the song of the summer:
My ultimate pump-up song changes almost weekly, but currently it’s Until The End (feat Raphaella) the VIP Mix by Henri Pfr. It’s the most played song in my classes right now!
Shockingly, golf is one of THC’s first recurring sections. I still find the sport to be an elitist bore—sorry!—but the circus around the U.S. Open is compelling. One star of this week’s tournament is Jon Jennings, the appealingly earnest superintendent of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. It’s Jennings’s time to shine, like Michael Scott hosting the Dundies on ‘The Office.’ And I cannot get enough of the content about the perfect “syringing” (misting) of blades of grass, and the bonkers calisthenics he leads his staff in every morning (see below at minute 4:16).
Mockumentary jokes aside, Jennings’s job is undeniably complicated, and it got me thinking about the economics of golf clubs. Top clubs like Shinnecock have 6 or even 7-figure initiation fees on top of hefty yearly dues, but the cost of retaining top staff like Jennings and maintaining a course like Shinnecock is staggering. Private clubs generally operate as nonprofits under the Section 501(c)(7) tax exemption, so Shinnecock’s finances are public. With $10.7 million in revenue in 2024 but $10.2 million in expenses, the club is essentially breaking even.
Our signature questionnaire where we ask Hamptons insiders about their favorite spots. This week, Noah co-founder and founder of The Dream Awake Design Estelle Bailey-Babenzien, who has been coming to East Hampton since 2001. Along with her husband and collaborator Brendon Babenzien, Estelle has set the tone for an instantly recognizable brand of unexpected prep. Her Hamptons is a Lisa Frank vision of dolphins and sunsets.
Describe your perfect Hamptons day.
The perfect day would be three hours longer so I could fit all my favorite things: wake up to blue skies and sunshine, make matcha and go to meditate barefoot in my moss garden, make breakfast for my family, enjoy some gardening and then head to the farmer’s market in Springs where I pick up goodies for the day, then pack a cooler and head to the beach. The waves would be perfect for my husband and daughter to surf, and the beach isn’t too busy, just friends and people we always see. We spot whales and dolphins, take a long walk, and even have a nap. Then it’s home for an outdoor shower, reset, rest and then dinner with people I love.
What’s your favorite spot for a drink?
Sagaponack Farm Distillery is great for a martini. I really like overlooking the water, so I imagine the newly open Lighthouse Cafe in Montauk will be a great spot.
What’s your secret shopping spot?
Amagansett overall has the best boutiques. I have scored some gems at the ARF Thrift and Treasure shop. Love Adorned is great for unique new and vintage jewelry and gifts. For art, Galerie Sardine is a treasure for those ahead of the curve.
Who would you love to bump into at the farmer’s market?
Running into chef Daniel Humm would be great, as he would give me tips and inspiration on what to buy. I mostly love to bump into friends and their kids I haven’t seen in ages for spontaneous catch-ups and plan making.
What’s your main gripe about the Hamptons?
There are not enough places to eat quality food, especially at reasonable prices.
What would be your dream dinner: spot, order, company?
My favorite dinners are usually at home, or at the homes of friends who love to cook and host beautifully with farm ingredients from Balsam Farms and Amber Waves Farm, meat from Mecox, fish from Stuarts, and tomatoes from the garden. Those meals are always freshest, simple and delicious. A beach potluck is always great, when we all bring food—I love to pick up the Freddie Bowl or Leilani Bowl from Doubles—to our favorite bay beach spot for a sunset dinner and bonfires. The kids play freely and we feel totally present, on our own time and terms.
What’s your advice to newbies about a visit out East?
Take it slow, get in flow, dress down not up, enjoy nature, cook new recipes and forget the rest.
Where do you go in the Hamptons to be alone?
Beach walks or the hammock in my garden.
What’s your go-to gift for hosts/hostesses?
Anything from E-E Home is a spectacular gift. The owner Elizabeth has a perfect range of special items that are hard to find. The matcha chocolate with soba crunch by Kettle is divine, I bring it with a good bottle of tequila. Cans of Aplos Ume spritz are fantastic alone or as a mixer with tequila.
Who makes the best lobster roll?
My friend Fifi owns the Crabby Shack in Brooklyn and that’s the BEST lobster roll I’ve ever had. So, when she comes to stay she always brings a bunch of lobster and makes rolls for us at the beach. It’s heaven!
Can you recommend a favorite summer read?
A good memoir is always insightful. Currently I’m listening to “The Telepathy Tapes”’ podcast. It’s incredible.
This weekend! If you have a little LoveShackFancy-wearing Drunk Elephant-smearing person in your house, be sure to take them to Sage and Madison in Sag Harbor on Saturday from 2-4pm for nail company Olive & June’s collaboration with KatieJ. It’ll be tween heaven, with free nail art and hand-painted bows, bag charm making with BaubleBar, ice cream from A La Mode, snacks from Babe’s, and dirty sodas from Fontaine’s.
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Round Swamp (EH) at 11 am today: as crowded as I've ever seen it. When we left, the line was out into the parking lot and, inside, the line did a loop in and out of what used to be the frozen food room.