The New York Times Covers Hamptons Magazine Party, Exposes Shameless Self Promotion

Yesterday, the New York Times ran an article covering the Memorial Day Weekend Hamptons Magazine party, but took a deeper look into the exhausting party lifestyle (and the shameless self promotion) of the Hamptons scene.

“Party season in the Hamptons didn’t used to start until July Fourth,” said Jason Binn, the chairman of Niche Media, Hamptons magazine publisher and party maker. “But 12 years ago I put my stake in the ground on Memorial Day to get things started.”

He goes on to say,

Mr. Binn put one around his neck, yelled out that he was a shameless promoter of corporate sponsors, and commandeered a photo op. “Fresh-air camp ahead of schedule for the rich and famous,” he said.

He then sticks up for Chelsea Handler, who has been criticized for her early exit though she was "hosting" the event,

Out in front, Chelsea Handler, on this week’s cover of Hamptons, addressed a needy squad of journalists, camped along a fake wall marked with enough corporate logos to look like graffiti... Some weariness in her voice might have been exhaustion. She’d been waylaid by fog on her flight from Los Angeles the night before. And it didn’t help that she had to schlep to the party from Shelter Island, where she was a guest of André Balazs, whom she is dating. Mr. Balazs was sunburned from his boat and a little overwhelmed. “We relaxed for a second, but then, poof, we had to come over here,” he said.

But isn’t that one of the grand traditions of a Hamptons summer, when you can only fully relax when you are photographed doing so at an unrelaxing promotional event?

The last quote from Jonathan Cheban is golden,

“Everybody’s here and because it’s still not night yet, you get to see all the wrinkles and face-lifts. Maybe the party should be after dark next time.” Or maybe he just needs to keep his sunglasses on.

Go HERE to see our Hamptons Magazine Memorial Day Weekend party gallery.