Marie Claire UK Magazine

5 June 2014

Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to tick of a few destinations on my holiday dream list (Namibia is still my favourite), but one place I am yet to get to is The Hamptons. I expect it holds a particular fascination because the area often crops up as the setting for some fantastic books I’ve read (The Great Gatsby, Tigers in Red Weather), as well as some favourite films and TV shows – who didn’t drool over Cate Blanchett’s beachside home in Blue Jasmine, or the house Lena Dunham and friends partied in during the latest series of Girls? For this month’s issue, photographer Chris Floyd captures the people and places of Hamptons’ society (page 86) – a fascinating look at how Manhattan’s super-rich have fun in the sun. It’s certainly a world of wealth and privilege but, these days, thanks to websites such as airbnb.co.uk and onefnestay.com, us mere mortals can dip a (pedicured) toe in. For our travel story (page 241), three writers visit Venice, Lisbon and New York and live like well-heeled locals, staying in beautiful apartments, palazzos and town houses. You can probably tell by now we’re in holiday mode at Marie Claire. In the fashion department, the team has been sourcing the coolest new swimwear brands and styles (page 63). They also present their edit of summer’s best dress trends on page 55. Te beauty team, meanwhile, has been getting to grips with the latest developments in sun protection (page 188) and tattoo removal (anyone regretting a tattoo must read beauty editor Jess Lacey’s frank and funny account on page 217). Finally, our cover star Elizabeth Olsen is set to be the face of summer, with Godzilla hitting the big screen. Our team few to the Italian Alps to shoot her, as she is filming her next project on location there. Now there’s another destination for the holiday wish list… Trish Halpin, Editor in Chief