Valentino Celebrated its Hamptons Pop-Up With a Dreamy Beach Dinner

If you were out East last week, you likely spotted a set of coral-printed Mokes outside the charming Maidstone hotel in East Hampton, or on the move around town. The festive cars featured a motif from the Valentino archive that decorates much of the new Valentino Escape 2021 capsule collection; 44 pieces for men and women that can be shopped at the fashion house’s latest pop-up in Southampton. Opened last week, the temporary shop—up through July 28—lives in Phillips Auction House’s Long Island outpost at 1 Hampton Road; and to celebrate both the capsule and the pop-up, Valentino hosted the loveliest day for a group of well-heeled guests.

First on the itinerary was a trip to the shop, where the likes of Elsa Hosk, Charlotte Groeneveld, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Richie Shazam, and Nicole Chapoteau perused the vacation-ready wares—coral-printed caftans, button-downs, and more gauzy pieces. Everyone toured the store, which was made even more summery with greenery and palm fronds, before heading to a beach bonfire back in East Hampton.

Just before sunset, the group—many of whom had made a quick switcheroo from day to evening attire—found themselves on Main Beach, where Valentino had somehow set up an outdoor living room complete with tiki torches, a dinner table set with pouf pillow seats upholstered in the very same coral fabric, and a bamboo rug underfoot. “Are these for sale?” Groeneveld and Tina Leung inquired as, further down the beach, Karefa-Johnson and Shazam took turns photographing each other in a coral robe that rippled in the beach wind.

Everyone quickly ditched their shoes for the clam bake dinner, and because it was Valentino, there were not clams but lobster and caviar on the menu. For dessert, it was self-made s’mores at two fire pits in the sand. Hosk, who sat fireside with her incredibly well-behaved baby, turned in just after dusk; but for the rest of the crew, including Lucien Smith, Ezra William, and Julia Fox, the night was just beginning. As the temperatures dipped, blankets were passed around and everyone crowded around the fire. “This is incredible—everyone has such amazing energy, can you feel it?” Shazam enthused to no one in particular. Needless to say, the answer was a resounding yes.