Happy Halloween to all who celebrate. I love a good theme party, but I’ve never been particularly enthusiastic about dressing up on the same day as the rest of the world. I prefer my costume parties a little less predictable. That said, I fully support everyone else’s enthusiasm and look forward to admiring the efforts from a safe distance. I’ll be grabbing an early dinner with a new friend I made via RPS and then quickly going back into hiding.
As for RPS, you’re once again getting Friday’s edition over the weekend, for which I owe you an apology. I’ve spent the past several days maintaining a social calendar that would be ambitious for someone with no actual job, much less someone who practically maintains two. By Friday, I was completely shot. The good news is that I have some excellent stories for you today.
Today, we’re over in the UK again, where the Explorers Club’s planned London outpost has yet to open, and things have gone spectacularly wrong. RPS can exclusively report on the dispute behind the debacle: its Soho clubhouse is in receivership, its operator allegedly owes £710,000 in unpaid fees, and one of the men behind the venture is accusing the New York institution’s leadership of contributing to the mess. Now there are contested corporate filings, possible criminal proceedings, and even claims of involvement by the New York Attorney General. Yikes.
There’s a lot more after the jump to enjoy: an exclusive on Zegna’s Palm Beach plans, cheating husbands with prestigious jobs, Maison Estelle’s new guest restrictions, a $72 million castle buyer short on cash, a shake-up at 1stDibs, stranded sculptures at the Venice Biennale, a boardroom battle at Ethan Allen, Britain’s billionaires getting personal tax minders, a $5 million teenage portrait, and Thanksgiving reservation warfare at the Breakers.
