Gurgle Socialite

By Ben Gurglebop

On august second the beautiful ladies of the Upper East Side appeared at the Testament Room raising funds for our young men and ladies overseas. Heading the fab, fab gala was none other than Topsy Taylor sporting a pink gown in honor breast cancer.

The New York social season has been in full swing, but it’s never too late to join one of the Members circles. Besides being able to fill up your social calendar with annual bashes, the main reason young aspiring socialites and arts patrons join these societies is to mingle with the city’s most well-heeled bachelors. Whether you’re into the art aficionados or bow-tie clad socialites, we’ve got you covered. We’ve rounded up a list of top organization you can join to find the right type of guy for you this winter!

It’s not all fun and games being a socialite. Oh sure, there’s the occasional gold-plated squash court or urn full of caviar, but New York’s cultural history is marked by the contributions of many society dames (and gentlemen) who knew how to get things done. Here we celebrate the ladies who lunch – and then rebuild the kitchen. Naturally we’ll also throw in some hot messes for good measure. First up: Carol McFadden and Lisa Melas!

The difference a daddy makes. Nan Kempner’s father reportedly told her, “You’ll never make it on your face, so you’d better be interesting.” She took it to heart, cultivating a biting wit, a brash persona, and a laser eye for couture.

That last quality is perhaps what Nan is best remembered for: She amassed huge numbers of designer garments, and in forty years missed only one of the shows given by her friend Yves St. Laurent. The socialite with “a body like a hanger” (so said Valentino) easily fit into designer sample sizes, and snapped up every gown she could. Nan didn’t borrow; Nan owned. At the time of her death, she possessed the largest private collection of couture in the world, key pieces from which now reside at the Met.

Sonja Morgan is blaming her 80-year-old ex-husband, John Adams Morgan, for her well-documented financial troubles. The ongoing divorce proceedings are “bitter,” explains the Real Housewives of New York star, because her ex, a descendant of J.P. Morgan and President John Adams, is refusing to pay her a $3 million lump-sum divorce judgment, claiming the judge made him pay more than he agreed to in a prenup. Adams Morgan lives “on a private $19 million island off the coast of Stamford, Connecticut,” Sonja explains, while she’s fretting about whether she’ll have to sell her Upper East Side townhouse. In any case, Morgan knows what’s keeping people up at night:

“I’m sure the world thinks, ‘Sonja doesn’t have to worry, she’s got that husband there for her.’ But I’m on my own,” said Morgan, 47.

Indeed. The world thinks nothing else, day in and day out, watching Real Housewives ad nauseum. It’s weird: We’re kidding, but sometimes it seems like that may really be true.

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