Joan Jedell photo by Tom Gates

   The post-summer exodus from the Hamptons is a bittersweet moment. As you fight back sentimental sniffles watching your housekeeper fold away your white linens and pack away your hatboxes, take comfort in this season-ending issue of Hampton Sheet to get you through the end-ofsummer blues.

       In these pages, relive the whirlwind of parties, art exhibitions, and glam galas that made the season so unforgettable. The artwork at Watermill Center’s Big Bang benefit shines in my memory almost as brightly as the Graff diamonds dripping off the models at the Southampton Hospital gala. And who can forget Saturdays spent with Nacho Figueras at the polo grounds? These are just a few of The Sheet’s featured events that make it so hard to say goodbye to the bucolic Hamptons.

     Meanwhile, the island rings with the cheers and caustic sayonaras of locals, celebrating the long-awaited purge of pesky “city-slickers”!  True, the war between locals and socialites has calmed down a bit this season; the infamous Officerette Krupke, as I call her, seems to have been more lenient this summer, perhaps because of my reporting her abuse of power last season. Somehow, most of us have escaped the Hamptons without being pulled over for drinking Acqua Panna water, or subjected to a breathalyzer after getting busted with a particularly strong breath mint!

     A return to the Big Apple means a return to our beloved Bergdorf’s, Bendel’s, and Saks—you know what they say, home is where the new fall line is! Just try surviving the nip of autumn without Christopher Fischer cashmere or Robert Clergerie and Giuseppe Zanotti boots. And I can’t imagine running from event to event in anything but my trusted Louboutins and Jimmy Choos!

      I’m already stepping up my dance moves for Jason Derulo at the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation gala, and polishing my halo for Denise Rich’s Angel Ball. My waterproof mascara will be put to the test during Tony Bennett’s bittersweet tribute to Amy Winehouse at the Inspiration Award gala.

     And speaking of galas and benefits, we all know these parties can be hit or miss if we aren’t seated next to the right A-lister, and they can quickly become a game of musical chairs to raise your clout. I’ve seen the best of the best switch around the seating cards to avoid an evening of insufferable publicist blather, or the woman sparkling with the jewelry of her targeted beau’s late wife…before the body was cold! And I just pray I don’t get put next to one of those “real” housewives at the Rita Hayworth Gala, or at the opening night at the American Ballet Theatre. I’d jetesplit out of there so fast!

     So mark your calendars with The Sheet’s hot dates on page 30. And for those who depended on my 1010WINS Hampton Sheet Reports to glam up their weekend plans, stay tuned for my city reports coming up in the fall. And follow us on twitter @HamptonSheet—you never know when we’ll hear about the new piece of gossip, the next biggest party, or the next big thing!

      Take our cover guy, Rodriguez, subject of the inspirational new documentary Searching for Sugar Man. The musician was ignored by mainstream America for decades, while unknowingly worshiped as a rock god in South Africa. Now, 40 years later, he’s getting the recognition he deserves, with Oscar buzz surrounding the new documentary, a concert tour, a performance on Letterman, and a cover story in The Sheet! (Check it out on page 28 or click here.)

      Even though the days of summer are fading fast, there’s much to look forward to in the Big Apple. So it’s not goodbye—but rather, see you in the fall, with your faces gracing the pages of the Manhattan edition of Hampton Sheet.

     Kiss Kiss—Enjoy The Sheet!

Joan Jedell appears on national and local TV.
Her photographs are syndicated worldwide.