Rabbit, Rabbit! And happy Pride month! Today, I’m reflecting on a month past that somehow managed to contain an English country wedding, a new puppy, the reopening of Crow’s Nest in Montauk and the Knicks making the Finals for the first time in 27 years.

The city feels electric right now. Hope, it turns out, is contagious.

Summer has arrived. And after a few consecutive weekends of cold wet weather out east, I’m trying to channel what artist Julian Schnabel recently told my husband Sean when he was complaining about the rain: “I like all weather.” Something I think I actually also subscribe to. Also the reason I could never live in Los Angeles…

THE WEDDING.

My “right hand” of more than a decade, the Barnard-grad (I’ve always had a soft spot for a Barnard girl) Christie Grimm left us for a Brit and, worse, made it utterly impossible to choose one that would make it easy to hate.

Arnie, her witty and adorable (now) husband, and his lovely family hosted us for my first-ever English countryside wedding, and I’m afraid it has ruined me. It was one of those weddings shows you that style has absolutely nothing to do with trends or flashiness. Instead, it comes from good old fashioned taste. The kind that can’t be bought, injected, or hurried.

Christie managed Guest of a Guest for years before becoming Lingua Franca’s “Special Projects Manager,” which is a fancy way of saying she sprinkled essential beauty and order into everything we did. She helped us open stores, launch coffee trucks, plan numerous events, mentor half the team, and somehow manage to make every room she touched feel more organized and beautiful.

At one Lingua Franca party at our townhouse, an editor from Architectural Digest pulled me aside to ask who I had hired to do our famous table platter. They needed the name immediately. Of course, it was Christie. The woman responsible for the butter molds, baked potatoes piled with caviar, flowers gathered from the market and all the tiny thoughtful details that make a gathering feel magical.

Naturally, she brought that same sensibility to her wedding.

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The wedding itself took place at the Palladian Church in Ayot St Lawrence, a tiny village in Hertfordshire that feels like it belongs in a Jane Austen novel. To get to the church, guests walked through a long rolling field. The church only holds services once a month and sits just down the road from the former home of George Bernard Shaw. (!)

The reception was held at Arnie’s parents’ home in the neighboring village. Guests were greeted on the lawn with champagne and homemade apple juice from the family’s orchard. (Apparently every autumn they spend their weekends pressing apples, that is when they’re not reading 18th century novels and planting gardens surrounding their pet tortoises, so eff-ing chic).

After speeches from yours truly and Arnie’s best man, everyone made their way to the upper lawn for the most charming English garden party lunch imaginable.

What struck me most was how personal everything felt. The serving pieces and plates had been collected by Christie over the years. The peach tablecloths were hand-dyed in the Cotswolds using avocado skins, which, who knew, apparently produce the perfect terracotta-peach color. The beautiful embroidered eyelet napkins were a gift from her friend Stephanie Nass of Chefanie and featured the couple’s monogram.

There was badminton, tennis, croquet, kilts and tartans, and a slightly questionable British pastime called "the nail game," which felt like the St. Andrews version of an American drinking game, only somehow involving hammers and significantly more risk.

Dessert included a cake adorned with apple ribbons, rhubarb tartlets baked by Arnie’s mother, piles of fresh berries, and Tunnock’s caramel wafers, Scotland’s answer to a Kit Kat. As a parting gift, guests stopped by a little farm stand stocked with homemade apple juice, chutneys, and honey from her father-in-law’s hives.

One detail I especially loved: the bride’s bouquet was gathered from wild cow parsley growing outside the church. After the ceremony, it was placed directly in the main table vase and became part of the table scape.

Christie is one of the most refined and capable people I know, so it wasn’t surprising that her wedding was beautiful. What surprised me was how effortless it all felt. Nothing seemed over-produced or performative, yet every detail was thoughtful. It was one of those rare “you had to be there” occasions, and I suspect the English may have quietly mastered the art of them.

Her dress, you ask? Designed by Lingua Franca’s very own designer Joshua Schwartz. It featured a lace long-sleeve gown paired with an overcoat, which felt incredibly Christie. Elegant, practical, and just a little unexpected. A sizable contingent of Team LF crossed the pond to admire it in person. Christie may have traded the West Village for the equally charming Primrose Hill, but she'll always be part of the LF family.

While in London:

• While in London, we got a sneak peek of Mayfair's newest hotspot, Bar Finch, from international man-about-town and serial multi-hyphenate Charles Finch. The restaurant has now officially opened according to A Rabbit's Foot and if you're headed to London anytime soon, I'd strongly suggest adding it to your list.

• I tried on a pair of Miu Miu sandals that I’m kicking myself for not purchasing.

• We had the most delicious pot pie of my life at Christie’s rehearsal dinner at Quo Vadis restaurant in Soho.

• I tried my hand at the nail game! You can see my outfit, a LF masterpiece cape and pants that we never ended up putting into production. The good news? You can still shop this print in a variety of styles. And for the record, I'd absolutely wear these pants with this cape to an English country wedding all over again.

• We had a team dinner the last night at Maison François and had the best end of trip send off.

See some more picks for what I’d wear to a wedding this summer HERE.

BACK STATESIDE….

First up: Montauk news.

The Crow’s Nest is back, and we are gearing up for what promises to be an impossibly busy and chic summer. Our LF team manning the store has trunk shows planned nearly every weekend, so make sure you’re following us on Instagram for the latest schedule.

Somehow this is the 17th season of the hotel and restaurant, which feels impossible. The first summer Sean and I were only dating when he opened this little restaurant on a hill. We thought it would be a good idea to buy chickens to live on the property and provide eggs for breakfast. The regulars included Waris and Johan, and most nights, even at the height of summer, we were lucky to be half full. Around that same time, Bob Melet was trying to convince us there was a great opportunity for a tiny retail store (which would be the first place I ever sold a sweater).

Cut to today, and it’s been remarkable to watch the place evolve, all under the steady guidance of Celine Valensi, who I would trust to be in charge of literally anything.

This summer’s big arrival is “Golem” a 6,000-pound sculpture by local artist Julian Schnabel sitting front and center on the lawn. I’ll admit, when I first saw it, I was taken aback. It’s certainly...something. Watching people react to it has become its own form of entertainment. You’ll have to see it for yourself and let me know what you think. It’s not exactly easy to move, so I suspect it’s here to stay a bit.

The food is better than ever (the lobster pasta is back), and worth the wait, the lake side bar is ready for your sunset photos and the LF store has really hit its stride.

Speaking of Montauk, some huge news.

Sean and Celine are taking over the restaurant at the Lighthouse.

The lighthouse itself was commissioned by George Washington in 1792 and sits on the easternmost tip of Long Island. The views are spectacular and I’m excited to see what happens when a historic American landmark gets the Crow’s Nest treatment.

I, for one, cannot wait.

Even more exciting? Our event with Malbon, the wildly chic golf brand currently taking over the world, will be the very first event held there on June 19th.

IN NEW YORK:

• Back in New York, we joined forces with Marfa Stance and Alexi Meyers' Coalition Against Trafficking in Women for an evening called Courage Is Contagious at the LF Townhouse. It was a powerful night of conversation, learning, and community, bringing together advocates, survivors, and supporters to discuss the realities of trafficking and the work still ahead. Hearing survivor leader Melanie share her story was particularly moving and a reminder that awareness alone isn't enough. Real change requires action.

• I happened to be at the Whitney Museum Gala the night the Knicks played what may go down as one of the most iconic games in franchise history. The entire gala was surreptitiously watching this insane game on their iPhones. Whether you’ve been a fan for decades or are a recent transplant just learning the difference between a pick-and-roll and a power forward, the city feels electric right now.

• On the local political front, we are going to be hosting a pizza party for Jack Schlossberg at the LF townhouse on the 15th (If you really want to come please dm me). I’ve been vocal about my thoughts on Jack and why I think he is both the real deal and an inspiring and hopeful voice for not only me, but my teens. It’s exciting to have even a little bit of a connection to his incredible campaign, led by some of the coolest, smartest young people in the game. And yes, we’ve also been thinking hard about the best way to celebrate the 250 year anniversary of our country. Stay tuned here as were are working on something major that gives me (and hopefully you) some hope for midterms.

• Did you catch our “It takes a Village” Mother’s Day campaign featuring 12 friends and their children, ranging in age from newborns to their late twenties? I absolutely loved this shoot with Sophie Elgort. There’s something special about seeing motherhood captured across so many different stages of life at once.

• Beyond that, it’s been a month full of memorable conversations and excellent company. I’ve found myself at fun dinners, one of the coolest art parties for Arthur Jafa I’ve been to in ages (thank you, Gavin Brown), and a delightful evening with the Goodman sisters, Tonne and Wendy, who somehow manage to be even more interesting dinner companions than I could hope for. I also had the opportunity to meet Kimberlé Crenshaw, the groundbreaking civil rights lawyer, professor, and thinker who coined the term “intersectionality” while celebrating her book launch party at Chez Nous. I could easily devote this entire newsletter to that night alone…But I can’t. Because it’s time for...

QUICK HITS

• That chic English wedding was full of something I hadn’t realized I’d been missing: faces that moved. Faces with laugh lines. Faces with stories. Faces that looked like the women inhabiting them. It seems I’m not the only one thinking about this. “Rich face” versus “old money face” has become an entire internet conversation. The former is polished, perfected, and often expensive-looking. The latter is something different. A confidence that doesn’t require correction. A face that still looks like you. As my pal Aurora James wrote about:

  I’ve been in Europe this week on a trip to Venice with Dior, which has been incredible, and I’ve chatting with some of the women and thinking, still, about E Jean Carroll. And I’ve realized that the chicest women I know have allowed themselves the grace to age.

  Maybe after years of everyone trying to look younger, richer, smoother, and more algorithmically optimized, the ultimate status symbol is looking like yourself. Is aging like Diane von Furstenberg the next big trend? God, I hope so. Related: as someone who’s never “done her nails” this also hit.

• Speaking of E. Jean Carroll we’re thrilled that her film Ask E. Jean is now playing in select theaters. It is both astonishing and entirely unsurprising to see her once again being targeted after successfully holding President Trump accountable in court. If you haven’t seen the film yet, now feels like a very good time. Shop our collection with E. Jean here.

• This weekend we hosted the sweetest Jasmin Sparrow brand at our store in Montauk. I absolutely love her jewelry and am wearing this necklace now daily. I’m also in love with this one. And, check out this incredible necklace hack. Mind blown.

• While I’m on things to buy. These pants are currently on their way to me and I may have never been more excited about a pair of pants in my life.

• @clarevivier’s dressing room in St Calais is lovely. I feel like Clare would be so cool to have on substack..right?

• Fellow Substacker Jess Graves has me absolutely hooked on this IG floral account. I want to recreate these this summer.

• The way I am totally taken by this man.

• This is so simple and so perfect and someone needs to tell me where to find it!

• I feel like this guy could sell his creation for almost the price of the real thing. So cool!

• Convinced I need this random yacht step of all things for my closet.

• I’m really into where dance is headed these days. It feels like there are some genuinely fresh things happening in an art form that can sometimes feel stuck between tradition and experimentation.

• OMG. Did you know this?!

• Los Angeles designer Johnson Hartig of Libertine has brought his unmistakable point of view to a new collection of fabrics and wallpapers. This is your reminder that good design should never take itself too seriously. I want to climb into this pic!

What I’m Reading:

• I, along with everyone else, fell completely absorbed in London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe. Based on a true story, you won't want to put it down.

• I trust SJP with books. And, I’m adding this to my list.

• I’ve never read Commonwealth, but ready to change that.

• Ben Lerner’s Transcription has been on my list for weeks.

• A leading college admissions consultancy shares it’s Summer reading list.

That’s it for now. Here’s your reminder that there are still kind, talented, interesting people out there doing cool things. Go find them—and dig it the most.

xo Rachelle

p.s. Friday was our 15th wedding anniversary. And, as Taylor sings - our 17th Summer “but I want them all.”

p.p.s. Meet our new family member: Lucy MacPherson!!

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