ENTERTAINING WITH PANACHE Home
for the Holidays With a guest book that reads like a who's who
of politics, finance, publishing and the arts,
Lillian Vernon loves pulling off the perfect party –
again and again.
By
Meredith Gray
Lillian
Vernon, fully prepared for holiday entertaining.
Vernon
with husband Paolo Martino and Mopsy.
When it comes to entertaining, Lillian Vernon relies on the
same personalized style that became her trademark and made
her name familiar to more than 27 million households. The
founder of one of this country's first mail-order catalogs,
Vernon started her business in 1951 by placing an ad in Seventeen
magazine offering a personally monogrammed handbag and belt.
Fifty-three years, more than 6,000 products and a multimillion-dollar
business later, she takes time out from a vigorous daily schedule
to share some tips on successful entertaining.
Upon meeting Lillian Vernon one is impressed by her petite
frame, coiffed attractiveness and genuine warmth and exuberance.
A woman who knows a lot about entertaining and being entertained,
she has dined at Buckingham Palace twice and even slept at
the White House. Not one to sit idly by while others do the
work, she entertains lavishly at her home. Her guest book
reads like a who's who list culled from the worlds of
politics, finance, publishing and the arts. Invitees to her
home have included Beverly Sills, first female general director
and former president of the New York City Opera; baseball
legend Rusty Staub; the late actor Tony Randall; Connecticut
Senator Joe Lieberman and his wife, Hadassah; former Assistant
Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke; literary publisher Joni
Evans; and Mario J. Gabelli, chairman and CEO of Gabelli Asset
Management Inc.
Vernon shares entertaining duties with her third husband,
Italian-born Paolo M. Martino, whom she married six years
ago. Martino is an accomplished day trader as well as a passionate
and skilled chef. Menu planning, caterer and wine selection
– and, frequently, actual preparation – are his
responsibilities while Vernon oversees the guest list and
works with her florist, Paul Slattery of Manhattan, to determine
flowers, themes and invitations for each event.
With two grown sons from her first marriage, her husband's
large extended family and a diverse group of friends and business
associates, the couple's home, nestled on four acres
in the backwoods of Greenwich, CT, is always filled with company.
Built in 1967 the modern structure has had recent additions,
including a “great room” with stone fireplace
designed by Martino. This room, which overlooks a pool and
terraced patio, is where the couple prefers to entertain.
In any given month, Vernon's social calendar is a flurry
of activity. Although she attends benefits frequently and
is on a first-name basis with presidents and celebrities,
she prefers to entertain at home. Each month she tries to
hold one big party, which is usually themed and always well
planned. “Attention to detail should always be the number-one
priority,” says Vernon confidently. There are also weekly,
more intimate dinners, usually consisting of five or so guests
and often put together on the spur of the moment. “Planning
for what you expect is very easy – the unexpected planning
becomes a little more difficult,” says Vernon, whose
advice to anyone hosting a party or dinner is “Be fully
prepared, be flexible and, most important, relax.”
Theme parties have become a household tradition. Vernon believes
that any event can inspire a party. Annual parties include
the Oscars, Leap Year and Halloween. Halloween is one of her
personal favorites. She goes all out with costumes, surprises
and even a fortune-teller. One year a fuse blew, leaving guests
in the dark and dinner delayed. Many thought it was intentional
and Vernon preferred it that way. One of the calmest hostesses
you will ever encounter, her personal philosophy is “Always
enjoy your own party because if you don't, your guests
won't either.”
Each summer Vernon hosts a staff party at home for employees
who have been with the company for either five or ten years.
This past summer she had six tables for ten arranged around
her pool. Summer guests are always instructed to bring their
swimsuits and – ever the perfect hostess – she
has extras on hand for those who forget.
Both Vernon and Martino look forward to the holiday season
and the entertaining that accompanies it. She is Jewish and
he is Catholic so they celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas,
preferring to hold the parties at home rather than in restaurants.
They love to fill the house with children and delight in finding
the largest tree that can fit into the house. Vernon believes
in having a lot of help on hand, particularly at this time
of year. She wants her parties to be lavish and memorable
and believes that “Even if you have to serve meatballs
instead of steak, you're better off putting your money
into hiring help.” Besides ample help, her other party
preferences include filling the house with candles and changing
tabletop settings (including linens, china, stemware and flatware)
with each party. Son David laughingly declares, “Lillian
has more personal tabletop items than the White House.”
Although food is the emphasis for most of her parties (especially
with a husband who loves to cook), she maintains her figure
by eating lightly and working out three days a week. Her holiday
secret is to fill her champagne flute with diet ginger ale.
This comes as a complete surprise to her son – she has
had him fooled for years! And no departing guests ever leave
empty-handed. They receive gift bags containing an item from
one of her eight mail-order catalogs. Among her personal favorites:
monogrammed napkin rings.
Life was not always a party for Vernon. Born in Leipzig, Germany,
to Jewish parents, her family was forced to flee Nazi control,
moving first to Amsterdam, Holland, in 1933 and then emigrating
to New York City four years later. Currently, brothers Casey
and Van Neistat, independent filmmakers, are producing a documentary
entitled Monogram: The Lillian Vernon Story, which focuses
on Vernon's life including a two-week vacation she,
her husband, and sons Fred and David Hochberg took this past
July to retrace the family's European roots. When filming
moved on to Amsterdam, Lillian arranged to have a dinner party
at the luxurious five-star Amstel Hotel for 14 of her European
relatives who ranged from college age to an aunt in her late
eighties. Although most had never met one another, the evening
was a huge success with Vernon overseeing the event with grace
and ease. The Neistats concur that “Lillian led the
party with savvy, eliminating barriers between ages and making
everyone feel very comfortable.”
One of Vernon's earliest childhood memories can also
be traced back to her German ancestry and is something that
she incorporates in her entertaining to this day. It was a
tradition in the household she grew up in for bonbons to be
served every Friday night following dinner. Vernon still remembers
vividly the serving dish, a little sterling-silver basket
with handle and glass liner. Her current catalog even features
a Fenton Art Glass iridescent violet glass basket reminiscent
of her childhood Friday treats. Actually, many catalog items
are proudly displayed in Vernon's home. Most occupy
space next to antiques and objects collected over years of
travel.
Vernon has always been a proponent of test-marketing her products
at her home. The kitchen, in particular, is close to her heart:
When she started her business her yellow Formica kitchen table
did double duty as her desk. The actual table is now displayed
prominently in the entrance to the current company's
headquarters in White Plains, NY. She strongly believes in
featuring her products on her tables when entertaining. A
tour of the house reveals closets overflowing with linens,
candlesticks, dishes and other items bearing the Lillian Vernon
signature. A playful garden gnome even peaks through the trees
by her pool.
These days Vernon, who sold her company last year, still goes
to the office four days a week. She says that she is now focusing
on the “third phase” of her life and that she
intends to “reinvent” herself. Priorities include
spending more time with her two sons – Fred Hochberg,
51, a dean of The New School's Robert J. Milano Graduate
School of Management and Urban Policy, and David Hochberg,
45, VP for Public Affairs at Lillian Vernon Corporation. As
one of this nation's first very successful female executives,
Vernon may be making up for time she missed with the boys
when they were growing up. In addition, she would like to
devote more time to personally overseeing her investments,
including real estate holdings. And, of utmost importance,
is her devotion to her foundation and the charities it serves
– specifically the New York University Writing Program
at the Lillian Vernon Center for Creative Writing (formerly
known as the Lillian Vernon Center for International Affairs
at New York University), Lincoln Center and City Meals on
Wheels. Currently, Vernon tours the U.S. on speaking engagements,
the profits of which go directly to the Lillian Vernon Foundation.
From humble beginnings Lillian Vernon has gone on to great
achievements and seems to have enjoyed every minute along
the way, taking great pride in her company's philosophy,
“Helping customers live better for less.” Vernon
has created a wonderful life for herself and her family and
shares her good fortune with others. She is a true giver in
every sense of the word.
Meredith
Gray lives in Silvermine, CT, where she combines an interior
decorating business with freelance fashion styling for magazines
and catalogs. She is the former editor-in-chief of Vogue
Patterns.
