Y ou receive a last minute invite to your friend’s yacht anchored off Cannes – or did she say St. Tropez? – and the flight leaves in a few hours. What to pack? Bathing suit (check), sunglasses (check), passport (must be here somewhere) and jewels (of course).
This trip brings a special brand of stress to the “smart casual” dress code. You will be spending hours sunning yourself above deck, and enjoying lazy evenings ashore, but you also must be prepared to plunge into the sea in a moment of feigned spontaneity, emerging like Venus on the half shell.
A Cartier "Trinity" bracelet, you think, speckled with diamonds. Yes, that will jangle nicely as you dash to the edge of the boat, catching the light as you perform your best swan dive.
The following month on Nantucket, your host has, for the first time in 23 years, made it to the final round at Sankaty, and you’ve suddenly found yourself skipper to a bunch of landlubbers. Best to keep it simple: a pair of diamond studs will hold tight as you fish people out of the water.
Back at the house, you slip on your Schlumberger bangle, a favorite of yachtanistas like Jackie Kennedy, swapping it out at the last-minute for that wonderful vintage Bulgari necklace your grandmother gave you. Surely your host’s burgee is among the twenty-odd charms.
Simple elegance is key for the yachting set. Fortunately, one doesn’t have to own a yacht to achieve the look. A back garden in Brooklyn, a dewy glass of Sancerre, and a few classic pieces is all you need to channel the lifestyle of the seaworthy and fabulous.
