Hillary was fêted by a high-fashion crowd at Tory Burch’s majestic Hamptons mansion on Sunday — but well-heeled guests got drenched by the designer’s sprinkler system as the presidential candidate stood up to speak.
Guests at Burch’s palatial, $38 million “Gatsby”-era estate, which sits on 15.4 lush acres in Southampton, included Anna Wintour, Martha Stewart, Donna Karan, Barneys owner Richard Perry and his designer wife, Lisa. But as Hillary, who was on a covered terrace, started to speak to 200 guests who fanned out into the garden, Burch’s sprinkler system suddenly went on, soaking some of the well-attired attendees.
One told us, “It was really very funny. Tory’s home is gorgeous … Everything was perfect. There were so many impeccably turned-out fashion people there. Anna Wintour looked like she could have been cut out of her own magazine: beautiful summer dress, not a hair out of place.”
The source continued, “Anna introduced Hillary, a wonderful introduction, moving enough to make a grown man cry. Then, all of a sudden the sprinkler system went off, and those who were on the lawn got soaked. You could hear some people screaming.” The source joked, “These perfect Hamptons people can withstand 100 percent humidity, but a really good sprinkler system did the trick to ruin their hair.”
Clinton reacted quickly by telling guests to crowd forward into the covered patio area, which had just been cleared by her security, as Burch’s staff scrambled to turn off the cascading water.
Vogue editor Wintour was next to Clinton on the patio at the time and did not get drenched.
Clinton then remarked that she “hopes to be the first woman president ever on the cover of Vogue,” but the sprinkler snafu “itself made the entry price worthwhile,” our source added.
Others at the fundraiser, with tickets priced at $1,000 and $2,700, included designer Dennis Basso, Jay McInerney and Anne Hearst, jeweler Judith Ripka, Robert Zimmerman, Nancy Silverman, John Catsimatidis, stylist Carlos Mota and dermatologist Pat Wexler.