Packing a beach bag is like compiling a mix tape – the old favorites have to be there (sunblock, sunglasses, a good book), but it’s the surprises (dangly earrings, a mini Polaroid camera) that carry you through the weekend. We asked four New Yorkers – Avi Adler, Diane Ghioto, Mandie Erickson, and Jane Pratt – for their must-have sand companions and learned that these urbanites don’t stop working just because they’ve gone beyond the city limits. Adler never leaves home without flower clippers “for roadside gatherings.” Ghioto and Erickson communicate electronically from their beach towels: Ghioto’s on her Nokia cell phone with her restaurant, and Erickson e-mails clients with her Motorola two-way pager. While editing, Pratt tunes out with CDs like Hall and Oates’s Greatest Hits and the Virgin Suicides soundtrack. But these folks know how to pack for a party, too. Erickson spikes boardwalk-bought juices with Chambord, and Adler stuffs his tote with feather boas and body glitter “in case a good dance party comes up.”
MANDIE ERICKSON
PUBLICITY DIRECTOR,
SEVENTH HOUSE PR
Bag: Longchamp roll-up tote
Erickson’s essentials: Diesel sunglasses, Bain de Soleil Gentle Block sunscreen, Origins Ginger Gloss body spray, Polaroid I-Zone camera, e.vil sweatshirt, Kabbalah water, Chambord, Motorola P930 two-way pager, Motorola World Phone, Kiehl’s lip gloss, Comme des Garcons White eau de toilette, Phytoplage sun-protection oil for hair, Erickson Beamon earrings, Benadryl Itch Stick.
AVI ADLER
FLORAL DESIGNER
Bag: Plastic market bag from Israel
Adler’s essentials: feather boa, Jockey briefs, the New York Observer, Absolutely Fabulous videos, Troentorps of Båstad clogs, body glitter, Body & Soul CD.
JANE PRATT
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF,
JANE MAGAZINE
Bag: Plastic market bag from Living Doll
Pratt’s essentials: Ralph Lauren towel, Le SportSac coin purse, The Virgin Suicides soundtrack and the new Belle & Sebastian CD, Bain de Soleil SPF 30 sunblock, BeneFit Vitamin E stick, Sony Sports Discman, Polaroid I-Zone camera, Chloé aviator glasses, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers.
DIANE GHIOTO
OWNER, ISLA RESTAURANT
Bag: Coach tote
Ghioto’s essentials: Pottery Barn Hamptons Sun Chair, Burberry bikini, Kiehl’s Klaus Heidegger’s All-Sport sunscreen, Calvin Klein lip gloss, Jo Malone lotion and perfume, Havana Dreams by Wendy Gimbel, J.Crew waffle robe.