A Different Kind of Competition Under the VIP Tent

What is it about the equestrian world that brings out the fancy in folks?

From the top hats, tailcoats, haute couture millinery and oceans of Veuve Cliquot seen at the UK’s Royal Ascot race week, to the seersucker suits, flouncy frocks, frilly hats and mint juleps in frostbite-inducing silver cups at the Kentucky Derby — to the Hamptons’ own premier equestrian event, the Hampton Classic, a renowned, week-long hunter-jumper show — the style stakes couldn’t be higher.

And while the primary action occurs in the show ring or on the track at all of these gatherings, the sidelines attract their own rapturous attention. Who is wearing what, whose box are they seated in, and what are they eating and, more importantly, drinking, is often discussed with the same vigor as who just won a tri-color ribbon.

At the Hampton Classic, specifically on the last Sunday of the week-long show, it’s the Grand Prix Sunday Lunch in the VIP Tent that serves as the pinnacle of this captivating event, now in its 50th year.

A giddy cross between charity gala and see-and-be-seen restaurant, this swirling conclave is known for the high-wattage attendees in swanky get-ups enjoying spectacular food and drink, provided by society caterer Robbins-Wolfe, now celebrating its 30th anniversary as the Classic’s official VIP caterer.

Chris Robbins, one half of the Robbins-Wolfe dream team — along with Ken Wolfe — beams at his firm’s long association with the Hampton Classic. Sold as packages for 14 guests (eight at a table and six at adjacent ringside box seats), Grand Prix Sunday Lunch is served family style, with table hosts ordering up copious platters of lobster and shrimp rolls, fried chicken with biscuits and honey butter, and sliced beef tenderloin with horseradish aioli, along with luscious bowls of summer fruit trifle.

Make-your-own Bloody Mary kits contain a full bottle of Origen vodka with all the fixings. Of course, there’s also a comprehensive wine list that ranges from Wölffer Estate’s modest Pinot Gris at $50 a bottle to Perrier-Jouët Époch Brut Rosé 2013, which will set you back $900.

While the organizers of the show emphasize the importance of the final event, the FEI Longines Hampton Classic 5-Star Grand Prix show jumping competition, with its $400,000 purse in the show ring, there are those whose eyes will be fixated on the action occurring inside the tent — specifically, sur la table.

Indeed, so much emphasis is put on individual table décor that there’s actually a spirited competition for excellence in various categories judged by the editors of Hamptons Cottages & Gardens magazine, along with celebrity guest judges.

Started 15 years ago, the HC&G VIP Tabletop Competition has grown into a fierce folly. It’s not uncommon for hosts to engage top interior designers and florists. Luxury retailers with comprehensive visual merchandising teams and textile houses with on-staff stylists have been known to participate, bringing a level of professionalism to the table, no pun intended.

Famously, for Firefly Farm, renowned designer Steven Gambrel was dissatisfied with the selection of chairs offered by the official party rental company and trucked in his own.

Centerpieces started to grow to gargantuan proportions, blocking neighboring attendees’ views of the proceedings. Now, even the most discerning visionary creators are gently asked to rein it in a bit, with height restrictions of 18 inches, maximum, for the sake of logistics.

“Clients can carry in anything they want,” says Robbins, “but they cannot hire other companies to make deliveries onto the showgrounds. So unless they are piling a bunch of chairs into a pickup truck and carrying them into the VIP tent from the parking lot [themselves], renting is recommended and much more sensible.”

But in the rarefied equestrian world, where brands like Hermés, Land Rover and Jaguar are the norm, sensible is a nuanced term.

With five awards given (first, second and third place, along with best floral and most innovative), visual treats abound. Designers are encouraged to showcase creative and inspiring designs, potentially mixing patterns, incorporating vintage pieces, and personalizing details, although tables are for hospitality purposes only. No promotional materials, gifts or brochures are permitted. Equestrian and horse-themed touches are a common theme.

Past “Best in Show” winners have included a veritable rose garden of a tablescape with fabric-draped antique wrought iron chairs by the fashion brand Love Shack Fancy (2021), and jewelry designer Irene Neuwirth’s artful combination of zinnias, dahlias, ranunculus and, in a nod to the four-legged competitors, carrots (2023).

HC&G collaborated with design showroom West I Out East for a high-concept build-out featuring wildflowers in modern glass and brushed brass vases, assorted fruits and deliberately frayed table linens (2024). Of course, they brought in their own contemporary chairs.

This year’s judges will include Pamela Eldridge, HC&G’s publisher, and Princess Marguerita of the Netherlands, and winning tables will be featured in HC&G magazine and on www.cottagesgardens.com.

So while you may be mesmerized by the thrill of world-class show jumping, or captivated by the array of horsey-set popup boutiques offering everything from ultra-luxury leather goods, jewelry and apparel, to dog ice cream and other artisanal treats for canines, know that to many, the real show is happening in the VIP Tent, as the last big social event of the Hamptons summer season unfolds with all of its pomp and circumstance for the swell set to savor.