Aerin Lauder, Carolyn MurphyZach Hilty/BFA.com
On Thursday evening in East Hampton, Aerin Lauder and Carolyn Murphy came together to celebrate Murphy’s quarter-century as a global brand ambassador for Estée Lauder—a milestone the supermodel is still in disbelief over. “Becoming the face of Estée is still a pinch-me moment,” she told Vogue. “It still doesn’t totally make sense to me—even twenty-five years later.”
For the celebration, Murphy and Lauder invited their inner circle—Michael Kors, Roopal Patel, Joey Wolffer, Briony Raymond, Elizabeth Saltzman, and Pamela Tick, to name a few—along with their children to the historic Mulford Farm, where guests were greeted by green pastures and chilled Sancerre upon arrival.
As they made their way up the gravel path towards the barn, the room-temperature air and smell of fresh-cut grass immediately set the tone for a laidback evening. Servers made their rounds, handing out canapés like pigs in a blanket and cheese fritters, much to the delight of guests. As they mingled amongst the snowy white hydrangeas, attendees caught up on summer plans, swapping recommendations for farm stands with the best August corn and the restaurants worth stalking for a reservation. But mostly, the lawn belonged to Murphy, who spent the cocktail hour working the crowd as the unmistakable woman of the hour.
As Michael Kors arrived, she laughed with Vogue, sharing a trait the two of them share: “Michael and I are the same in that we really don’t like to leave our house, even though we’re extroverts. But we’ll do it for each other.” That sentiment was intentional throughout the evening: “There are so many people here tonight who have been a big part of my life for so many years—since the ‘90s! We’ve all grown up together,” Murphy said. “What tonight represents for me, more than anything, is friendship. That’s what carries you through any full-circle moment, having those strong bonds, having those relationships.”
