Hampton Style - August 1, 2008 -

Acquiring expertise-not just hiring it-is in many ways, the ultimate luxury, especially when we wouldn't mind occasionally being confused for landed gentry. Even more important than wearing the newest looks from Ermenegildo Zegna is being able to properly pronounce the Italian men's designer's name. Of course, properly pronouncing our native English (elocution lessons are on the rise), also seems to be of growing importance to those of us who didn't have a chance to wear uniforms to high-priced schools as children.

While on that topic, there is nothing like enrolling your kids at Chapin, Buckley or Exeter to assuage those feelings of loss we still harbor from being denied said posh education in our own youth. So money really can buy happiness if channeled in the right directions, affording us a chance to "do" instead of just "buy". From everything we're currently observing, those channels increasingly involve instruction, personal growth and experience that changes us from within, rather than just cloaking us in sartorial armor or accessorizing us with high-octane toys.

What follows is our attempt to gather the best in high-end personal refinement, not unlike the tutelage that the robber barons of the 19th century pursued. Rockefeller, Morgan, Vanderbilt, Frick-most of the clans we currently associate with sophisticated lifestyles, began with a progenitor who made his own money and needed a little guidance on how to spend it.

Our favorite hedge-funders are just as likely to enroll in sailing school as they are to take in Nantucket Race Week, or to sign up for Skip Barber's racing school after watching a summer's worth of Formula 1 races. A gourmet chef is a wonderful addition to a home, as is a series of courses from the French Culinary Institute for ourselves. Addicted to the History Channel? Why not sign up for the Explorers Club's journey through Greece inspired by Virgil's magnum opus, "Aeneid," and led by an archeologist. Love our local wine? Join in on the weekly 2-hour classes led by wine expert Christopher Tracy at the Channing Daughters' Vineyard. We've put together an exhaustive listing of private New York schools and Eastern Seaboard boarding schools for your deserving progeny. And finally, there is no better way to begin emulating the landed gentry and robber barons than to begin giving back philanthropically. If you're a hedge funder, that means only one option: Robin Hood. It's something of a well-intentioned cabal, which is to say, if you want to get in with the big guns, this is where they spend their time and their money. Founded by Paul Tudor Jones with the help of Glenn Dubin, their annual gala has become the stuff of legend, raising $71 million in a single night in 2007. And, in addition to useful networking, you'll actually be giving back in an extraordinarily effective manner as well-it was founded by results-driven hedge funders after all.

399 Lafayette Street, New York, 212-674-7501; www.astorcenternyc.com.
Astor Center of NYC is a state-of-the-art facility where the progressive thinking of their company has resulted in an impressive venue structured around the education and discovery of wine. The Study, used for educational events and food and wine presentations is a room with stadium seating surrounding the ultramodern professional demonstration kitchen. Each of the 36 seats is equipped with a light box and a flush sink to further the tasting experience, and the room is set with three plasma screens to see the demonstrations up close.

167 W 23rd Street, New York, 212-647-1875/1879; www.nycwineclass.com.
Founder Andrew Harwood has spent years working within every aspect of the wine industry from production to sales. At the NYC Wine Class, a company that he started in 2002, he shares his experience and knowledge with people eager to educate themselves on the specific dynamics of wine tasting. Among a selection of other classes, Wine 101 is focused on discovering personal tastes through exploring wines from many different regions.

The Art of Balance at Stony Brook Southampton Campus, 239 Montauk Highway, Southampton, 631-32-9404; www.sunysb.edu/sb/winecenter/symposium2008.shtml
Education presentations and wine tastings led by prominent winemakers and vineyard managers in cool-climate winegrowing regions around the world. Over 150 wines from 40 Long Island Wineries, including Wolffer's Estate and Channing Daughters. The focus of the seminar is "Cool Climate/Maritime Wines in a Global Context." Tuesday August 5 and Wednesday August 6; each day at 9am to 5pm.

1927 Scuttehole Road, Bridgehampton, 631-537-7224; www.channingdaughters.com.
All summer, Channing Daughters has been offering a tasting class series exploring different types of wines each week. This is a small gathering held in their tasting room in Bridgehampton. The remaining classes include Wines of South Africa, Wines from the Cote de Beaune and Wines of Roja. The two-hour classes are held by winemaker Christopher Tracy (DWC, CWE, and Master of Wine candidate) as he brings you through 12 different examples of wine from each category.

Cooking School Bridgehampton Inn, 2266 Montauk Highway, Bridgehampton, 631-537-6066; www.loavesandfishescookshop.com.
The Bridgehampton Viking Cooking School offers an exclusive array of culinary instruction ranging from 'Tamales and Sangria' to 'Date-Night Candlelight Dinner' classes. Classes can be purchased in a series or as single sessions, and run through September. There are hands-on workshops, demonstrations, visiting chefs and tastings on offer. Prices vary, but courses generally begin in the $120 range.

The Beard House, 167 W. 12th Street, New York, 212-675-4984, 212-627-2308 to reserve; www.jamesbeard.org
Specialty tastings prepared by world-class chefs are offered. A different wine is paired with each course (meals are generally 5-6 courses). Tastings are every Monday-Thursday throughout August, from 7-10:30pm with a Q&A afterwards. The price for members is $125 and $165 for the general public. There are also bi-monthly non-hands-on demonstrations. In October, there will be a Flavors of Florence workshop, for which chefs will be flown in from Italy. Participation is $50 for members, $65 for non-members.

1946 Campus Drive, Hyde Park, New York, 800-522-4610; www.ciachef.edu
"Boot Camp" courses, which range from 1-5 days, provide food enthusiasts with superior technical skills and a thorough introduction to the type of food they choose. Choices such as seafood, seasonal soups, Spanish tapas and bistro are available, and range from novice to advanced skill levels. One-day courses begin at $325, and five days at $2,095.

570 Lexington Avenue, New York, 212-517-3929; www.sothebysinstitute.com
Sotheby's Institute of Art grants its students privileged access to pre-sale viewings, talks by experts and handling sessions through the auction house. The program also takes its students to many commercial galleries, artists' studios and museums in the area. Among those offered in upcoming months are Art Travel programs in Dubai and at castles around the world, as well as a regular art market course for continuing education. Another course follows all the prestigious art fairs around the world.

11 West 42nd Street, New York, 212-355-1501; www.christies.com/education
The international team of dedicated art experts and academics at Christie's are inspiring the next generation of art-world professionals and their programs give students direct exposure to the art world through guided tours and studio visits. The Certificate Program is a scholarly training program in connoisseurship and specialized in the modern art market. Tuition: $20,072.

Jeanne Greenberg, Salon 94; salon94.com
Amalia Dayan, amalia@amaliadayan.com
Kim Heirston, Kim Heirston Art Advisory: 212-588-1234
Lisa Schiff, Schiff Fine Art; www.schifffineart.com
Sheri Pasquarella, SLP Art; www.slpart.com
Candace Worth, Worth Art Advisory;www.worthartadvisory.com
Elizabeth Fiore, Elizabeth Fiore Art Adivsory: elizabethfiore.com
Bettina Sulser; info@bettinasulser.com
Giraud Pissarro Segalot; www.gpspartners.com
Mark Fletcher, 212-823-6226; www.markfletcher.com
Pizianos, 212-689-1020; www.pizianosmodern@gmail.com
Rachel Mauro, Rachel Mauro Fine Art, 212-620-7460; rachel@rachelmauro.com

www.hsny.org, 212-757-0915
The director of the Horticulture Society of New York provides private, in-home consultations to make residences green-friendly, and, if special arrangements are made, can also give private lessons in horticulture practice to patrons. If you're looking for something larger and more general, classes in botanical arts and illustrations, floral design, plant care and rooftop gardening, amongst others, commence in the fall.

www.explorers.org; 603-756-4004
The more active way to travel is with a group such as Explorers Club Travelers, where naturalists and academics lead their exotic expeditions. A two-week long trip in mid-August, led by a prominent scholar, explores the Black Sea region traveling in a luxury, 57-cabin boat (you can have a penthouse suite for $12,995) from Istanbul to Bulgaria and along the coasts of Turkey and Greece. View the ancient sites that once flourished along those coasts. A trip in October ($14,595 for the most luxe lodgings) traces Aeneas's journey in Virgil's magnum opus, "Aeneid." Start by sailing in Athens, before being led by a classical archaeologist towards Troy; through the Albanian Butrint, where Aeneas finds the famous copy of Troy; to Taormina, the home of the epic Cyclops; to Carthage; and finally to Pompeii. A month-long trip in winter ($14,995 for the ship's penthouse) takes the sea-hearty for 7,200 nautical miles to Patagonia, starting through the Straight of Gibraltar. The vessel has ports of call including Marrakech, the edge of the Sahara Desert, the Cape Verde Islands, Rio de Janeiro, and the Falkland Islands archipelago, all before finally arriving at the tip of South America, edging near the Antarctic.

www.metmuseum.org; 212-650-2110
Traveling with the Metropolitan Museum of Art is far from a simple vacation. Offered year-round, the programs take you to such far-flung destinations as Rome, North Africa and Alexandria. One featured itinerary is structured around the art and music of Central Europe. From August 12-23, the Met's own lecturers and other art lovers will take a Danube River voyage and visit palaces, cathedrals, great collections and historic sights. The trip begins in Salzburg, the Baroque city and birthplace of Mozart. Two nights will be spent in Vienna before the excursion concludes in Budapest (with a land rate of $5,995). A lauded trip scheduled from October 11-20 has a final destination spot in Beijing. Timed with the Shanghai Biennale, travelers have the opportunity to meet well-known and emerging artists in both the visual and performing arts. Visits to some of China's new museums and to Caochangdi Village are also arranged, with a package price at $7,995. Ring in the New Year with a trip to the Yucatan. From December 26, 2008-January 4, 2009, the French yacht Le Levant will start in the colonial city of Merida and make its way around the Mayan pyramids, the heralded temples of Chichen Itza, and towards Campeche, Tulum and Belize at $6,990.

212-769-5100; www.amnh.org
For those wishing to explore their own home turf, this museum offers regular bird-walking tours in Central Park. Chirps and plumages will be as familiar to you as the stock markets, as museum naturalists and ornithologists lead these tours. Still want to explore Greenland and Iceland but can't risk losing your BlackBerry signal near the Arctic? The museum has animal bones you can touch and feel, and experts to explain how the Vikings worked, ate, and worshipped through these remains.

Type: All-girls, K-12
Founded: 1901
Motto: Fortiter et recte (Bravely and rightly)
Head of School: Dr. Patricia T. Hayot
Director of Admissions: Tina Herman
College Advisor: Carolyn Clark
Enrollment: 664
Starting Tuition: $29,100
Endowment: $63,452,000
Colleges: Harvard, Columbia, Duke, Georgetown, Brown, Princeton
Alumnae: Stockard Channing, Queen Noor of Jordan, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Lilly Pulitzer, Vera Wang, Sigourney Weaver

Type: All-girls, K-12
Founded: 1920
Motto: Veritas, amicitia, fides (Truth, friendship, faith)
Head of School: Dorothy Hutcheson
Director of Admissions: Margaret Metz
Enrollment: 560
Starting Tuition: $32,100
Colleges Most Frequently Attended: Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn, Harvard, Brown, Columbia, Georgetown
Alumnae: Mandy Grunwald, Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss, Charlotte Ronson, Samantha Thompson, Cecily von Ziegesar

Type: All-girls, K-12
Founded: 1892
Motto: On scholae sed vitae discimus (Not for school but for life we learn)
Head of School: Bodie Brizendine
Director of Admissions: Susan Parker
Enrollment: 650
Starting Tuition: $26,000
Endowment: $80,000,000
Colleges: Harvard, N.Y.U., Princeton, Columbia, Penn, Wesleyan
Alumnae: Serena Altschul, Jade Jagger, Aerin Lauder, Gwyneth Paltrow, Emmy Rossum, Kerry Washington

Located: Deerfield, Massachusetts
Head of School: Margarita O'Byrne Curtis
Director of Admissions: Patricia Gimbel
Enrollment: 600
Tuition and Fees: $42,590
Average Class Size: 12
Student to Teacher Ratio: 5:1
Endowment: $386,000,000
Colleges: Brown, Harvard, Penn, Georgetown, Middlebury, Cornell
Alumni: Matthew Fox, King Abdullah II of Jordan, David Koch, John McPhee, Rodman Rockefeller, Richard Mellon Scaife

Located: Groton, Massachusetts
Founded: 1884
Head of School: Richard Commons
Director of Admissions: Ian Gracey
Enrollment: 356
Tuition and Fees: $44,3500
Average Class Size: 13
Student to Teacher Ratio: 5:1
Endowment: $293,000,000
Colleges: Harvard, Georgetown, Princeton, Yale, Brown, Trinity
Alumni: Louis Auchincloss, McGeorge Bundy, W. Averell Harriman, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Sam Waterston, Richard Whitney

Located: Farmington, Connecticut
Head of School: Katherine Windsor
Director of Admission: Deborah Haskins
Enrollment: 326
Tuition and Fees: $40,100
Average Class Size: 11
Student to Teacher Ratio: 8:1
Endowment: $104,000,000
Colleges: Dartmouth, Amherst, Williams, Brown, N.Y.U., Yale
Alumnae: Gloria Vanderbilt, Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis, Lilly Pulitzer, Dorothy Walker Bush, Edith Bouvier Beale, Barbara Hutton

Located: Andover, Massachusetts
Founded: 1778
Head of School: Barbara Landis Chase
Director of Admissions: Jane Fried
Enrollment: 1,087
Tuition and Fees: $39,100
Average Class Size: 13
Student to Teacher Ratio: 5:1
Endowment: $800,000,000
Colleges: Yale, Stanford, Princeton, Penn, Georgetown, Harvard
Alumni: Julia Alvarez, George H.W. Bush, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sr., John F. Kennedy, Jr., Samuel Morse, Benjamin Spock

It has long been the habit of fortunate men and women to give back when they feel grateful for their own good circumstances. Leave it to a pair of hedge-funders to take the notion to a level of performance (and creativity) that is entirely without precedent. Robin Hood began at the time of our last great economic slump, a downturn that weighed on the mind of Paul Tudor Jones, one of the most venerated and successful hedge-funders to date. He found a good ally in Glenn Dubin who enlisted his then-brother-in-law, David Saltzman, to run the organization. David's chic sister Elizabeth was responsible for adding star power to the early efforts (Gwyneth Paltrow, the late John Kennedy Jr.) and for corralling some of the gala auction's most dazzling items. Robin Hood's auction items are legendary: a yoga class for four taught by Madonna, dinner for 10 with chef Mario Batali, the chance to sing along with Aerosmith, or to train with Patriots' Tom Brady (the football star auctioned that one off himself), tickets to the Vanity Fair Oscar party. The event's entertainment is also without parallel: a single night witnessed Led Zeppelin for the musical act, and Gwyneth Paltrow and Jerry Seinfeld as the evening's masters of ceremonies. The next year, Uma Thurman and Jon Stewart filled their shoes. Every cost associated with the legendary party is paid for directly by the Robin Hood board of directors. That is how they've managed to throw such glittering, over-the-top events without the guilt that should be associated with such misuse of donated funds. This year's gala brought in $56.5 million (every penny of which went to charity), and guests were entertained by Shakira, Wyclef Jean, John Legend and Sheryl Crow. Conan O'Brien served as the evening's host and among his night's roasts was an exhortation that the guests "look for millions of dollars that have fallen through the sofa cushions of John Paulson," the poster child for flush times in the hedge-fund community.

Every major hedge-fund buys tables at the party that has grown to be 3,700 guests in size. Members of this unique financial community come together for one night and focus on very different kind of "bottom-line" results, raising money and awareness in a signature efficient and quantifiable manner. Since its inception in 1988, Robin Hood has invested $1 billion in what they consider to be partnerships with other charities in the city. In addition to giving out money, Robin Hood helps these partners to become more efficient at running their organization like, well, a highly effective hedge fund-or at least a results-oriented business. www.robinhood.org.