From The Daily Summer: Lady In Rhoda

by The Daily Front Row

(NEW YORK) From Estée Lauder’s Instagram feed to the pages of American Vogue, everywhere you look, there she is! An over-the-top salute to unfettered luxury starring Southampton stunner Hilary Rhoda.
BY EDDIE ROCHE

This is our luxury issue. What does that word mean to you?
Having a Tracy Anderson gym in your house. I love working out, and having that would be so convenient.

Have you done anything luxurious lately?
Over Memorial Day weekend I went to Antibes in the South of France and stayed on a boat. That was pretty amazing.   

Is 2013 feeling like a big year for you?
It definitely is! The jobs I’ve been doing have been a good mix of high-fashion and commercial. There are a lot of great things I’m doing that are coming out for the fall, so I’m really excited. The pictures for the new Helmut Lang campaign were released last week.

And you’re still with Estée Lauder…
Yep, it’s been six years. It’s been great, and we’re doing a lot of cool things with social media now because it’s such a big part of brands. I took over their Instagram in the spring for the launch of the Bronze Goddess campaign, which was so fun. At the end of the summer, they’re launching another product that I’ll be working with them on, too.

What were your favorite outfits from our shoot?
I love the red Oscar de la Renta coat and the sparkly Dolce & Gabbana hot pants.

Do you wear a lot of red yourself?
I do, actually! Red is one of my favorite colors. Red and purple are good for me. White, too. White is a good color for all brunettes because of the contrast.

How do you usually dress on the weekend?
It depends where I am. When I’m in the Hamptons, I don’t ever wear heels and it’s much more of a casual and comfortable thing. I’ll wear white jeans and a sweater if it’s cold, or just a dress over my bathing suit during the day. In the city, especially during the fall and winter, I like to get more dressed up.

The designers must send you clothes all the time!
They do. They are really nice about that, especially because I’ve worked with many of them. They don’t mind lending me things. It’s also a lot easier because you don’t want to buy something, get photographed in it, and never wear it again. I have no problem repeating outfits, especially from my own closet, but it’s special to be able to borrow a beautiful dress from a designer. I don’t have a stylist, so I do it that way.

You’re a big Instagrammer. How often do you check it?
It depends what I’m doing. If a job has a lot of downtime, like an elaborate hair style or a lot of makeup, then I can check it while I’m in the chair. I’m pretty consistent with it. I post pictures almost every single day of the week, and I love seeing what other people are doing.

Do you like it more than Twitter?
I do. I like the pictures. There are a lot of people that don’t even check their Twitter anymore. I still try to do both, but my friends are definitely more fans
of Instagram.

What are you watching on TV these days?
Ray Donovan
! He’s a Hollywood fixer and when celebrites get in trouble, he’s the guy they call. I think that’s something that really happens but that no one really talks about, so that’s fascinating to me. They just renewed it for a second season. I’m so excited!

What are your plans for the rest of the summer?
Working! Usually in fashion August is the time for vacation, but the last couple of years I’ve stayed in the Hamptons so if jobs come I’m not too far away. Last year my August was pretty busy, so for now I just plan to stay here. I’ve always wanted to take a vacation in the mountains, somewhere like Montana, and be surrounded by nature and beauty.

Are you still happy in Southampton?
I’ve been here for a few years, and now I’m considering moving to a place on the water. Definitely not the ocean, because that’s, like, a billion dollars, but a bay would be nice. There’s something about the water that’s so calming. I’ve been looking in Sag Harbor, but very casually. I still love my place.

What are your local haunts?
I love Sam’s in East Hampton. It’s this little diner that has probably been around forever, and they have the best pizza. The sauce is sweet and it’s just delicious, and even their salad with Italian dressing is amazing. Tutto il Giorno in Southampton is a place my mom and I love to go, too. The décor is so beautiful, and the food is delicious. There’s a Juice Press in Southampton now, and I like that. I like Tenet for shopping, and SoulCycle. It’s nice being out here because everything you need is at your fingertips.

Any good celeb sightings at SoulCycle?
Lady Gaga
was on a bike next to me one time. I didn’t even realize it! She did a double, which means she did the class before, too, and I showed up for the second one and didn’t even notice her. She was talking to somebody and had a bandana on with red lipstick and big giant gold hoop earrings and was sitting cross-legged on the bike and I was like, “No that’s not her…okay yes, it is!” It was just so unexpected. She was really going for it, too!

Was that in Manhattan?
Yeah. But in the Hamptons about two weeks ago, I did a 6:30 a.m. class and Martha Stewart was in it! It was her first one, and we chatted afterwards.

How did Martha like SoulCycle?
She loved it! She was like, “You’re my inspiration. I’m going to come back.” I was like, Wow, me and Martha are going to be friends! She can cook
me lunch!

What’s next for you career-wise?
I still love my job. It’s really fun, and being able to work with some of the best people in the industry is amazing. The creativity is really inspiring and I love shooting with photographers whose work I saw from the Eighties. I did the hosting for Vogue on the Met Ball red carpet, which was a great experience. I don’t know if I want to be interviewing celebrities, but I do love hosting and being in front of the camera. I’m actually starting to take acting classes this summer. Doing TV or movies would be amazing, but I’m also doing it because it’s good for my personality and speaking. I’m breaking out of my shell a little! I’ve been nervous about it because it’s out of my comfort zone, but that’s a good thing.

Is there a word that describes your current state of mind?
Settled.

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