fb-pixelGwyneth does Nantucket to promote her brand and Goop pop-up shop - The Boston Globe Skip to main content
NAMES

Gwyneth does Nantucket to promote her brand and Goop pop-up shop

Curtis Stone and Gwyneth Paltrow at a private Nantucket fete celebrating her Goop MRKT pop-up shop on the island.Julie Skarratt

Gwyneth Paltrow descended on Nantucket to host the first Goop by the Sea event, promoting her lifestyle brand, Goop, and her Nantucket pop-up shop MRKT, at 22 Centre St. through Sept. 24.

But last week’s swank fete wasn’t held at the shop. Rather, mysterious e-mails invited guests to attend an “immersive culinary experience” with the actress-turned-wellness mogul, along with celebrity chef Curtis Stone, proprietor of Los Angeles restaurants Maude and Gwen. The location of the late-afternoon affair, revealed just two days prior to the event, was a sprawling, private oceanfront estate on the east side of the island.

Guests channeled the brand’s aesthetic, wearing boldly colored floral and geometric print dresses with ruffles at the neck, elongated hemlines, and puffy sleeves. An army of Goop employees were similarly turned out, identifiable only by their Sperry boat shoe- or sneaker-clad feet. Servers offered partygoers green juice and vodka spritzers as they stepped onto the patio.

In the distance beyond the pool, farm tables set for 60 guests stretched end-to-end across the lawn, parallel to the dunes. Burlap-tied linen napkins and calligraphed sand-dollar place cards marked each spot. At the head of the table, the sand-dollar read “Gwyneth.”

Advertisement



A place setting at the head of the table for the Nantucket party hostess, Gwyneth Paltrow.Julie Skarratt

Invitees and Goop staff milled about and mingled, surreptitiously scanning the scene for signs of the elusive star. Meanwhile, Stone held court at the oyster bar, prying open bivalves and dousing them in a mist of Ketel One Botanical Cucumber & Mint vodka.

Across the lawn, past the fire pit where Stone’s team baked seafood en papillote, and Stone’s wife, actress Lindsay Price, perched prettily on an Adirondack chair, bartenders in linen aprons and straw hats offered mixology lessons.

About two hours in, GP stepped out, primped to effortless perfection. She wore a one-shoulder white romper with a ruffled sleeve by her own brand, G. Label, paired with flat espadrille slides and a gold chain with oversize heart medallion by Foundrae, available at Goop MRKT Nantucket, of course.

Advertisement



Guests mingled at the Goop by the Sea event on Nantucket.Julie Skarratt

Once all were seated, GP spoke briefly about her love for food, fondness for the island — which she hadn’t visited in 25 years — and again, her love for food. Stone said a few words about the menu, which the invitation dubbed “a goop riff on the traditional new England clambake.”

Did GP eat? Yes. She even nibbled a corn cob and sipped white wine. Dessert — lemon verbena curd, berries, and Thai basil sherbet — was served as the sun went down, casting a golden glow over the star, who wrapped a chunky knit blanket around herself, and slipped away with her handler. There would be no goddess worship or selfies at this summer soiree.


Marni Elyse Katz blogs at stylecarrot.com