Aerin Lauder with her collection of blue-and-white porcelain and her Brittany spaniel, Schatzi, at home in East Hampton, New York.
Photo: Simon Upton
The Collectors: Aerin Lauder
The lifestyle brand founder inherited a significant amount of blue-and-white porcelain from her legendary grandmother, Estée Lauder
Impeccable taste and a keen business sense aren’t the only things Aerin Lauder inherited from her legendary grandmother, Estée Lauder. She was also bequeathed a significant amount of blue-and-white porcelain, primarily Delft, from the makeup maven. The founder of her own namesake lifestyle brand, she has since reinterpreted those pieces with a fresh sensibility—displaying them en masse, styling them with flowers, even using the plates to serve cookies for dessert. Despite the breadth of her collection, Lauder continues to acquire more items whenever she finds captivating examples. On a recent trip to a Paris flea market, she picked up a set of vintage dishes; she also snagged a pair of vases at auction from the estate of decorator Alberto Pinto.
Lauder was bequeathed a significant amount of blue-and-white porcelain from her grandmother, Estée Lauder. Photo: Simon Upton
Lauder often styles her collection with flowers. Photo: Simon Upton
Modern matters: “What’s fun about these pieces is they don’t have to match. I just keep adding and evolving the collection. The whole thing should feel effortless and easy.”
Around the clock: “Recently, I couldn’t sleep, so at 4 a.m. I was on Bardith, which is the most beautiful, luxurious website. I’ve always thought it was such a special gift to give someone who
has everything one little odd cup or saucer from there.”
Collecting spirit: “A lot of inspiration for Aerin comes from elements from the past. We just launched a vintage assortment called the Heirloom collection. It’s really never too late to start a new collection.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2024 Late Fall Issue under the headline “The Collectors.” Subscribe to the magazine.
Cover: Aerin Lauder with her collection of blue-and-white porcelain and her Brittany spaniel, Schatzi, at home in East Hampton, New York.
Photo: Simon Upton
