Modeling your life after literary characters is probably a bad idea. Opt for Charles Dickens, and you’re looking at an 18-hour shift in a shoe factory with a hacking chimney-soot cough. Choose Jane Austen, and you’d be well dressed but repressed, and the only sexual relations you’d have would be a fleeting touch of fingertips under the watchful eye of a hysterical aunt. Go with Kafka, and every day would seem like a trip to the DMV, waiting in endless lines and worrying that your stiff neck means you’re probably turning into an insect.
However, if you live your life like a Patricia Highsmith character, get ready for five-star glamour. Highsmith characters know how to live … and, yes, kill. But if you can get over that pesky fact, you’ll jump into a world of high thread counts, flawless tailoring and a pitcher of Negronis at the ready.
Most people know Highsmith through The Talented Mr. Ripley, the novel that spawned the film capturing Matt, Jude and Gwyneth at the zenith of their sun-kissed genetic prime, not to mention Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Oscar-robbed performance as Freddie Miles, the most accurate portrayal of a privileged douche ever captured on film (“Tommy, how’s the peeping?”).
Speaking of Ripley, a buzzy new thriller starring Helen Mirren as the chronically cranky Highsmith premieres on Friday. Directed by Anton Corbijn, A Talent for Murder follows a young literary agent (Alden Ehrenreich) who travels to Switzerland to try and persuade Highsmith to write one final Ripley novel, only to get trapped in a tense cat-and-mouse game. Will somebody die? Let’s go with probably.
Highsmith wrote over 20 books, including Strangers on a Train, the first-ever meet-cute for psychopaths. Her characters are a well-mixed cocktail of quirks, kinks and fucked-up pathologies, yet they all share something very specific: a desperate attraction to life’s finer things. Sure, a Highsmith antihero might be bludgeoning someone over the head with a paperweight, but chances are the paperweight is Baccarat.
Since Highsmith’s high-taste-level characters had a fondness for the classics, it’s not surprising that many of the locations and labels they preferred are still around. Below is a little primer on living the good life enjoyed by some of fiction’s most sophisticated psychos, all of which modern connoisseurs can still frequent, purchase or check into today.
Just stay out of rowboats.
The Grand Hotels
The St. Regis Rome / Grand Hotel (Rome, Italy)
This ultra-grand institution is built on the belief that “more is more.” Think marble, massive chandeliers and wedding-cake crown molding everywhere. If heaven had a waiting room, this would be it. Book a suite and a personal butler will unpack your suitcase, which is great, unless you’ve packed a body.
As seen in: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ch. 11
Hotel Grande Bretagne (Athens, Greece)
If you’re hiding from Interpol, this massive, 320-room neoclassical palace built in 1842 is ideal. It has views of the Acropolis and a rooftop pool where you can imagine Aristotle Onassis wearing wrap-around sunglasses. There is an old-world, throwback feel about the place, in the best possible way. Oh, and ask your bartender about the plot to blow up the hotel and Churchill in 1944; it’s a good story.
As seen in: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ch. 22
Hotel d’Inghilterra (Rome, Italy)
Close to the Spanish Steps, this 16th-century beauty is the perfect choice for the high-end traveler who wants impeccable service and a front-desk clerk who will hopefully believe your explanation for a blood-stained passport.
As seen in: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ch. 18
The Drake Hotel (Chicago, U.S.A.)
From the moment you take a spin through the revolving door, you know this place treats modernity as something vulgar you must tolerate, like solar panels or Macklemore. Order a pink gin while sitting in one of the red leather booths at Coq d’Or, the hotel’s legendary bar, a room so dark nobody will ever be able to pick you out of a lineup.
As seen in: Carol / The Price of Salt, Ch. 15
The Gritti Palace (Venice, Italy)
Can there be such a thing as too much opulence? Nah … but this place definitely takes it right to the edge. The concierges here pride themselves on achieving the impossible; hey, even if you don’t need a private helicopter, it’s nice to know it’s available. Situated right on the Grand Canal, The Gritti’s outdoor bar offers a masterclass in people-watching. Is the guy at the next table a spy, an arms dealer, the Pope?
As seen in: Those Who Walk Away, Ch. 3
The Sidewalk Cafés & Bars
Café de Flore (Paris, France)
Go here to drink red wine, eat a club sandwich and convince yourself that the scarf you’ve tied in a very complicated manner will disguise the fact you’re American. Peruse a copy of Le Figaro, even though you don’t understand a word of French.
As seen in: Ripley Under Ground, Ch. 1
Caffè Florian (Venice, Italy)
Sip an espresso and decide which of the pigeons on the Piazza San Marco is most likely to win a bar fight. Sure, it’s become a tourist trap, but at least it’s a tourist trap with 300-year-old ceiling frescoes … you won’t see that at Bubba Gump’s!
As seen in: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ch. 25
Harry’s Bar (Venice, Italy)
Though it’s part of the Cipriani world, Harry’s Bar is nothing like the velvet-roped, hedge-fund circus of their New York locations. Since 1931, Harry’s has been a low-key hideaway where you can enjoy a well-made Martini and consider maybe having an affair. This is not a selfie-stick-friendly space.
As seen in: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ch. 26
The Palm Court at The Plaza (New York, U.S.A.)
The Palm Court is one of those New York institutions that you’re amazed is still around, like the City Hall subway station or Cindy Adams. Even though it now attracts the Eloise crowd, it’s still worth a visit just to know you’re getting drunk in the same room as Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
As seen in: Carol / The Price of Salt, Ch. 6
The Wardrobe
Battistoni
Maybe if Dickie Greenleaf had taken Tom Ripley to Rome for the Battistoni jacket he promised, things would have turned out differently. C’mon, he was wearing corduroy in the Italian heat! That would make anybody a little crazy. This refined tailor’s workshop on Via Condotti is still cutting jackets, even for guys who don’t look like Jude Law.
As seen in: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ch. 10
Brooks Brothers
Everyone, including psychopaths, knows that the foundations of a solid wardrobe can still be found at Brooks Brothers. Ripley bought his gray flannel suit, button-down shirts and maroon flannel dressing gown with a navy blue belt and lapels at the sadly-no-more Madison Avenue flagship store.
As seen in: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ch. 4
I Made It Inside London’s Most Exclusive Clubs and You Can Too!
With the right amount of subterfuge and shamelessness, you can sneak into these four seemingly impenetrable social clubsGucci
Note to Gucci: name a structured, dark brown leather suitcase like the one that Tom buys with all his Greenleaf cash “The Ripley.” It will sell. You’re welcome.
As seen in: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ch. 12
Stradivari Cologne by Prince Matchabelli
If someone you know wants to smell like Gwyneth Paltrow, don’t buy that candle. Instead, track down this mid-century cologne beloved by Marge Sherwood. It’s been discontinued, but it is still available on eBay with a bit of searching.
As seen in: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ch. 11
The Bar Cart & Accessories
Dunhill Lighters
Sure, smoking can kill you, but so might your dinner partner. This luxury pocket accessory was favored by Dickie Greenleaf in silver and Charles Bruno in gold.
As seen in: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ch. 11 / Strangers on a Train, Ch. 1
Dewar’s Scotch
Everybody needs a brand of Scotch, so if it’s good enough for Dickie’s dad, who’s to argue? Just don’t mix it with anything weird. Soda water is fine, Mountain Dew is not.
As seen in: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ch. 1
Gordon’s Gin & Cinzano Vermouth
Here’s a tip: if you recently caused someone’s demise, leave their favorite liquor brands on the bar to suggest they are still alive and kicking, and drinking.
As seen in: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ch. 15
Pernod
Oh, one last tip. Need to mask the odor of something unpleasant like … murderrrrr? This intense, licorice-scented French anise liqueur has a strong aroma that covers a multitude of sins. Hell, maybe even try it as a cologne.
As seen in: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ch. 15
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