Upstate vintage shopping and oat-milk cappuccino with Luann de Lesseps.
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There is something unaccountably regal about her, though maybe thats just good posture.
Kingston is a small, low-key city, but that doesnt mean theres not plenty to do.
Peace and quiet are not resources she has always enjoyed in abundance.
She struck a plea deal and was ordered to a one-year probation.
So I was like, You know what?
Im gonna go up there and check it out.
She retrieves her phone from her snakeskin-print tote to read a text message: Its from castmate Ramona Singer.
Theyre planning a cast party forRHONYs April 2 premiere.
De Lesseps predicts these new episodes will be her redemption.
Then she took the act on the road.
But after completing her probation last summer, de Lessepsannounced inPeoplein January that she has decided to drink occasionally.
Alcohol hasnt been great to me, de Lesseps says.
Ultimately, Im so much happier when I dont drink.
But Im not, you know, saying, Im sober.
Because I dont want to pigeonhole myself to that.
I take it day by day.
I drink on occasion.
Im not on probation anymore, so I can do what I want, you know?
Coffees finished, we walk outside into the unseasonably warm February sunlight.
De Lesseps informs me that Kingston was the first capital of New York, before Albany.
Sometimes you find gems, she says, delicately raising a cute little fur stole to her nose.
The only thing I dont like about vintage is it smells.
Its a small toilette, she says of her guest bath, but this should be the perfect size.
At the register, de Lesseps flips Marilyn over to find an Andy Warhol signature on the back.
Why is it signed by Andy Warhol?
It cant be Andy Warhol, she muses.
The cashier confers with a colleague and confirms that the signature is, indeed, fake.
Right, de Lesseps says, laughing.
Of course it is.
Itd be a million dollars.
Nevertheless, she is pleased with her finds.
Two great little things, she says, running a hand along the brand-new silver mirrors raised design.
I think this is perfect, dont you?
You cant find this at HomeGoods.
Mani-pedi complete, Victoria is ready to be picked up.
But de Lesseps lingers on the sidewalk to chat just a little longer.
I mean, I get it.
We were kind of disruptive and loud and doing ourHousewivesbanter, she recalls.
Thats exactly why Im up here.
I dont want to have to deal with reality shows orJersey Shorecoming to my town.
