Paying ten grand a month for an "outsourced wife" is a reality in NYC
Could this be the hot new "it" job?
I have a friend who I've known for 19 years. Since he lives in Manhattan I thought I'd be hanging out with him quite a bit now that I'm back in the city, but I haven't even see the guy once. As a hedge fund broker, he's always working working working. He doesn't have time to spend with his dog, much less with me. I assume his whole personal life is likewise suffering as a result of his job.
His voicemail said, "My life has been completely consumed by work. I've been traveling around the world, it's ridiculous. It's lost its romance, at least for the moment. It's an insane schedule I'm keeping. In fact [papers shuffling in the background] next week I'm doing London, Geneva, Lisbon, Madrid, Hong Kong -- in like six days! It's crazy! My dog misses you, I miss you . . ."
I don't know what his salary is, but hedge fund dudes can make a half million in a single bonus. It's hard to wrap your head around that, isn't it? So here's my friend with boatloads of money and a fabulous Park Avenue apartment, but he's constantly jetlagged, never gets to sleep in his own bed, sounds lonely, misses his dog, and has no time for anything. So when I saw an article in the Times this morning, I thought of him and how he could probably use an "outsourced wife."
The article titled "Need a Life? She'll Arrange One" says
Looking for someone to curate your life? Need a personal concierge whose expertise is not picking up dry-cleaning but helping chose your wardrobe, your tastes, your friends? Ms. Storr calls herself a personal manager, but her duties go far beyond that. Her clients, all of them men, pay monthly fees of $4,000 to $10,000 to have her be their personal decider in nearly all things lifestyle-related.
Guys really pay other people ten grand a month to pick out their ties and to find them new friends? They apparently do -- in New York.
Most of Ms. Storr’s clients are single and too preoccupied with work to organize their personal lives, she says. They are either moving to Manhattan or live in the city part-time and covet her contacts, which she uses to link them with interior designers, contractors, art dealers or potential social acquaintances.
A partner in a New York law firm, who agreed to be interviewed if he was not named to protect his privacy, said he has employed Ms. Storr for two and a half years. Last summer, Ms. Storr organized an ’80s theme party at the lawyer’s house in the Hamptons for about 200 of his friends, with a $5,000 budget. “It was honestly one of the most fun parties out there,” the lawyer said. “By now all my friends know that Allison works for me.”
He calls her an outsourced wife. “The nice thing is that when I ask her to do something, she gets it done and there’s no negative feelings.”
For ten grand a month, there'd be no negative feelings coming from this potential "outsourced wife." The job seems to require three basic skills:
1.) knowing what caterers, florists, and event decorators do the best work so your parties are ass-kickingly gossiped about for weeks,
2.) keeping up with men's fashions via your gay male friends who are tireless fashion whores (or at least reading GQ or Men's Vogue), and
3.) making an appearance at every opening reception at every Chelsea gallery in order to stay current with the New York art scene.
Whoop dee doo. Rocket science this is not. However, what does strike me as very impressive is the fact that this Miss Storr put herself out there, schmoozing for bucks, and actually succeeded at this ridiculous profesion. Good for her.
I bet my workaholic hedge funder could use an Outsourced Wife Personal Manger to pamper his doggie, plan the occasional dinner party when he is in town, keep him current with the music scene, help choose his next swanky suit, and suggest upcoming local artists to invest in. And I know just the girl! He'll probably laugh (I sort of am as I think of myself as an "outsourced wife"). But then again, maybe he won't.