Haute Secrets: Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia

“From the moment I was born I was surrounded by fantastic jewels,” says HRH Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia. And no wonder—Dimitri is related to just about every major royal in Europe, is a descendant of Catherine the Great and  Louis XIV (his maternal grandparents were the last King and Queen of Italy and a maternal great-grandfather was King of Belgium) and is even in line (1375th) to the British throne. But Prince Dimitri is very much a modern man, a philanthropist, exceptional jewelry designer, and a Most Invited among city elites. He founded his eponymous company Prince Dimitri in 2007 after sixteen years as Senior Vice President of Jewelry with Sotheby’s and later as head of Jewelry at Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg auction houses. He began designing jewelry in 1999 for clients including Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue,  Barneys New York,  Neiman Marcus and Asprey’s in London. His work is defined by an exquisite curation of fine gemstones, the juxtaposition of unusual materials and color; imaginative forms and superb craftsmanship.  A longtime resident of Midtown, the stylish Prince (he made it onto Vanity Fair’s Best Dressed List), shares his New York address book here.

Where were you born?   Paris

How long have you been in New York?  Since 1984

Favorite New York neighborhood: The Lower East Side, it reminds me of “downtown” in the old days. It’s still edgy and not as commercial as the Meatpacking District or Soho.

Favorite restaurant: Il Posto Accanto (190  East 2nd St.). It has the best Italian food cooked by the wonderful Beatrice, the best Italian wines, and the best atmosphere.

Favorite French restaurant:  La Grenouille, still the best after all these years.

Favorite Italian restaurant: In addition to Il Posto Accanto,  Sette Mezzo

Favorite spot for cocktails: I really don’t do cocktails except for the occasional martini before dinner. Cocktails at a friend’s house is more what I do, if ever…

Night-on-the-town favorites: Indochine, for dinner and some of the new places in Brooklyn

Best for Sunday brunch: il Posto Accanto

The wine you order most:  French Bordeaux

Best place for a power business lunch: Michael’s

If you have out-of-town guests, which hotel would you recommend?  It depends what the purpose of the trip is or who they are; the Carlyle uptown or the Mercer downtown

Favorite retail store or showrooms for design items: Lee’s Art Shop  on West 57th street where I buy everything I need to design jewelry

Favorite stores/tailors for clothing shopping: My tailor in Paris, Lorenzo Cifonelli, Ralph Lauren and Berluti for shoes

Best gym/athletic facility:  Equinox

Favorite art gallery:  Leila Heller

Favorite museum: The Met and the Frick for the quality of the art and the consistently fabulous exhibitions.

Favorite historic/legendary New York place to explore: In addition to the Met and the Frick, Lincoln Center and Broadway, the Cloistesr, the Guggenheim, MOMA.

What books are you reading now?  “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle, “The Middle Ages” by Johannes Fried, and “The Course in Miracles”

Describe New York In three words: Intense, fun, exciting

What is the secret to your success?  Being different and being myself