Captain and Tennille were wrong, at least when it comes to New Yorkers. With 10,000 fewer divorces in 2009 than in 2007, reconciliations are on the rise. Is it out of respect for an institution denied to so many? Are New Yorkers finally ready for long-term monogamy? Were they daunted by the prospect of celebrating National Singles Week? Nope, for the most part, it’s the economy. (Or perhaps because we didn’t get the right to a no-fault divorce until August.) Joseph Cilona, a Manhattan psychologist, counseled two clients who called off their divorce in order to keep their finances happily wedded. “These days,” he said, “the negative financial consequences for couples to get divorced can really outweigh the limitations on their freedom. It’s a different landscape out there since the economy has tanked.” ¡Qué romántico! Feuding supermodels and billionaires are no exception.
A friend of Stephanie Seymour and Peter Brant’s hypothesized that the volatile couple’s recent reconciliation was an effort “to be more European about this.” (“European” being code for a laissez-faire approach to drug allegations, art theft, and cheating.) But sources also tell the Daily Beast that finances played a big role. “It was going to be so expensive,” says another friend of the couple’s. “I think Peter looked at the situation and saw that it was a far more attractive life to stay together than to break up.” Besides, how does one split a 43-foot-tall Jeff Koons puppy-shaped topiary? The maintenance bill alone was upwards of $75,000.
Diss and make up [NYP]
A Supermodel’s Shocking Reunion [Daily Beast]
