Connecticut
From the Archives: Polly Mellen Opens Up Her Beloved Connecticut Home to Vogue
Today, a lot of those clothes are Prada, Marc Jacobs. She holds on to old pieces, too, “like Jil Sander—from when Jil was designing,” she adds pointedly. Her look is and always has been classic, gutsy, impeccable. “I don’t like fancy. I love glamour, but glamour in my estimation may not be someone else’s. I gravitate toward what I feel comfortable in and what looks good on me.
“I love fabrics, and I love well-made clothes,” she continues. “I want to wear something that’s great. It’s time well spent, and it costs more money.” Still, though, she speaks Gap. She’s in fact wearing the Gap jeans from that Peter Lindbergh ad. She has a look at my own cream canvas jeans (“Let me see that waistband”), and we talk about creative director Patrick Robinson and how talented he is. We talk bathing suits, too: “A disaster, the dressing rooms.” She recently ordered a successful one-piece from L.L. Bean. “Always a black maillot. And I love a classic Speedo,” she says.
Part of living such a fit, spirited life naturally has to do with what, and how, she eats. “Polly was strict about her clothing and her diet,” remembers a former assistant who is now a major fashion editor in her own right. “Lunch was always cottage cheese and fruit.”
“Yes, I did do that,” says Mellen, nodding, when I bring it up, although now her lunch is usually “a good sharp Cheddar cheese wrapped in greens, no dressing. And soup.” This afternoon, she’s made corn chowder.
“My husband cooks very good food,” she says. “We cook together, but he does most of it. All fresh, all organic. Last night was my night to cook: I made pasta with a sauce of olives, artichoke, sour cream, broth, and a lot of herbs.” Mellen doesn’t worry about the sour cream, she says, as she doesn’t snack between meals. Her weakness, though, is late night. “All my cravings have to do with bread and butter. Bread, delicious bread. I don’t go in for sweets.”
Over the course of her more than 50 years in fashion, Mellen has observed her share of troubling diet and eating habits. “I’ve always been interested in good health, good skin, and bright eyes,” she says. Whenever she thought a model was getting too thin or too concerned with her weight, when she could detect “a certain energy zapped out,” if she felt her skin was losing that “certain luster,” she would talk to her. “But that also happens with age.” She gets reflective. “It’s a fighting battle, but I refuse to think of it as a losing battle. I’m a positive thinker. I don’t believe in failure.”
WALLINGFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – Hundreds of athletes are competing in the 12th annual Gauntlet 5K on Wednesday morning.
The race features adaptive obstacle courses on the campus of Gaylord Hospital. Many of the athletes participating received treatment or went through rehab at Gaylord Hospital.
Much of the proceeds raised goes back to the hospital’s adaptive sports program and sports association. The program offers 18 adaptive sports at little to no cost to participants. It is the state’s largest adaptive sports program dedicated to improving the lives of anyone with physical disabilities.
Jess Youngblood, a Gauntlet adaptive athlete, said she is committed to giving it her all on the course.
“I was very active before all of this,” Youngblood said. “So being in the wheelchair is definitely a different experience. But I don’t let it slow me down.”
The first race kicks off at 8 a.m. and races will continue through 2 p.m.
Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.
Connecticut
Senator Hochadel Welcomes $581,256 State Grant for Middlefield Pedestrian Safety Project – Connecticut Senate Democrats
Sen. Jan Hochadel (D-Meriden) on Friday welcomed a $581,256 state grant to fund the Middlefield Municipal Campus Connections project, improving pedestrian safety and connectivity around the town’s municipal campus.
The funding comes through the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Community Connectivity Grant Program, announced today by Governor Ned Lamont and Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto.
“Middlefield is a small, tight-knit community, and investments in how residents move through that community matter,” Senator Hochadel said. “Safer connections around the municipal campus make daily life better for the people who live there, and that’s what this program delivers. I’m grateful to Governor Lamont and Commissioner Eucalitto for making sure Middlefield was part of this investment.”
Since the program launched in 2019, 172 grants totaling more than $84 million have been invested in Connecticut communities.
Governor Lamont highlighted the broader impact of the program across Connecticut.
“This program cuts red tape and accelerates local infrastructure projects that make a real difference in people’s daily lives,” Governor Lamont said. “Across Connecticut with the support of this state program, communities are building accessible sidewalks, new bicycle connections, and stronger links to jobs, schools, and local businesses.”
Contact: Hugh McQuaid | Hugh.McQuaid@cga.ct.gov
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HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — The Connecticut Department of Public Health (CTDPH) is alerting residents on Friday about a recall of Darice Timeless Minis decorative toys that were found to contain lead levels that violate the federal paint ban.
The CTDPH is urging residents to stop using the decorative toy products immediately. The recall applies to the red wagons, watering cans, and chairs, all of which pose a risk for lead poisoning, according to CTDPH officials.
The CTDPH said residents who have one of the recalled products should:
- Stop using the product immediately and dispose of it
- Contact your child’s healthcare provider to discuss whether lead testing is
- appropriate
- Report any injuries or illnesses associated with these products to the CPSC
“Lead poisoning is entirely preventable, and no level of lead exposure is safe for children,” Commissioner Manisha Juthani, M.D., said in a written statement. “We are asking every parent, caregiver, childcare provider, and healthcare professional in Connecticut to take this recall seriously. If you have these products in your home, stop using them immediately and throw them away. If you have any concern that your child may have been exposed, please contact your
healthcare provider and ask about lead testing. Acting quickly makes all the difference.”
The recall was issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
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