Palm Beach Shopping
by Jamee Gregory
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| View of a charming via with umbrellas offering shade for tired shoppers. |
| Time for a visit to Palm Beach, an escape from the winter blues! What could be more fun than an invitation from my pals, Hilary and Wilbur Ross, to stay in their brand new guest house-party pavilion? My husband Peter and I couldn’t wait to see our dazzling new room, done to the nines by Mario Buatta. Billowing striped taffeta curtains, in my favorite pink and green, replete with painted wooden bells on the valance, Chinese wall paper, a canopy bed, no incentive to venture forth, but we did. Friday night we attended Emilia Fanjul’s glamorous benefit at Daniel for the Glades School. The weather warmed up and Saturday we visited ArtPalmBeach, an entertaining exposition with dealers from all over the world. We visited Donald Trump’s golf course for a delicious lunch with Karen and Richard LeFrak and then we hit Worth Avenue. |
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| Stunning view from the Ross garden. Inset: Wilbur Ross at the Trump golf course, the scene of our lunch, hosted by Karen and Richard LeFrak. We were fortified for hours spent strolling through ArtPalmBeach, a vast exhibition at the Kravis Center. |
| Strolling down Palm Beach’s main shopping boulevard on a sunny day certainly beats braving Manhattan’s Madison Avenue with below-zero temperatures. What a difference a year can make! New shops have opened, foot traffic is up, and visitors are buying. Perhaps it’s the sunshine, the sparkling squeaky-clean streets, the effect of fountains spurting or the shady corners in inviting courtyards decked with palm trees or all of the above, but it is working. No one is ashamed to be seen with shopping bags and a dazzling array of cars, Bentleys, Lamborghinis, Porsches, are all parked, waiting for their owners to return. |
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| Ilori: a chic new shop for sun glasses. A pair for every day! |
| First stop, Ilori, a terrific new spot for the latest sunglasses. This boutique offers abundant choices. Next, Calypso, an old favorite, filled with temptations in pastels, perfect for a trip to St. Barth’s. Next a new boutique, A.R.T., offering the work of many jewelry designers. |
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| Calypso's sorbet-colored collection for spring. Perfect for an island getaway. |
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| A perfect embroidered Calypso cover-up, very Mexican, sadly sold out in my size. |
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| My husband’s idea of a perfect store, a closed one! A.R.T. normally has windows full of jewelry created by a wide range of artists. |
| Most exciting addition: Badgely Mischka’s new shop, where one can see the amazing creations, of my friends, James and Mark. Luxuriously beaded gowns, delicate chiffons, and an array of caftans and collections of jewelry and handbags are just perfect for busy Florida nights. Chic clutch bags, coral earrings, turquoise chokers will tempt every visitor. |
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| Badgely Mischka, a welcome new addition to Worth Avenue’s shops! |
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| One window of bold new accessories created by Mark and James. |
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| Rows of elegant caftans, evening gowns and cocktail dresses from Badgely Mischka’s various collections. |
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| More gowns for galas. |
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| A beautiful red evening dress stands out. |
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| Hand bags and metallic clutches stand out. |
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| The view looking out at Worth Avenue ... coral jewelry perfect for PB! |
| Most unique: Manzoni, a splendid shop from Madrid, another noteworthy newcomer. Dresses and separates in bold colors, feminine and ruffled cry to be tried on. Delicate prints and lovely fabrics, including lace will appeal to those seeking something different, with a European spin. |
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| Manzoni: a new shop straight from Madrid, perfect for Palm Beach femmes fatales. |
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| Bold prints and bright colors. |
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| Lace, gold touches, high collars and plenty of ruffles. |
| Can’t pass Eres without pining for a new red bikini! Their swimsuits fit like a glove. Chanel’s window is filled with tempting nautical looks. Navy, red and white, in sailor stripes, would brighten anyone’s spring. David Chase offers preppy clothes with a Nantucket spin. French Style has moved to Worth, offering crisp cotton and linen blouses, pants and snappy blazers. |
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| Eres' bold red bathing suits, bright as red poppies! |
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| David Chase: preppy styles from Nantucket. |
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| Marian Suzanna, not new, but a great temptation filled with Italian ceramics from fountains to benches and in between. |
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| French Style in its new digs on Worth Avenue. |
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| Well-cut blazers, blouses and slacks in pure linens and cottons. |
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| Dea for crisp Italian linens. |
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| Another favorite, impossible to pass, Mary Mahoney’s divine store filled with elegant linens and tabletop décor. |
| Tried and true Ralph Lauren draws my husband, who normally hates to shop. I wait happily, admiring the stacks of colorful cashmeres, while he selects crisp linen trousers. |
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| A charming fountain in front of Ralph Lauren. |
| Outside we admire Tiffany’s beautiful building. We stop to peek at a bright yellow Rolls Royce. No one is afraid to leave their car on the street in Palm Beach. We head for the Esplanade, where Manuel Canovas has a new outpost for his fabulous prints which cover everything from bathing suits to dresses, in brilliant prints. We stop at Starbucks for energy. |
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| Tiffany’s beautiful building. |
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| Byba, a new jewelry store in the Esplanade, stocked to the brim. |
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| Boaz Mazor showing the Oscar de la Renta collection in Saks Fifth Avenue’s brand new designer area. |
| Our last stop is Saks’ expanded designer area where we find Boaz Mazor, greeting the ladies as he shows Oscar’s new spring collection. The comfortably appointed space makes shopping a pleasure. We rush home, eager to see the beautiful table that had been set by our hosts. Perfect arrangements of flowers, a celadon tablecloth, and plates decorated with flowers and hundreds of votives create a dazzling scene. Just time for a little nap before the fun begins. No wonder we want to stay forever. |
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| The spectacular green table set up in the Ross’ brand new party pavilion, where we spent a heavenly weekend. |
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| Ready to rock ... The table set at night for the party in our honor, so beautifully decorated! |
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| My hostess with the mostess, Hilary Geary Ross, her husband Wilbur, and Tommy Quick in entertaining mode. |
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