My Style: Playing dress-up in Palm Beach

Another discovery as I have been furiously packing was my little pile of photos from the epic children's parties the Azqueta family gave all through the 70's in Palm Beach. Every kid that grew up in Palm Beach during that time remembers these parties because everyone in the whole town was invited. I even found some photos on the web - Samantha Boardman posted hers on Tory Burch's blog and Nicole Robinson put hers up on Facebook. These photos are so coveted because they hold the happiest of childhood memories and because, I think, no one can believe these parties actually happened. They were OVER THE TOP! The entire house and huge backyard was lavishly decorated according to the theme, whether it was a birthday party, an Easter party or a 4th of July party, and the whole outside was filled with carousels, ferris wheels, trampolines, county castles, pony rides, and face painters. As a kid you just couldn't imagine a better party. And now as I look back as an adult I also remember the joy of dressing up for these occasions, as every party the Azqueta's hosted required a costume. I can't help but wonder if this is the genesis of my using clothes to play a role and rise to an occasion. Regardless, the moms' chic, casual 70's sportswear is equally inspiring. Who doesn't love the 70's?

Yes, that's me on the right. I think my face pretty much says it all. And my sister is wearing my mother's lace christening dress. I was so jealous.

l love this picture of my mom (holding my hand) - it says everything I love about 70's style - casual clothes with big hair and big sunglasses.

The Robinson family showing up at the Native American themed party.

Here I am as a pirate. (I love the woman's outfit on the left)


The entrance to the pirate party.

Samantha and Serena Boardman with their mother Pauline, looking chic as can be.

Me, in a moment of reflection, or rather posing. 

I Love Your Style: My mom in Lilly

Whenever someone asks me who my style icon is, I always put my mom at the top of the list. She had many phases in her life - skinny Palm Beach teenager, chic young wife in the 60's, chic young mother in the 70's, NYC power dressing in the 80's, casual elegance in the 90's, classic American woman today - and all of them influence how I dress. Because of the physical similarities we share (minus her longer legs and bigger boobs), she laid the groundwork in figuring out what suits our similar body type, coloring and lifestyle choices. But my favorite phase of my mother's style evolution is her Lilly Pulitzer phase. When she was 17, my mom got a job working in the Lilly boutique on Via Mizner in Palm Beach. Soon after she became the girl who modeled the clothes for the Lilly newspaper ads. I love these photos because they are such a distinct moment in time when Palm Beach style was becoming defined and first getting noticed. It is now a time that has been emulated and copied a million times over (even by the new incarnation of Lilly Pulitzer itself), so I love being able to witness this moment again and again in its authentic glory. I also enjoy these pictures because my mom's time working at Lilly led to her meeting my dad, who owned an art gallery across the way. In celebration of their wedding, Lilly herself designed a custom floral print for the bridesmaids' dresses. I often wonder and hope that Palm Beach style will evolve in a new direction away from this nostalgia to define a moment and place in time yet again.