Hot Girls in Palm Beach
All the tea, no DJT.
Today’s post is unlocked for everyone by Brooklinen, whom I was just talking about in the last letter because their cotton percale sheets (which I have on my home) are better than what I had on my hotel bed. We love an organic partnership! (P.S. If you want to work together, contact my manager, Kristin Beasley, at kristin@jessgraves.com.)
Thanks for letting me have some time off, I really needed it. Now let’s unpack what the girls are wearing in the 561 area code! And stay with me, we have a Palm Beach Shopping Map up next, along with some intel from beloved vacation staple Janessa Leone later this week. And hey, did you catch the news about the new G.Label designer I broke last week? You should check that out, too.
As always, if you like this post, it helps me greatly if you hit the heart button!
While the girls in NYC debated whether their coats were freaky or c*nty, I flew south for the winter to Palm Beach. Let’s put aside the DJT of it all—beyond the walls of Mar-a-Lago, it’s a beautiful place with much to offer… and for such a small island, it’s had an enormous impact on fashion.
And I’m not just talking about Lilly Pulitzer! Even in the 1960s, Jackie Kennedy sparked a frenzy when she was photographed wearing a pair of Jack Rogers sandals (or were they Stephen Bonnano?), which she wore to the island’s Catholic church before stopping by Greene’s Pharmacy for lunch.
Much of that era endures today: St. Edwards still stands, Greene’s cranks out burgers daily, and The Colony Hotel remains thoroughly pink. It’s an island that is famously unchanged. For decades, it has been jokingly referred to as “God’s waiting room,” a crass (but true) acknowledgment of the affluent, doddering elderly population.
When I lived there, there was only a small group of people in their 20s and 30s, and we all knew each other. However, since 2020, a vibrant millennial crowd has emerged. While Worth Avenue might still be filled with old folks shuffling down the sidewalk in Chanel, up on Royal Poinciana, there’s a new Sant Ambroeus and Loewe. At Kirna Zabete, the shop was docile until I reached the back, where a fervent group of women raided the TWP rack.
Instead of Lilly Pulitzer and Trina Turk, the dresses are from Sir, POSSE, Anna Quan, and Alemais. Women are styling their Stubbs with The Row. The youthful faces at Buccan are c/o a little Botox or an early-intervention deep-plane instead of the catlike facelifts of yore. Designer workouts like reformer pilates, SoulCycle, and Issac Boots are de rigueur. Shield sunglasses are pushed into easy waves, and little Bottega Dustbags rest on the wet wood at Honor Bar as if they’re Ziploc bags.
Young brands are infiltrating the scene as well: New York names like La Ligne, Staud, Emme Parsons, and Lingua Franca have established a full-time presence, while fresh-faced locals such as Christina Coniglio are making waves in the newly developed Paramount building. Pop-ups and trunk shows are filling the high season schedule. Attersee, The Park, The Webster, and Cultus Artem were all present last week. I stayed at The Colony in the Goop Villa and watched from my balcony as Gucci Westman took photos of her new Bronzing Drops for Instagram. And that Juju Vera shell necklace? It has made its way down here, too. (That thing is a meme at this point.)
My poolside companions were closer to my age than to my mom’s. In the pool, a newlywed couple was doting on each other, while an off-duty finance guy in Carhartt trunks read Nietzsche, his girlfriend wrapped in an oversized rugby shirt as a cover-up. Nearby, a twentysomething girl clearly struggled with a toothy hangover — her makeup and fake lashes still intact from last night’s antics. To my left was a gossipy blonde group in Eres and Hunza G (one with a La Ligne sweater over her shoulders… or was it the Quince dupe?) that I mentally nicknamed the “White Lotus Trio,” reminiscent of a band of female friends from this season of the show. The only noticeably older gentleman was actor Kelsey Grammer, who grinned proudly at two kids on a shark-shaped float in the pool.
There were still plenty of classic preppy vibes to be gobbled up, though: men still accessorize their Carriage House Vespers with needlepoint belts and Vilbrequin swim trunks are standard-issue. This isn’t a “let it all hang out” beach town. Women are perfectly coiffed, makeup is often worn by the water, and I still see lots of starchy collars and fluorescent Birkins.
and I have what we call “good shoe luck." Whenever we go shopping together, we both find a pair we’re really into. Our last trip to BG yielded me a pair of Dries sandals, and I finally got to break them in on this trip. I’ve learned not to overpack for this place, so the rest of my suitcase was light: a trusty Alaia shirt dress, a Comme Si linen set, a Row shirt/shorts set, denim/linen shirt, white pants, flip flops and raffia clutch, and a few hats, including my favorite Janessa Leone.On the first night, I was excited to break in the tub. Stupidly, I shaved my legs with one of those cheap eraser pucks, which was a scam I fell for from an Instagram ad. My legs were irritated and itchy for four days following. Miserable. The only thing that soothed it was my ride-or-die Fur Ingrown Concentrate, which I slathered on the second I got home. God bless that stuff.
Discount codes for this issue: Eadem: THELOVELIST15 for 15% off // Fur: THELOVELIST15 for 15% off // La Ligne: 10% off w/ JESSGRAVES10 // Lingua Franca: LFJESS15 for 15% off // Jenni Kayne: JESS15 for 15% off // Ritual: JESSG for 25% off
Further reading:
Footnotes:
A note for NYC dog owners! JSX flies direct to PBI from the Westchester FBO. We took our dogs with us, and they happily trotted through a hangar I hadn’t seen since the ‘09 Cavallino.
Almost pulled the trigger on the Mira clutch before it sold out, definitely keeping on my want list. Loved this post!
Ahhh what a trip down memory lane. I grew up here as a kid and am fascinated by the fresh takes on the steadfast Palm Beach aesthetic, keeping up with the times while remaining true to its core. Old PB is such a vibe and I hope it continues. Also, thanks for the JSX shout out- I used to be a Captain with them! 👩✈️