Palm Beach

Some inspiring shots from our recent trip (click to view larger):

Sunny day on the A1A. We want this Jeep. Southern trunk show tour anyone?

The famous breakers.

Only in Palm Beach (or Newport) do you have classic, old, over-the-top places like this-- with the towering, perfectly manicured hedges, and ornate gates and fences-- in such concentration, sitting empty half the year.

Great elephants. Reminiscent of Elizabeth McKay prints.

Slim Aarons Style

Brands We ♥ : CJ Laing

Check out these genuine Ikat shorts from CJ Laing, and at $170, a steal for the quality. We're obsessed with their whole collection. The fabrics are all nothing short of stunning.

(click on the images to see pictures bigger)

The shirtdresses are super cute too, and done in an amazingly light fabric.

You can check them out in Palm Beach, or in a couple months when the weather is better in Southampton.

http://www.cjlaingshop.com/

Books We Love: A Portrait of Camelot

At R. Williams, more than a few of us are into obsessed with the effortlessly chic style of the Kennedys. A Portrait of Camelot presents a beautiful collection of photos of the Kennedys during JFK's time in the White House. The reader follows the Kennedys from DC to the Cape to Palm Beach. There's also a great DVD of the family playing on their boat, The Honey Fitz, water skiing, swimming, golfing, and horseback riding. If we ever do children's clothing, more than a few pieces will be inspired by the photos of Caroline in this book.

It was fascinating to learn from this book that Jackie was a big smoker (who like Obama, hid it well in front of the camera and almost never allowed herself to be photographed with a cigarette in hand). The Kennedys were meticulous about when, where and with whom they were photographed. It seems that rather than the effortless style that the pictures seem to capture, the Kennedys were well aware of the power of image and used it expertly to create an enduring and inspirational American fantasy.

A button down and chinos and a simple shift. So easy. (Note the Navajos. This picture is worth millions of advertising dollars. Amazing how a single icon can rocket a sandal to popularity for more than 50 years. Scroll down and you'll notice that most of the girls in our last post are wearing Jack Rogers)

JFK in his signature Wayfarers, and Jackie in her signature oversized sunglasses. We love the rounded collar on Caroline's polo shirt.

All portraits by Cecil Stoughton, Product pictures courtesy of ray-ban.com and jackrogersusa.com