There’s just something about South Florida style… it’s a number of juxtapositions all jammed up next to one another, and the meaning often lies in the interpretation rather than the intent.
At once fun-loving yet refined, bright yet neutral, brash yet polished, and in a few extreme cases, tacky yet beautiful, the pastel-washed palette of America’s southernmost state is unmistakable — with an array of coastal cues in any given space, if Palm Beach or Miami was the inspiration, its presence is immediately felt. There’s no mistaking it for west coast style or that of those crab cake-loving neighbors to the north.
Lilly Pulitzer is perhaps the most well-known brand hailing from Palm Beach, a sleepy retirement community just north of Fort Lauderdale on Florida’s east coast. Her bright pastel prints, often contrasted with white and presented in bold line art with multiple colors thrown together into strong, sunny patterns, are visible from a mile away, and Southern sorority girls young and not so young all flock to its classic southeastern style.
Any home awash in her prints or those of her contemporaries can transport its inhabitants to the golf course, beach club, greyhound race or polo match without ever leaving the driveway. Throw on the bossa nova and pour yourself an Arnold Palmer, and you’ve got yourself a staycation straight out of the 1960s.
Photo credits: Sally Lee by the Sea, Lilly Pulitzer (x3) and Elum Designs
