Lilly dresses to Pucci pajamas: ‘Endless Summer’ celebrates Palm Beach’s fashion history

There is only one Palm Beach and only one rule about what to wear here: Please spare us your basic black and all those boring uniforms required to earn a paycheck.

This is "The Island," a drudgery-free fashion zone.

Here, a phenomenon called “resort wear” has flourished since Henry Flagler wore white suits to tea in 1902. In the paradise he created, where society’s smart set dresses for fun and philanthropy, it’s best to brighten up and bloom like the bougainvilleas do.

“Palm Beach style is about being effusive with color and print and giving yourself permission to play,” says Cameron Silver, a Los-Angeles-based style expert who’s guest curator of the most glamorous exhibit ever at the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum: “Endless Summer: Palm Beach Resort Wear,” which opened Thursday and runs through May.

Nothing comes between Palm Beachers and their Lilly Pulitzers, we know that. But here are Lilly shift dresses and so much more — the silk caftans and ball gowns and smart luncheon suits that take ladies from pool to gala, and the historical context to understand how Palm Beachers ignited the idea of “resort” clothes.

“I don’t think there’s another place in America or maybe the world that has such a distinctive way of dressing necessitated by a philanthropic culture and a population of tremendous wealth,” Silver says.

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So many events in season, so many charities, so much money to spend and give away — the social whirl has its own wardrobe requirements.

Experiencing this exhibit is like being invited to one of Palm Beach’s fabulous parties. All you have to do is imagine the dresses are still inhabited by the fascinating women who wore them.

To your left as you enter is a voluminous red Oscar de la Renta ball gown owned by socialite/philanthropist Jean Shafiroff, who has 1.2 million Instagram followers and a staggering number of designer gowns. Then there’s a 1950s-era Philip Hulitar original, a black-and-white concoction with a geometric print and a big red rose at the waist. Philip’s wife, Mary, wore that gown. You may know their names because of their contributions to Palm Beach preservation, or if you enjoy the Philip Hulitar Sculpture Garden at The Society of the Four Arts.

Then there’s a draped Ungaro gown owned by one of Palm Beach’s most beautiful cultural patrons, Anka K. Palitz. She accessorizes it with a Tiffany diamond necklace — which, alas, is not making an appearance here.

If you like impressive gems, check out the Buccellati bracelet on display: 120 brilliant-cut diamonds, 105 sapphires, 90 emeralds and one hefty coral cabochon. It was once owned by Wolcott and Ellen Blair, toasts of the Palm Beach scene in the 1930s and beyond.

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To your right as you enter, a quartet of caftans catches the eye: four glittering, billowing, figure-forgiving floats designed by Oscar de la Renta.

And straight ahead, there’s Jackie: a wall-size photo of Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy in Palm Beach, probably in the late 1950s. On display is a ball gown with slim yellow silk-satin skirt and black silk velvet bodice, a reproduction of a gown Mrs. Kennedy wore to a White House state dinner in 1961. The original was made for the first lady by Chez Ninon, the New York boutique that also made the pink suit she wore in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, which was a licensed copy of a Chanel.

Wearing Chez Ninon’s licensed copies allowed Jackie to say her French-designed clothes were made in America. She had no problem with that when she wore her direct-from-Palm-Beach Lilly Pulitzer shifts.

There’s a nod to the gentlemen in “Endless Summer,” too — after all, the Anthony brothers created the “Palm Beach look” of Navy blazer and white pants before the dawn of the 20th century. Gentlemen designers Bill Blass and Arnold Scaasi, famous for adorning society ladies, also get exhibit space.

But it’s two beautiful and savvy businesswomen who are the real stars of this show: Martha Phillips and her daughter, Lynn Manulis, who ran the Martha boutique on Worth Avenue for decades. “Miss Martha” and “Miss Lynn,” who also had a signature store on New York's Park Avenue, were "the doyennes of haute couture in America," The New York Times wrote in 1992. In the big-spending 1980s, Miss Martha made her mark.

“This whole show is a devotional to Martha Phillips,” Silver says. “She and Lynn built the notion of Palm Beach being the epicenter of luxury fashion. They incubated all these great designers — more established European designers and also emerging American designers.”

Valentino, Pucci, Gucci — they came to Palm Beach because Miss Martha had identified a market that wouldn’t blink an eye at a $30,000 couture dress.

“Lynn often wore coats to parties because her clients would buy the dresses right off her back, and she needed something to wear home,” adds Debi Murray, chief curator of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County.

So many of the bold-faced names are gone now, but the resort fashion they created is as timeless as a Navy blazer and white pants.

And caftans. Always caftans.

“Caftans and ‘resort’ are intertwined,” says Silver, who has a coffee-table book coming out next spring called “Caftans: From Classical to Camp.” If you’re ever confused about what’s appropriate to wear to stroll Worth Avenue, just “throw on a silk caftan and a pretty pair of sandals, add some fun bangles and earrings — it’s that simple.”

Amy Fine Collins is another caftan fan. The writer and fashion expert is one of the arbiters of the International Best-Dressed List, the author of a book about it — and also a member of its Hall of Fame. She’s headed to Palm Beach soon to join a panel with Silver about “Endless Summer,” and she may be packing one of her beloved vintage Fernando Sanchez caftans.

What sets resort fashion apart, Collins says, is that it beckons you to shed your city armor and slip into something vibrant. Palm Beach is a magical place, almost an alternate reality, where “you’re tossing away your urban uniforms and can get louder and brighter and kookier.”

One clarification on kooky: “A caftan is not a housecoat,” Silver declares, laughing. “We’re never schleppy or sloppy in Palm Beach.”

“Endless Summer: Palm Beach Resort Wear” runs through May 2024 at the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum, 300 N. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach. Admission to the museum is free, but entrance to the exhibit is $8. Check the Historical Society of Palm Beach County’s website, pbchistory.org, for hours.

Cameron Silver and Amy Fine Collins will be discussing Palm Beach fashion from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the museum. Tickets are $45 for historical society members and $65 for non-members. Call 561-832-4164 or go to pbchistory.org.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: ‘Endless Summer’ celebrates Palm Beach’s glamorous fashion history