For fashion designer Liz Lange, Palm Beach has been the center of some of her favorite—and most fashionable—times. The CEO and creative director at Figue shares some of her nostalgic memories for Spotlight.
BY: LIZ LANGE
My first memory of Palm Beach is from 1972, when I was 6 years old. My parents were vacationing there and staying at The Breakers Hotel. My 4-year-old sister and I were at home in New York City with my grandparents.
My parents decided that it would be fun for us to meet them there, so my grandparents took us to the airport, walked us onboard the plane, and buckled us into our seats. I can still recall the pretty stewardess and picture us in those seats. Back then, even non-passengers could board and disembark before takeoff.
There was virtually no security. Can you imagine? I was scared and cried most of the flight, but then we landed in paradise! I will never forget my first glimpse of this magical island. It started with the tiny airport,
which was so different from the ones I was used to in big cities. There was no jetway, so we deplaned outside amid palm trees, clear skies, and bright sunshine everywhere.
My mother told me that Palm Beach was famous for Coconut Patties and piña coladas. Suffice it to say that I drank numerous virgin piña coladas by the pool that week and consumed my fair share of Coconut Patties. Today I find them both much too sweet, but back then I adored them.
Palm Beach was still formal. I’ll never forget the time my dad walked into The Breakers’ dining room for breakfast in his tennis whites. It was the 1970s, and he, like many others, was all about tennis. The maître d’ was appalled and informed him that men were required to wear a jacket and tie for breakfast.
The pool area featured one large pool, unlike the multiple pools that exist today, and the cabanas were simple structures in a semicircle on the beach. It was definitely not The Breakers that my children know and love. There wasn’t a kids club or game room, that’s for sure.
For fun, we’d rent bicycles and ride along the well-known trail (where I now live!) and occasionally visit Lion Country Safari, a zoo that to me felt as real as being on an actual safari in Africa.
Despite Palm Beach still being quite old-school, most of my favorite places from back then are sadly long gone. For dinner, it was all about Testa’s. We would visit frequently and enjoy the famous baked ziti while sitting outside in the backyard beneath the stars.
That spot is now the location of Henry’s, The Breakers–owned restaurant. For lunch, we’d often go to Hamburger Heaven (today it’s the SurfSide Diner). We’d sit at the counter and eat burgers, followed by the
world-famous coconut layer cake. It’s the best!
Every now and then, we’d go for a “fancy” dinner with my parents at Petite Marmite on Worth Avenue. The Esplanade at the end of Worth Avenue was also a popular shopping and dining destination; it still exists, but isn’t the same. It once housed the still-popular Café L’Europe, which has since relocated, and Hatties, where my fashion-obsessed mother would often shop.
They sold the top designers of the day, including Ungaro, Krizia, Missoni, Armani, and more. My mother is chic, and she’d wear her favorite Jack Rogers slides with little shift dresses, very much the way Jackie O, who was often in Palm Beach, also dressed.
None of these places exist anymore, and sadly, many of the iconic Palm Beach ladies are no longer alive, but the vibe remains the same. I share my mother’s love of running around during the day in short ’60s-style shift dresses.
When night falls, I try to do my part to bring back the glamour of the old great Palm Beach doyennes by donning long flowing ’70s-style kaftans from Figue and lots of oversize chunky gold jewelry while hosting big dinners outside under the swaying palm trees. If I squint, it might almost be 1972 again.