Aerin Lauder’s Guide to the Glamour of Palm Beach, Past and Present
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In 1937, photographer Cecil Beaton summed up a trip to Palm Beach as: “Tennis, swimming, lunch. Golf, drinks, dinner. The Patio. Bradley’s. Bed.” 80 years later, there may be some new stores on Worth Avenue, but the Beaton-described spirit of Palm Beach is the same: a place of retro luxury where leisure sports and tropical tradition reign supreme.
That’s the premise of Aerin Lauder’s new book for Assouline, Palm Beach. Tracing the glamorous escape from the days of her grandparents, Joseph and Estée Lauder, to present day, it shows partly how Palm Beach has changed, but mostly, how it has stayed the same. The Breakers is still an institution. Colorful Lily Pulitzer and Pucci sheath dresses are still donned for dinner. Sprinkles still serves up the best ice cream in town. It’s just all enjoyed by a new generation. (A concept best embodied by a visual example: Slim Aaron’s portrait of C.Z. Guest juxtaposed with an photograph of Lauder herself, striking in their similarities right down to their yellow labs, despite the multi-decade gap.)
Below, Aerin Lauder talks to Vogue about her Palm Beach—the one she enjoyed as a child at her family s Neoclassical home on Ocean Avenue (and where Douglas Fairbanks made a memorable appearance), to the one she enjoys with her family today. (Plus, why she’s still looking for a turquoise bathtub.)
You dedicated this book to your grandparents, Joseph and Estée. What is your favorite Palm Beach memory with them?
Aerin Lauder: Every year we would go down to Palm Beach for multiple holidays and vacations. It was just the excitement of that first day arriving there and having that first glass of orange juice or scoop of ice cream. And looking at the ocean—that sense of happiness and contentment when I first arrived.
What was their home like?
Estée loved white houses with pillars. I think it was from her love of Gone With the Wind. Whenever she was looking for a home in a different area, she always gravitated towards the white house. So this was truly a tropical paradise. It was right on the ocean, with an incredible green backyard. It had a beautiful pool, tennis court, an interior garden, and this incredible metal work furniture that we still have to this day.
In her dining room was that iconic blue Gracie wallpaper with the birds that she had in all of her homes. There was lots of blue and white within the home. The living room was blue and white, the sun room was blue and white, the bedroom was blue and white, her bathroom was blue and white. She had this fantastic turquoise bathtub. To this day, I am still looking for a turquoise bathtub.
In the book, you say that "Someone once told me that when Estée threw a dinner party in Palm Beach, being asked to attend was like receiving an invitation to Buckingham Palace." Take us inside a Palm Beach dinner thrown by your grandmother.
She loved entertaining. She was the one that always taught me the importance of chocolates and sweets on the table, not even just for dessert. The flowers and the table were always perfection—she always was known for doing incredible menu cards and place cards .
Estée would always leave a little gift for everyone at their seat, whether it was a compact or a new fragrance. She said, "No matter who you are, everyone loves to get a little gift."
