bangles and bunnies in palm beach

strolling south conty road in palm beach i stubbled upon a very unique shop, Sequin.

the window caught my eye. did you know it was the year of the rabbit? see the little bunnies in the front window!

bunnies in the window, beautiful bangles everywhere... i had to explore..

heres the scoop:

if you were born in 2011, 1999, 1987, 1975, 1951, 1939 or 1927 you were born in the year of the rabbit. those born under this sign are affectionate, sensitive, ambitious and compassionate. often conservative as well as seekers peace rabbits make few enemies and enjoy quiet peaceful life.

every year many people abandon the little bunny they thought would be the perfect addition to easter. how sad. petter cotton tail is more work they they thought and instead of caring for the bunny the bunny set free in an unsafe environment or dropped off at a shelter that most likely does not have means to care for rabbits.

in a effort to help save and care for the rabbits Sequin Boutique has teamed up with HARE anorganization to help educate bunny buyers in what it takes to care for a bunny.

the shop donates a potion of the proceeds from every purchase to the organization.

and how could you not want to buy something in this shop?

love these enamel coral bangles.

not planning a trip to palm beach and would love to have one of these bangles? the friendly safe is happy to ship to you! you can also find Sequin at Neimans, Bergdorf, Bendells, Bloomingdales and Nordstrom.

sequin

330 south county road

palm beach fl 33480

561.833.7300

palm beach circa 1950-1980

palm beach has always been home to the bright and stylish. the leisurely mood of the island demands a lavish colorful frock that looks effortless . lilly and Pucci trendsetters walk the dog and enjoy morning tea at outdoor cafes. even casual wear is given a designer spin as halter dresses and tunic tops look chic.

glam vintage on dixie hwy, home to an extensive collection of wears from the 60's 70's and 80's. looking for the lilly your grandmother wore? you will find it here. some of the first lilly prints produced hang on racks while Pucci and Hermes scarves adorn the walls. pill box hats and oversized pearls make this a must see shop for any "before it was cool" ... im bringing it back conuasoiur.

Pucci and Hermez scarves

across dixie you will find palm beach vintage. the carefully selected collection of only high end designer lines is a must see.

have you ever seen such an extensive collection of pucci? beautiful ...

louis vuitton from the 70's and 80's

prada ... lanvin... bill blass... you name it.

there is vintage thats cool because its vintage designer, the vintage thats cool because its nostalgic and the cool vintage because the style has now come full circle. in any of case its fun to be connected to the past. to own the pucci shorts. the original pucci, when pucci was still finding out who they were and what they wanted to be. and to know that you own a part of their "ah ha" moment. we will look at vintage designers and know that what they were saying then is the same as what they say now. for lilly and pucci- its luxury leisure. and you are sure to find both, and plenty of it, in palm beach. both in and out of the vintage shops.

palm beach antique row

antique row, the art and design district of west palm beach consist of over 50 antique shops, vintage store and art galleries. shops with a vast selection of pieces from the 17th to 20th century line the charming street. chairs and planters overflow onto the sidewalk as shop keeps stroll in and out to greet clients and mingle with each other. monday was the perfect day to explore antique row.

my taste tends to gravitate to danish mid-century design. i found objects in the loft of particular interest. wade and his staff were friendly and knowledgeable. the lower level is open and show cases a mix of styles from mid-century modern, mission and rattan. dont you love the chair below?

upstairs, the preparations for the palm beach modern auctions were in full swing.

to see more visit www.objectsintheloft.com

a few of my other favorite stops along the way...

coco house is delightfully charming with a mix of english bamboo furnishings and modern designs.

cashmere buffalo had by far the most interesting mix. lighting, furniture, vintage jewelry, buttons, holloware, rugs and vinatge linens filled the space. the carefully edited pieces are displayed in a whimsical way.

can you see the jars of button on the table? they will soon adorn laroque skirts, dresses and shorts.

the row has been acclaimed by media and "a list" designers as the countries best mix of antiques. its a good thing that only the small treasures found fit in the over head compartment on the plane... surely it would be hard to say no to many of these pieces had i only known a way to get them back to columbia.

not so prom, prom dresses...

did you wear a prom dress in the 90's? i did. looking back, despite the search at every department store for the perfect dress, im asking myself, what was i thinking? the beads... the lace... the color yellow...( found no where in nature, color yellow) one time wear wonders. i would upload a picture but for the sake of you all still trusting me for design advice i think its best you not see the bad choices i made. ill leave it to your imagination.

here are a few not so prom, prom dresses we made this year.

i told all the gals who wore this frocks to prom that if they ever want to trade them in for something else at the shop i would buy them back i love them so much and would wear them anywhere but prom. (not that the dress is not suitable for prom, it is, im not suitable for the prom) dinner? a wedding? a garden party? luncheon? dinner party....

a few from the prom...

what its really like to have a job you love.

its a strange thing to have a job you like. its a even more peculiar thing to have a job you love. i love my job. the shop... with the grey walls and white furniture.. the clean open pallet to create. the chance to meet new people everyday, the chance to make someone feel beautiful on an important day, the chance to cheer someone up when they are down. i really do think i have one of the best jobs one could ask for. i love going to the shop everyday. strange things happens when you love your job.

1. your friends may not understand.

it is safe to guess that 3 out of 5 of my friends do not love their job. this can be a problem with friendship. sometimes they don't understand while even on days i have off, i want to and need to be at work.

2. you take everything personal.

positive: there is a lot of intrinsic reward in making someone feel beautiful.

negative: i can fit your body but i can not fit your mind. when you are not happy i take it personally.

3. its not about the money.

positive: your work is not soley centered around a pay check

negative: you must always remember that despite love it is a business.

4. personal life and professional life bleed together.

nights are spent emailing... saturdays are spent doing fitting... sundays painting baseboards and mopping...

5. you are always at work (mentally)

this means that i am always thinking about work. fabric orders, bills, clients, taxes, swatches, dresses, bowties... emails, facebook messages im behind on... time to design spring 2012.. . whats going on at the factory? wedding dates of 15 gals all at the same time. all, on average 50 plus, clients i have at a single time, who needs what, when, how ... when is her spring break? maybe a different neckline with her hair cut? on and on and on... yes, i think about you all, all the time.

don't get me wrong i love my job but where does laroque end and annabelle begin? i am sure that this question has been asked my every person in my shoes. at some point everyday i try to turn off " laroque" and turn on " annabelle". thats a hard thing because often im not sure where one ends and the other begins. one time i saw a client at the garden center and she said "what are you doing here?" in a tone that implied i should be sketching the next design.

i do know that when i spend time not related to the shop im better at being creative, and ultimately its creativity that drives my collections. the colors of the ocean while on vacation the way a southern recipe for lemon bars makes me think of my grandmothers vintage dresses...creativity comes from many sources.

as an independent retailer, whole-seller and designer, accountant, maid and counselor i wear a lot of hats... but what hat is truly mine? its not realistic to think that all the hats should fit perfectly. after all, i am in the business of "fit" and know that it can be tricky to take multiple things into consideration at once. still i try very hard to make all the hats fit and balance the act of wearing so many while still feeling that under them all i am me.

LaRoque at the Carolina cup!

i like when you send me pictures!

here are few of my favorites from the carolina cup!