Modern Luxury Palm Beach: “Simply Suitable”

No one knows 2018 top swimwear trends better than these experts from The Royal Poinciana Plaza’s aqua-chic boutiques.

Cynthia Rowley

Visitors to the new Cynthia Rowley boutique cannot help getting washed over with the Endless Summer collection vibes, as the store is simply swimming with wetsuits and matching surfboards, beach umbrellas that pair perfectly with SPF 50 swimsuits, chic cover-ups, bold totes and just about anything a beach babe needs to make a statement on the sand. Fortunately, something suitable can be found for nearly every woman here, as Rowley says she designs myriad variations in varying colors each season. “Some with lots of coverage and other that require more sunscreen!” she jokes. This season, she says she focused on, “more subtle palettes, like champagne and pale pastels, [and] fun, colorful prints.” As for what Rowley might be wearing this spring while frolicking in the Atlantic or sunbathing at a luxe resort, she hints, “I love every kind of water sport, so I prefer  a lightweight wetsuit, but the high-waited bikini is my favorite for poolside.”

Cremieux

“I always thought Palm Beach had the authentic0chic flavor, like St-Tropes is for the French,” says Stéphane Cremieux, the CEO of Cremieux. To help bridge the style gap even more, the family-owned brand shares European sartorial secrets with Americans, largely through thoughtful tailoring and fabrics that preform. Cremieux’s designs feature what he describes as, “a modern, classic fit: not too tight, but certainly not too lose,” and are made in Italy or Portugal of Italian, lightweight textiles. “They all dry very quickly and are easy to wear under a short, for example.” Not everything at Cremieux is serious business. Men with an appreciation for whimsy will gravitate toward the new line featuring embroidered words, animals and other things; and shorts featuring the vintage neckwear prints on lightweight nylon. Cremieux suggests pairing either with a handmade Silver Label Sartorial woven shirt, sleeve rolled, of course: :Mixing up tailored with beachwear- it looks cool and feels luxurious.”

Orlebar Brown

As for understanding Orlebar Brown’s ethos, no one explains it better than founder Adam brown. “We’re a British brand that launched in March 2007 as a tailored approach to men’s swim shorts,” he says. “OB  Classic swim shorts remain the original and best ‘short you can swim in’; though gents cannot only sport them on the beach or by the pool, but also to lunch for drinks.” (Wearers should expect to get stopped every few minutes for compliments, especially in a pair of bespoke photographic swim shorts from the brand’s #snapshorts app.) Fans can expect an entirely new Summer Sport capsule collection for summer 2018, comprising more of the brand’s inspired swim shorts, polos, chinos, sunglasses and shirts. “We have really focused on surf culture,” Brown says. “We wanted to create something our customer can be active in, yet still look sophisticated.” Search the boutique, designed to suggest a lifeguards’ locker room, for Kaufmann Cocktail and other shorts from the exclusive Slim Aaron Hulton Getty collection, then add Haston flip-slops and OB’s Grady sunglasses designed in conjunction with a team of designers from legendary eyewear brand Linda Farrow.

Beach

When it comes to swimwear0fit and -fashion expertise, a few surpass the pros at Everything But Water, the Orland-based brand with three decades of swimwear, resort wear and accessory experience under their maillots. And, according to the brand’s co-owner and vice president of creative marketing, Sabra Krock, EBW’s new offshoot, Beach is already stocked to the gills with au courant finds dripping with Palm Beach panache. Krock says the hottest new styles at beach has for ladies are either full of ruffles or are asymmetrical and minimalist, perhaps with plugging necklines, both of which are most popular in lipstick shades. One of her favorites is Haight’s rust-colored, open-front one-piece. “[It’s so sophisticated and sleek,” she says Asks the boutique’s specialist for help finding a wide-brim hat, women handbag, chic sandals and “beachy” statement earrings to match. The finished look will surely make waves.