#1960s #Glam #Returns #Palm #Royale #Styles #WorthPoint
Just in time for summer, vintage 1960s styles from the Apple TV+ drama Palm Royale are back, beckoning decorators and fashionistas alike with their bold and deliciously maximalist vibes.
Channeling Mid-Century High Society
Palm Royale features Kristen Wiig as Maxine Dellacorte-Simmons, a former beauty pageant queen determined to infiltrate the high society of 1969 Palm Beach by any means possible (read: beg, borrow, steal). Despite average ratings, the show’s standout elements are its impeccable fashions and opulent set design.
Meanwhile, social media influencers are in the trenches, thrifting and modeling their latest groovy finds. “Are you watching Palm Royale? Obsessed with the 60s fashion!” gushes Instagram influencer Nataliamode as she spins in a thrifted hippie boho dress. “The show rocks genuine vintage pieces, and I am here for it. Laura Dern’s character totally embodies that hippy feminist vibe, serving up some serious 60s counterculture style.”
Remember Mad Men?
The last time I witnessed such a frenzy over a television show was the mid-century modern craze over Mad Men, which aired from 2007 to 2015 and centered around a prestigious 1960s New York advertising firm. Like Mad Men, Palm Royale quickly pulls the viewer into its extravagant artistry, stoking global mid-mod mania:
“Palm Royale Has The Best Vintage On TV,” raves British Vogue. Meanwhile, Anthropologie has trotted out its Palm Royale-inspired line with cropped jeans, eyelet tops, and 1960s-style platform heels. Even fashion blogger Erin Fitzpatrick of WhoWhatWear couldn’t resist the allure, declaring, “Palm Royale Is My New Personality,” as she shared her groovy warm-weather favorites, like boho-print scarves, white cat-eye sunglasses, swing dresses, bringing full-on pop to any modern wardrobe.
Like Byrdie blogger Ali Webb wrote, “In an era when we’re all obsessed with old money-inspired trends like quiet luxury and mob wife style, it only seems right that our wardrobes get a “Palm Beach chic” makeover this spring.” I agree. It’s time we hiked up our funky bellbottoms and kicked those understated styles to the curb, at least for a few warm months!
Palm Royale Style: Where to Find It
While some of these ideas may seem pricey ($525 for a mini-dress?), they’re a perfect starting point if you plan to thrift similar yet affordable vintage pieces to collect or resell. I’ve been hunting for vintage; believe me, great stuff is out there, so keep your eyes peeled, which is precisely what the Palm Royale production team did to create the show’s backdrop.
According to House Beautiful and British Vogue, the Palm Royale design team searched estate sales, prop houses, antique stores, and online marketplaces like Chairish and Etsy to find authentic vintage costumes and scenery accents. “Many treasures came from a sale at the Bel-Air compound of the late actress Yvette Mimieux and housing magnate Howard Ruby,” House Beautiful’s Kelly Allen stated.
Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter noted that production team member Alix Friedberg partnered with resellers from The RealReal, an authentic resale website, sourcing over 600 pieces of apparel and accessories, including classic brands like Courrèges, Givenchy, Chloé, Chanel, Christian Dior, and Emilio Pucci.
What to Look For
I’ve highlighted some fashion and home décor pieces that collectors and resellers should look for based on a few of Palm Royale‘s main characters:
Maxine Dellacorte-Simmons: Maxine’s style changes as she climbs the ladder of Palm Beach high society. “She starts out wearing ditzy Lilly Pulitzer mini dresses too juvenile for the elegant airs she’d like to affect,” British Vogue author Lilah Ramzi writes.
That’s OK because I love Maxine’s early look, which features statement sunglasses, scarves, sandals, swing dresses, and an oversized hat.
Norma Dellacorte (Carol Burnett): Norma is a grande dame, and her overall vibe is flowy caftans accented with gaudy, embellished silk turbans.
Linda Shaw (Laura Dern): As a representative of the late 1960s hippie counterculture, Shaw and members of her women’s group are decked out in turquoise jewelry, denim bellbottoms, macramé, and smocks.
Evelyn Rollins (Allison Janney): An older woman aiming to maintain her reign over high society, Evelyn wears heavy costume jewelry and brooches, loud sunglasses, and, again, those flowy caftans.
Robert Diaz (Ricky Martin) is Norma’s handsome caretaker. On the rare occasion he’s wearing more than a Speedo, Robert is often decked out in tropical print shirts, à la Tommy Bahama.
Big-Money Home Décor
Better Homes & Gardens offers practical ideas on incorporating Palm Beach chic into your current spaces. Writer Sharon Greenthal notes that the show’s décor “may inspire you to update your look with a velvet sofa, gold finishes, a few peacock-printed pillows, or some antique, crystal vases.” Norma’s heavy baroque bed offsets thick ceiling-to-floor drapes, oversized chandeliers, and Asian-inspired lamps, with some leopard prints thrown in. “Adding in a little bit of glam is never a bad idea,” Greenthal noted, “even if you don’t live in Palm Beach.”
I recently browsed the Southport Antique Mall in Indianapolis, Indiana. While older shoppers were flocking to the expansive Longaberger basket collections, I noticed younger shoppers migrating to 1960s and ’70s hippie-themed areas, with everything from bellbottom jeans to Corelle, Pyrex, and a Tang orange juice carafe I was tempted to take home myself.
Enjoy the Recurring Journey
As they say, what goes around comes back around, especially when a show as deliciously vintage as Palm Royale lures us back to those long-ago eras that allow older viewers to reminisce and younger fans to pretend.
So, soak up that 1960s vibe and ride the Palm Royale wave because summer comes and goes quickly enough. And I may just return for that Tang carafe.
Related: Check out what went wrong with the period fashion depicted in The Gilded Age.
Between excursions to hunt for antiques and vintage décor, Lynda Houston is busy restoring her 1950s cottage in Cincinnati, Ohio. She and her partner, Dave Beck, operate TheRustInPeaceShop on Etsy.
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