No one does high-end men’s fashion quite like Duckie Brown.  Co-designers Daniel Silver and Steven Cox have made a name for their five-year-old label (the CFDA honored them this year with a nomination for Best Menswear Designer) thanks to their sharply-tailored silhouettes, outrageously bright color palettes, and avant-garde, occasionally oddball inclinations (think Rei Kawakubo meets Savile Row). 

So, it was a slight surprise to discover that when not in their studio, or showing their collection in NYC, Duckie Brown can often be found frolicking in rather traditional Palm Beach, Florida.  “It’s fabulous, luxurious, warm and old,” says Silver, whose parents -- whom he and Cox visit three times a year -- have lived there for the past 35 years. 

And the locale has greatly informed both Silver and Cox’s own style.  “When it comes to color, it’s all about Palm Beach.  Every time we go we pack differently.  Down there you can wear pink shirts and orange trousers.  Everything is lighter, whiter,” says Cox. 

“It’s the only place where there’s actually a runway on the sidewalk,” adds Cox.  “There are old men walking around in suits, no socks and Gucci loafers.  They drive Bentleys and their wives wear fur coats in January even though it’s 75 degrees out.”

And while the conservatism of Palm Beach’s high-society may be a bit stifling, after 15 years of familiarizing themselves with the area, Silver and Cox have discovered plenty of quirky Palm Beach insider tips.  From velvet-green golf courses to dodgy convenience stores, here’s Palm Beach in their own words: 

Hamburger Heaven
D: It’s fabulous.  They have the best hamburgers in town and they serve them 100 different ways.  The restaurant is this old coffee shop from like 1945.

Palm Beach Country Club
S: It’s how you would imagine heaven to be.  There are carpeted ceilings.  And the golf course, it’s like green velvet.
D: I think the cost to become a member is equivalent to the price of a one-bedroom condo in New York City. 

Tank ‘N Tummy
S: We love this place.  It’s a convenience store with candies and things.
D: Oh, don’t say that.  It’s not Palm Beach.  It’s West Palm Beach.  If you go there you’re going to get mugged.
S: Yeah, it’s actually a really dangerous place to go.  I mean, the first time we went we told Daniel’s mother about it, she almost had a heart attack.  We still go there every time we’re back though.

Colony Hotel
D: It’s a great place to stay.  It’s nearest to the best beach in the area.  All the cute boys are there surfing.  And Thursday night at the hotel is gay night.  Every interior designer from the area comes, and they’re all like 80 years old.
S: It’s easy pickings. 

Dixie Highway
D: Simon Doonan and Jonathan Adler have an apartment in Palm Beach and they were telling us that the best old furniture stores are all along Dixie Highway.
S: They have all this old really kitsch furniture.  Lots of wacked-out stuff.

Chez Jean Pierre
D: This is the most fabulous and one of the most expensive restaurants in Palm Beach.  You have to try their sole.  It’s really fabulous - really fresh and lots of money.

The Church Mouse
D: It’s a great second-hand clothing shop where all the locals discard their stuff.  Its my favorite store.

Renato’s
D: True old-world Palm Beach -- very Italian, very chic, very fabulous.

Palm Beach Bicycle Trail Shop
There’s this path [along Lake Worth] -- you can ride all along the beach and from it you can see all of the backs of the mansions.  That’s the thing about Palm Beach; everything is private.  There’s Worth Avenue for shopping, then there’s not much else.  So the best things to see are the magnificent houses.

 

~Alisa Gould-Simon

Go There:

Palm Beach Country Club, 760 N. Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach, (561) 844-3501

Hamburger Heaven, 314 South Country Road, Palm Beach, (561) 655-5277

Tank ‘N Tummy, 1300 N Tamarind Ave, West Palm Beach, (561) 655-6865

Colony Hotel, 155 Hammon Avenue, Palm Beach, (561) 655-5430, thecolonypalmbeach.com

Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, westpalmbeachantiques.com

Chez Jean Pierre, 132 N. Country Road, Palm Beach (561) 833-1171

The Church Mouse, 374 S. Country Road, Palm Beach, (561) 659-2154

Renato’s, 87 Via Mizner, Palm Beach, (561) 655-9752, renatospalmbeach.com

Palm Beach Bicycle Trail Shop, 233 Sunrise Ave, Palm Beach, (561) 659-4583 

First Photo by Seth Wolfson