SURF'S UP:

Well, there is one grand side effect of El Nino conditions returning: Palm Beach has waves. And not just the usual polite and gently rolling little curls that roll up on the sand, but head held high, get your board hit the ocean kinda waves...

It's thrilling...

It's hard to believe...

&

It's really happening...

And given our wild proclivity for pink and green, we think real men are suiting up in Lilly baggies. After all, they may not be neoprene, but they have a certain panache that is everything the bold, the brazen and the absolutely unique embody.

Whether it's the Yeah Baby electric paisley, the Tail Lights midnight blue and white Chinese dragons or the hardcore florals, these are surf trunks for men that want to stand out. Bright, shiny, blazing... this is hangin' 10 hardcore PB style.

Heck even LPGA sensation Morgan Pressel just told Sports Illustrated "Real men aren't afraid... to wear pink!"

We couldn't agree more. Catch the wave... then hit the beach.

Lilly Mens Designer Turns 30 with Lilly + A Nite on the Town

30 is such a great age, as Lilly Menswear designer Jeremy Pilch celebrated in true Palm Beach fashion with the muse and raison du couture Lilly Pulitzer under the stars as Renatos, the classic eatery while in town for C. Orrico's Enter The Dragon Men's Trunk Show. Seated next to the style icon, Pilch talked the fall/formal collection, tasted Lilly's planters punch and unravelled a birthday ball that contained a fortune telling magic fish, a flip flop charm, a bit of amethyst (the Feb. birth stone). stickers, a gummy bracelet proclaiming Bling Bling and a small bottle of bubbles to blow.

While Lilly didn't jump out of the cake, she did take it. Giving the young man shaping the look of Lilly Men's an oversized print of her leaping from former husband Peter Pulitzer's small plane, her own namesake shift flying. With a ps of "Don't Peak," it was the perfect present for the Calvin Klein vet who is making a name for himself with the pink, the green, the blue and the yellow.

THE DRAGON ARRIVES...

They came... like rock stars. Anonymous black road cases overpacked and strapped to insure nothing would burst open, littering technicolor prints and peacock options all over some unsuspecting baggage handler.

And then they unpacked. The men of Lilly, the women of C. Orrico.

All of the Fall/Formal and even a peak at 2009 Resort. It is amazing stuff. The quality, the textures, the motifs -- and especially, the cuts, so close to the body, they are razor sharp, yet so lengthening, anyone will appear lithe in these blazers, pants, evening jackets and even baggy board shorts.

It is not just sartorial sensation being delivered to 336 South County Road, but a culture accessed by only the few who understand that it takes a very confidant, very vibrant, very relaxed man to square back and wear clothes these audaciously tasteful. It is a litmus test in the rarified air of those who "get it" and the valley of "NOKD."

There are MaiTais for 100 coming in, specially hand-mixed by Renato's Mark, the uberadorable bartender who knows how to leave his patrons stirred not shaken. In a land where we are often measured by the cover of the book or the company we keep, how would one ever sidestep something as glorious as optic white dragons tangled on a field of true deep marine blue -- or living a life where one was unaware of the right barkeep? Ineed

APPROACHING THE DRAGON...

Well, there is NOTHING more breath-taking than the dining room of the Beach Club -- looking out on the crashing waves of the Atlantic. Those breakers remind you just how powerful the world we live in truly is...

Easily as powerful as all the generous people who bid over $10,000 on the silent auction, donated over another $1000 for some of the most gorgeous orchids we've seen in a very long time and generally enjoyed lunch and a lot of fresh spring styles... 

Once we catch up with ourselves, we'll have pictures posted (because seeing the looks IS the next best thing to being there...)

but now, we Orricos are huddling and readying for the Dragon. The Lilly Pulitzer Men's Trunk Show, which will preview the fall and formal wear that's coming. Order some of the most insane tuxes -- a la carte, so you can have a Black Watch Plaid dinner jacket to rakishly sport with worn jeans or a Lilly striped pair of tux pants that flare your evening wear in the most unexpected way.

As always the colors are deep and rich. The materials luxurious. The cuts sleek, close to the body, yet utterly now. To have timeless classics shot through with whimsy and a certain brash shock factor truly is a highwire walk of death-defying proportions, and Lilly Creative Director Doug Conklyn will be on hand Saturday afternoon to talk about the challenges of being thoroughly modern Lilly!

It's Valentine's Day. Do come in... Pick up a little something for the one(s) you live. After all, Love Is... Something from C. Orrico!

GOOD THING SHE'S IN TRAINING

That sexy Colleen Orrico, the youngest of the three Orrico girls, hit the Loop Around The Lake last week -- and did the 3.7 Mile Run in 38 minutes. Not her best time, but pretty great considering the amount of time she's spent unpacking the latest 62 (no, seriously SIXTY-TWO!) boxes of Lilly Pulitzer that have just arrived...

 

She's gonna need her stamina, because in the next 5 days, the sisters Orrico have got a full calendar. Look for Kathie, Casey and Colleen everywhere at almost the same time it seems:

Wednesday, they are chairing St Edwards annual fashion show, Thursday, they will be everyone's Palm Beach Sweethearts, Friday begins the 3-day Enter The Dragon Men's Event -- with Lilly Pulitzer Doug Conklyn on hand on Saturday afternoon to answer questions, talk about the evolution of the line and generally share the esprit du Lilly! 

And so...

if you wanna find the perfect plucky look, these are the girls to help you. Whether you're catching them -- literally -- on the run or at one of the islands' many social and charitable events (rumor has it they'll be popping up at the White Hall on Saturday night), they are always charming, gracious and embody the healthy spirit that is Palm Beach.

ENTER THE DRAGON...

It is here. NINETY-TWO boxes of Men's Lilly! 92 BOXES!

All the brilliant colors, lush cashmeres, fine cotton and once in a lifetime prints.

Lean pants. Bright polos. Close-cut blazers. Ties of every technicolor extraction.

More than being a peacock of a certain Technicolor palette, this is about emerging as a man not afraid of ocean hues, steroidal pastels, rich jewel tones... and yes, the print of the season: the white dragons emblazoned on midnight blue. They call it True Navy Tail Lights... we know it good fortune, exotic adventure and a whimsical gusto beyond measure.

Enter the Dragon. Exit brandishing the sangfroid cool of Bogey, 007 and Cary Grant -- clad in the mark of not just Asian good fortune, but Palm Beach style in extremis.

And as raging as this shipment of Men's Lilly is, just wait til the Presidents Day Trunk Show. Not only will they be rolling out the traditional sport, play, hang, be clothing, but the brand new formal wear will debut to resounding response. Come by, and see why soon everyone shall be chasing the dragon