Palm Beach is having a moment.
With world leaders, diplomats, and power brokers descending on what has come to be known as the “Winter White House,” curiosity about this slender barrier island is inevitable. It is against this backdrop that Netflix’s “Palm Beach: Members Only”arrived, promising an insider’s view of a famously private world.
What the series delivers instead is a caricature of excess — entertaining for naive viewers, but one that misses Palm Beach’s true character entirely!
Entertainment becomes problematic when fiction is mistaken for fact. I know this firsthand, as I have received inquiries from afar — from friends who have watched the show and wondered whether what they saw truly reflects life I cherish in Palm Beach.
Palm Beach has never been about spectacle. At heart, it is a place governed by manners. Here, polish and poise add to the enchantment. Sensibility and discretion rule. Those of us fortunate enough to live in this idyllic haven are far less concerned with being seen than with knowing how to be gracious and giving to others. Overt talk about money is considered gauche, and display for its own sake is quietly discouraged. The real “ladies who lunch” devote significant time and energy to charities that make a real difference in the world.
That ethos is best captured by a quip a driver once shared as we crossed the bridge toward the airport. “You’re leaving Palm Beach now,” he said, “and entering Florida.” It’s a line that always draws a smile — because it’s true. Palm Beach operates by a different rhythm, one rooted not showing wealth, but in restraint, complemented by the happiness and joy that this island cultivates. From colorful Lilly dresses and pearls to no socks for gentlemen, there is an understated code of deportment, which melds brilliantly with the tropical sunny disposition of laughter and kindness which flourishes in this genteel atmosphere.
The irony, of course, is that Palm Beach itself does not allow filming on the island. “Palm Beach: Members Only” was shot instead across the lake in West Palm Beach — another reminder of how easily perception can drift from reality.
One of the show’s most absurd conversations underscores this disconnect. A “socialite” cautions a newcomer never to wear the same dress to an event twice. In Palm Beach, the opposite is true. Wearing a dress more than once is not a faux pas but a mark of quiet sensibility.
I have been affectionately dubbed “The Pink Lady of Palm Beach.” As an etiquette writer, classic international interior designer, and resident, I have spent years observing the customs that shape the island’s social life. Through my weekly newsletter, Secrets to Lovely Living, which reaches more than 20,000 subscribers, and Instagram 184K, I share practical guidance on etiquette and a graciousness — practices that come naturally in a community defined by discretion and ease.
Palm Beach is not a place of constant display. It is a place of understatement. Its power lies in what is unspoken; its elegance, in what is restrained. That sensibility may not make for sensational television, but it is precisely what has sustained this charming community for more than a century.
One can only hope that viewers of “Palm Beach: Members Only” will enjoy the series for what it is — so-called “entertainment” — and not mistake it for the real Palm Beach, which remains more charming and enchanting than any caricature.
Holly Holden, Palm Beach
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.palmbeachdailynews.com ’
