dress for the fest.

every once in a while i'm lucky enough that my day job and this little ol' hobby of mine get to collide. yesterday was one of those "once in a whiles," thanks to cityplace and sunfest.

that's because cityplace launched a "dress for the fest" contest, asking fans to share their sunfest style on facebook in honor of our own east coast music festival in downtown west palm beach. the winner scores a free pair of tickets and $250 worth of gift cards to cityplace to get all the fashion and beauty essentials. pretty good deal, if you ask me.

i'd enter on behalf if i could, but something tells me i'm a little too close to the source to win. for that reason, i'm asking that you, my readers, please enter on my behalf. if you choose to submit, please feel free to post your photos to the prêt-à-porter palm beach facebook page too so we can get a peek!

flavor of the week: green tea.

after the seemingly endless photos of fashion and ferris wheels across the @pretaporterpb instagram feed last weekend, there's a part of me that is wishing i was in cali right now rather than jupiter, fla. the other part of me is looking forward to the yoga-filled midtown peace, love & wellness music festival with my sister today, and the palm beaches' own version of coachella in a couple weeks...sunfest.

to get a head-start on both events, i filled up on green tea and a fresh, homemade juice of energy-boosting fruits and veggies this morning, while putting together another board inspired by the famous steve madden troopa boots and the current flavor of the week. 

flavor of the week: green tea. by pretaporterpb

hollister co. crop top / bcbgmaxazria harness belt / forever 21 high-low skirt / steve madden troopa boots / vanessa mooney wrist-to-ring bracelet, urban outfitters / leather wrap bracelets, urban outfitters / bcbgmaxazria aviator-wayfarer sunglasses / essie nail polish

in my opinion the best part of this outfit (besides the boots, of course), is the leather harness belt from bcbg. i think it's time i add one of these to my closet...in time for sunfest, of course. 

the next best is the bike. did you know that sunfest has a bike valet? it's sponsored by the west palm beach downtown development authority, and while i may be a bit biased, i think it's a pretty cool program that gets you close to the entrance, while avoiding gas, traffic and parking fees. plus you'll get even more of that florida sunshine on your way downtown. now i just need a pretty green beach cruiser like this...because my purple road bike and red-trimmed tri bike don't really match my outfit.

sunfest lineup 2013.

hey sunfest, the 90s called and they want their music back...

but they aren't getting it.

the 2013 sunfest lineup was announced yesterday, and although there's some pluses (the bands where the middle school nostalgia will be running high) and minuses (let me put it this way...i really hate the sound of trains of all types) for my personal taste, overall i'd say it's gonna be a good year. my husband is already talking about buying the five-day pass this year, which he's never said before.

while i can't wait to see smashing pumpkins, the black crowes and even reel big fish, i'm most excited for the festival fashions to come back (it's the best i can do until i get to coachella one day!). we'll circle back at the beginning of may, but until then, take a look at some of the sunfest street style we spotted last year. 

and if you're over the music fests or just want a good laugh like me, click here to see this hilarious lineup.

p.s. sunfest, with more than 2,000 shares on facebook alone this year, not to mention blogs like us sharing your awesome news, don't forget to brand your lineup artwork next year, pretty please!

 

sunset at sailfish.

as a palm beach county native, sailfish marina has always been one of my favorite places. i practically grew up on the boat there, later learning to fish, dock a boat and drink a beer with my dad all within the slips right there on singer island. the memories from the sunset celebration - a.k.a. sunset at sailfish - along the docks every thursday evening started even earlier, with my mom selling her handmade jewelry and fish and bubble-embellished children's clothing among the other artists and crafters back in the 80s.

it was those memories that swarmed back in tonight as the family and our friends headed back for a summer sunset after work. we started with grouper dogs and the art festival's classic "orange crush" cocktail before checking out the vendors. that's when two cute little kids walked up with this perfect sale pitch off the back of their dad's boat.

 

while i didn't want to look like a tourist wearing a haiwain lay hawaiian-style lei in florida, there was no way i could say no to these adorably determined faces, selling leis made from frangipanis, fishing line and hooks for only $1.50.

my sister and friend maria got the first two readymade floral necklaces, and the boys made sure to give me these bonus gifts while i waited as they made mine:

i proudly wore the final product all over that marina.

to go back earlier in the night, it wasn't all about the flowers. while waiting for my family and friends to arrive before hitting the art show, i took a stop in the the ship store i knew so well growing up.

although i'm not usually into the tropical clothes that are typical of beachy florida, i have to say, the sailfish shop has come a long way from all those tommy bahama clothes from 10 years ago...

"just for fun" by jams world, $80.

expensive for a sundress, but this is just one of the few prints and patterns that stuck out to me from this brand.

sealife medallion straw clutch, bag lady by mudpie, $35.

very palm beach-chic, lined in none other than hot pink and a gold sea shell.

i snapped a picture of these friendship bracelets too, because the buyers for the shop probably have no idea just how "on trend" they are right now by selling these, which are most likely meant for kids.

have you been to sunset at sailfish before? what are your favorite parts? i didn't get into the vendors tonight since many didn't show up due to rain earlier in the day, but we'd love to hear your thoughts about them in the comments below.

watercolor is the new ombré.

ombré? that is so last month.

now it's all about watercolor prints, as shown by alice + olivia, oscar de la renta in the 2013 resort line, and even by my friend and co-worker, cassady, at sunfest recently.

i'm hearting watercolor-inspired designs lately too. today i pulled one of last year's anthropologie dresses out from the back of the closet to showcase the trend. the artistic colors are great, as is the sexy yet classy open back, but i always have to suck it up about the crazy cowl-neck it has going on. 

what are some of your favorite watercolor-inspired products? there are a few fun iphone and macbook skins i've been swooning over, but we certainly welcome more ideas. post links to your picks in the comments below.

prêt-à-porter palm beach on 'links à la mode'

it's our first week being part of independent fashion bloggers (which provides awesome ideas for all of us girls and guys who love to write and shop but may not be so good at running a website), and prêt-à-porter palm beach made it to ifb's weekly roundup, "links à la mode", with the festival fashions blog post about street style spotted around sunfest. if you haven't read ours yet i hope you'll do so, but be sure to check out the artistically fashioned posts from other fantastic fashion bloggers below.

art at the heart

for many of this week's submissions, art was the center theme. from diy projects to festivals, museum exhibits and dramatic runway sets - there are so many ways that art manifests itself in the world of fashion, not just in the clothes we wear. we create it, it moves us, it changes our mood and makes our world a more beautiful and magical place. i loved reading posts about the costume institute's new exhibit, chanel's crystal runway set - and even how to make a glitzy pair of mui mui-inspired sunnies.
edited by taylor davies

links à la mode: the ifb weekly round up: may 17th

• a casa da va: 10 ways to achieve bohemian bliss
• beauty x pose: colorblock your shoes
• bleu06: sh*t guys should know about fashion #7
• bugwear: royal mail issues great british fashion stamps collection
• crystal eyes: white out
• dress code: high fashion:
• fashionista's diary: crazy for crystals
• finely made: diy glitter mui mui catwalk noir sunglasses
• fly songbird: orange lips love
• get fierce style: the freedom in loving your body
• meredith & gwyneth, the new yorkie: diy no sew feather dress
• pink pineapple: internship essentials
• pret-a-porter palm beach: festival fashions
• real girl glam: how to wear a denim jacket
• spy girl: blog essentials: designing a memorable business card
• the curatorial: duchamp, pop art & the rodnik band - art as fashion
• this is a yes: frieze art fair new york
• toronto shopaholic blog: 3 fun uses for a multi-tasking barette
• tse parfait: anthropologie summer '12 fashin show
• votre garcon: schiaparelli & prada: impossible conversations

sponsor:
skirt sale at shopbop: dkny, a.wang skirts, helmut lang, minis, jean skirts, splendid, jenni kayne, ag skirts, tibi, cacharel, alc, pencil & hervé skirts

please read if you would like to participate
if you would like to submit your link for next week’s links à la mode, please register first, then post your links here. the html code for this week will be found in the links a la mode group will be published later today. ~jennine

festival fashions.

yesterday was a whirlwind of sun, sounds and street style at sunfest in downtown west palm beach, and the prêt-à-porter palm beacher caught a lot of it on camera. 

while the music, art, food (um...crawfish? yes please!) and on-tap margaritas were awesome, the majority of the fashions didn't seem to be quite up to par with coachella. that being said, it is a bit different demographically as a family-friendly event for all ages, and we were able to spot a few cute girls - and guys - rocking trends mentioned in friday's post.

here are some looks we picked out of the crowd:  

fashionable foursome: boaters' hats, fringed tanks + ankle boots

 leila and dara in neon + sheer lace maxi skirt; a head wrap + crocheted top

 kady with a hot pink lip + combat-style boots; brittany with a side braid + tribal top

cassady in a very palm beach-esque, watercolor-inspired dress

my little sis, ashley, in a tiered lace top, converse + cross-body bag. her
"skanking" gear for the mighty mighty bosstones, apparently. 

(what's "skanking," you ask? i did too. strange dancing down
in the pit, similar to moshing but much friendlier!)

 

even the dudes were aware of their apparel. pete and jarrett both sported surfer tanks
and board shorts, much like most of the 20-something men in attendance.
pete took it a step further adding in the neon trend and these shoes...

pete wore some dirty pink sperrys, minus the laces, and i have to say i liked the look.
my husband, alex, wore his classic chucks, this time in pinstripe.

it's evident that cross-body bags, baggy tanks, cuffed denim shorts, sandals and sneakers were popular, but it was the bright colors, lace and boots that stole the show. the festival fashions seemed to be the best early in the day, especially jamming around the michael franti & spearhead concert...which by the way, moved directly behind us during a part of the day, shown below. and let me tell you - michael franti certainly has stage style with those good looks, tattoos and dreadlocks.

and what did i wear? i wasn't much of a wild child myself because of the heat, donning a black maxi skirt, taupe crop top and fringed handbag from brandy melville, beaded sandals from nine west, a belt from h&m cat-eye sunglasses from urban outfitters and a few of my favorite chained necklaces. a body chain, purple hair chalk and a bold lip were almost part of the outfit, but with temperatures in the upper 80s...there's no way i could make them work!

i can't make it to sunfest today, but want to see more. so if you're there, send me your street style pics at pretaporterpb@gmail.com or tweet them to me at @pretaporterpb so we can keep up with it all here!

sunfest street style.

i was bummed that i couldn't attend coachella this past month, and my husband and i weren't able to make tickets to outside lands music festival work either. the worst part about it? i'm missing out on all that bohemian style.

think crop tops, colored denim, lots of lace, high-waisted shorts, neon belts, vintage tees, braided hair, head wraps, fringed purses and military boots. mini skirts, high-low skirts, sheer skirts. hippie chic mixed with 10 percent 80s wear and 10 percent 90s.

 
luckily, here in downtown west palm beach we have sunfest. the intracoastal-lined arts and music festival spans five days and has really proven itself over the years with top national acts...now let's see if it can hold up to the fashion.

i've got my outfit planned for the joan jett concert and all the 90s bands i'll be seeing tomorrow...what are you wearing? i'll be snapping a few pics to capture some of the best street style, but want you to send me shots of your looks too at pretaporterpb@gmail.com.

here's one of my friend lilia from last year in cute but casual palm beach county fashion. she was on the ombre and maxi dress trends ahead of the game - before they blew up everywhere this year.

need more inspiration? check out the lookbook.nu post with bcbgeneration, urban outfitters' "behind the scenes" pinterest board, or a few of my top festival fashion picks here:

only thing to remember? it's florida. it's going to get to around 84 degrees tomorrow...you're going to want to lose that leather.