The Palm Beach Steeplechase was declared a huge success by professional and equestrian aficionados. In its inaugural running, the Steeplechase marked the beginning of the winter equestrian circuit with a crowd estimated at 4,000. In addition to the five races with total prize money of $180,000, the event featured skydivers landing in the infield with a 1,000 square-foot American flag, terrier races, a children’s fair, the release of three dozen doves, gourmet food by Equestrian Club by Tavern on the Green, a wine festival and beer tent. The course was the same facility where the late Princess Diana watched her husband, Prince Charles, play polo two decades ago. The South Florida equestrian circuit is in full swing and the Palm Beach Steeplechase is the perfect start to a spectacular season.
The organizers, Equestrian Sports Productions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Wellington Equestrian Partners is composed of a group of individuals dedicated to creating excellence in horse sports. WEP created ESP to bring together the best-experienced and most talented individuals to manage horse shows, and produce spectacular equestrian events providing the highest levels of facilities and services to fulfill WEP’s goal of building the top equestrian showcase in Wellington, FL. This partnership includes some of America’s most prominent equestrian families who are committed to developing a top-level equestrian community in Wellington and providing harmony between equestrian and non-equestrian interests in and around the horse show grounds, The Palm Beach Equestrian Center.
The Steeplechase is well known for the diversity of attire its guests wear. Men wore khakis, blazers, jeans and polo shirts, while the ladies attended in beautiful sundresses, jeans, and of course, hats. The Steeplechase is a traditional form of horse racing—mainly conducted in the United Kingdom, United States, France and Ireland—and derives its name from earlier races in which orientation of the course was a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing intervening obstacles in the countryside. The new Palm Beach course measures one mile running clockwise, and the races are run at a distance of 2.25 miles. Even though the term originated in Ireland, steeplechase is not used there or in the UK. The formal code is National Hunt Racing. The most famous of these races is the Grand National run annually in Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool since 1837.
Steeple chasing occurs in 12 states in the U.S., offers $4 million in total purses is seen by millions of people and includes the best horses and horsemen. Each year this activity raises millions of dollars for charity while attracting an estimated one million fans. The feature race at Palm Beach is a $100,000 Grade 1 Novice Hurdle that decides the year-end novice championship. On the horseman side the very top owners, trainers and riders that competed in Wellington in the season finale. Horses were brought from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee and the Carolinas. Before the event, Mark Bellissimo, Palm Beach Steeplechase chairman commented, “The steeplechase will be a fun family event that should attract all types of spectators from the community and beyond.” And so it was. Among the enthusiastic crowd, there were thousands of devoted fans as well as new aficionados who had never attended an equestrian event.
Horse sports are part of Old and New World traditions. The horse is the noblest of beasts and our admiration for this fine animal continues to grow. The inaugural Palm Beach Steeplechase demonstrated that there is a great need and interest in our communities for this kind of event. Those who partake in the equestrian lifestyle are thrilled. Those just discovering the nobility of a horse are looking forward to next year’s race to see the horses on the track. SA

Images courtesy of Collen Wilburt, Ilse Schwarz and Ken Braddick

KNOWN FOR ITS LUXURY BOUTIQUES, fine restaurants and the signature architecture of Addison Mizner, the Worth Avenue of today is a key fixture in the Palm Beach community. Bustling during ‘the season,’ Worth Avenue has been the premier shopping destination for the wintering elite since its establishment. Part of the Avenue’s lure, aside from offering the crème de la crème of shopping experiences, is a history in which the essence of the Palm Beach lifestyle is ingrained.
Today, a ‘Mizner’ home will fetch millions in South Florida, but at the beginning of his career, Addison Mizner’s unconventional architecture surprised many. He drew inspiration from his travels through the Mediterranean during his youth, but what he did with window treatments and staircases was, to put it best, unexpected. He believed in creating architecture that was interesting and unique. Without formal training, Mizner began his career in architecture while living in San Francisco and continued on to New York. At the age of 46, he decided to move to Palm Beach for his health, and once he started building, South Florida’s coast would never look the same.
It was during WWI when Mizner began work on the Everglades Club. Palm Beach Master Historian and Storyteller James Ponce, who gives walking tours of Worth Avenue, tells the story of how Paris Singer of Singer sewing machines approached Mizner to build a club, the idea being to offer a facility for officers returning from the war. Singer reportedly asked Mizner what he would build in Palm Beach if he could do anything he wanted, to which Mizner responded, “Well, it wouldn’t be wooden, and I wouldn’t paint it yellow.” This description was in contrast the prominent look in the area established by South Florida’s primary developer, Henry Flagler. Of course, the war ended once building was underway, and the structure became the elite Everglades Club.
From that point, Mizner developed the Avenue with classical courtyards and meandering alleyways. The architecture mirrors that of one of the world’s most fascinating cities: Venice. Worth’s alleyways parallel the paths of Venetian canals and in the same way, arched footbridges pass overhead. Around the strategically placed bends in the road, engineered to pique curiosity, Mizner placed beautiful vias and plazas. Many of these vias have remained unchanged to this day, and today’s shoppers can enjoy Mizner’s creations just as he intended it. As Ponce says, “If you haven’t explored what’s down the alleyways, down the vias, you haven’t really seen the Avenue.”
During Worth Avenue’s early days, starting in the 1920s, it was a seasonal sensation. Ponce, who worked at Palm Beach’s Colony Hotel, remembers how the entire avenue would shut down by the first of May. It was not until the early 70s that the shops and restaurants would remain open year-round. He recalls that 1971 was the first year that Saks Fifth Avenue remained open through the summer season. Many early establishments, such was Kassatly’s, the Avenue’s oldest store, remain. Today, there are more than 200 shops offering the finest in jewelry, clothing and shoes and internationally acclaimed paintings and antiques.
While the times have changed, the tradition of elegance on Worth Avenue remains, thanks in part to the Worth Avenue Association. “The Association’s purpose is to provide a common direction for the Avenue’s merchants,” says John Maus, former president of the Association. “Each of the merchants here is a stand-out retailer in his or her own field. In addition, these are people who want to be a part of this world-famous street.” SA

Images courtesy of The Historical Society of Palm Beach County

SUCCESS WAS ENGRAINED into Marjorie Merriweather Post from her birth on March 15, 1887. As this only child of Charles William Post and Ella Letitia Merriweather grew up, her father taught her every aspect of his grain-foods business, from basic operations—as a child, she helped affix product labels—to keeping the books. Growing up in Battle Creek, Michigan, young Marjorie absorbed it all, along with her father’s attitude that wealth should be shared.
After C. W. Post’s suicide in 1914, the fully capable Marjorie inherited the Postum Cereal Company, although she would not immediately assume running it or even serve on its board, as societal norms of the time reserved such duties for men. At this time she was married to Edward Close, with whom she had two daughters, Adelaide and Eleanor. The family’s life was centered on Close’s origins in New York, and they divided time between a Fifth Avenue apartment and an estate in Greenwich, Connecticut. But it was not a fitting life for the ambitious businesswoman, and the marriage did not last. Soon after the 1919 divorce, Marjorie married Wall Street’s E. F. Hutton, nephew of the famed broker, with whom she had her third daughter, Nedenia. Hutton was heavily involved in the growth of Postum Cereal Company, which after several significant acquisitions—Maxwell House Coffee and Birdseye Frozen Foods, to name a pair—became General Foods Corporation in 1929.
Social opportunities were abundant, and such time was spent with birds of a feather (e.g. the Astors and the Vanderbilts) in the expected places: New York and Newport in summer, and in winter Palm Beach, where Post kept a home called Hogarcito. The seaside estate was lovely, but as her three daughters grew and the family’s social needs increased, Marjorie realized that Hogarcito was no longer adequate in space or grandeur. She wanted to impress her Palm Beach friends and globetrotting guests with something truly unique. A sea view was imperative, but so was resistance to storms. The 17-acre site between the Atlantic and Lake Worth—hence Mar-a-Lago—had a coral foundation, permitting a dependably reinforced perch. For the design, she resisted the expected decision to hire Addison Mizner, then the premier architect in Palm Beach. Again, the cereal heiress had made her own mark.
Original architect Marion Wyeth didn’t show the chutzpah Marjorie sought, so she hired Austrian architect Joseph Urban. The men ended up in a lopsided collaboration, with Urban providing nearly all of the exterior design—a tastefully extravagant combination of the best elements of the Mediterranean—and the pragmatic Wyeth reining in the excess. Most notable are the countless (about 36,000) 15th-century tiles from Spain, roofing and floor tiles from Cuba, and the stone from Italy. When it came to the construction labor, Post maintained her father’s philosophy by deliberately over-hiring tradesmen to keep their paychecks coming.
Once Mar-a-Lago was complete, her peers were all pleased to gather there during the social season for fine parties or extended holidays away from icy winds. As refined and cultured as Marjorie was, her parties were whimsical affairs marked by square dancing and more soft drinks than hard. She held twice-weekly wintertime dances at Mar-a-Lago, complete with a live orchestra and ever-ready dance instructors for those who needed them.
Post clearly enjoyed philanthropy, and many of the events she put on in Palm Beach were fundraisers. For instance, over the winter of 1920–21, she and Hutton teamed with other Palm Beach couples to put on a benefit play for the establishment of a hospital in West Palm Beach. During the Great Depression, Post stepped up her philanthropic efforts, establishing soup kitchens in New York and giving to the American Red Cross, on whose behalf she held a fundraising ball at Mar-a-Lago each winter, and the Salvation Army. Later her charity efforts helped the World Wildlife Fund, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, and various international causes large and small.
Marjorie Post died in September of 1973, and Mar-a-Lago was bequeathed to the federal government with the intention that it become a haven for sitting presidents and visiting dignitaries. In 1964, Post had offered the property to the state of Florida, but the decision-makers shook their heads when they learned its maintenance costs. For this same reason it never became a presidential winter haven; more importantly to the Secret Service, ensuring security at the estate was impossible due to its proximity to Palm Beach International Airport. So Uncle Sam gave the gift back to the Marjorie Merriweather Post Foundation, whose best course was to list Mar-a-Lago in 1980, asking $20 million. The opulent property sat more or less mothballed for years without stirring much interest among the deep-pocketed.
While visiting Palm Beach in 1983, Donald Trump was instantly taken by the sight of Mar-a-Lago, to the point where he made an almost instant offer on the manse. The deal closed at the end of 1985, and Trump used this subtropical home base for about a decade before making it into the private club it remains today. Mar-a-Lago undoubtedly deserves the “Jewel of Palm Beach” moniker it has long held, and just as in its early days it continues to be a favorite venue during the Palm Beach social season. SA

Sea Cloud

The Sea Cloud was Marjorie Merriweather Post’s personal sailing vessel, which remains to this day a symbol of luxurious sailing. As part of their seasonal lecture series, The Historical Society of Palm Beach County will present a discussion of Sea Cloud on Monday, March 9, 2009 at 7:00 PM at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach. Leading the lecture will be Ellen MacNeille Charles, granddaughter of Mrs. Post, and Thomas Hook, who has sailed Sea Cloud for over 20 years. For more information about the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, visit www.historicalsocietypbc.org or call 561.832.4164.

Images courtesy of The Historical Society of Palm Beach County

THE SOUND OF IT IS OFTEN TAKEN FOR GRANTED, yet there is nothing that carries more resonance. Sometimes it calls attention to itself—when you have pushed yourself to your limit to cross the finish line of a 5K race or when your nerves are on edge during the scene of a scary movie—and then you feel it: the rhythmic beat of your healthy heart. This is a call to take heart—in your health. With heart disease being the number one killer of men and women in the United States, know that there are steps you can take to reduce the risk and that there is an organization that wants to make sure you know about them.
“Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke” is the mission of The American Heart Association. It is the largest national voluntary health organization in the United States, promoting research and implementing strategies to fight heart disease. To learn about the Association’s initiatives, SA spoke with Kristie Kjeldgaard and Tere Estorino of The American Heart Association’s Greater Southeast Affiliate. Estorino explains, “Our mission is reducing death and disability from heart disease and stroke, as well as reducing what we call ‘modifiable risk factors.’ Some things, genetics for example, you can’t change. But smoking, physical activity, your diet—those are things you can change.”
Many conditions fall under the umbrella of cardiovascular disease: congenital heart defect, congestive heart failure, heart attack, high blood pressure and cholesterol, for example. Therefore, Estorino says, “Heart disease kills more people than all the cancers combined. Many people don’t realize that.” That is why, approximately 10 years ago, the Heart Association established a goal. “We sat down as an organization and said by the year 2010, we want to reduce death and disability from heart disease by 25 percent,” explains Kjeldgaard. Astonishingly, the organization met that goal ahead of schedule. “We actually achieved that by the middle of 2007.”
However, while national statistics have seen an overall decrease in the incidence of heart disease, new challenges continue to surface. Kjeldgaard explains, “We looked at the trend, and the men’s death rate from heart disease was going down, and it was like an inverse because the women’s rate was going up.” That is why the Association created Go Red For Women in 2004. What started out as an educational tool developed into a call for action, culminating with the Go Red For Women Luncheon, which takes place annually in every major U.S. city.
In Miami-Dade, the luncheon will take place on March 13, a half-day celebration featuring seminars and a surprise fashion component, creating a supportive atmosphere to encourage women to fight heart disease. This year’s luncheon chairmen are Tara Solomon and Nick D’Annunzio of TARA, Ink. “Nick and I both have people in our lives who have been affected by heart disease,” says Solomon. “We are strong believers in education and prevention as tools to keep our bodies conditioned and vital, and we want to do everything we can to help women—and the men who love them—be as heart-healthy as possible.”
A red dress fashion show during October’s Funkshion: Fashion Week in Miami helped raise awareness for the cause. Top designers such as Marc Jacobs and Diane von Furstenberg designed dresses specifically for this show in Go Red For Women’s signature color. The event was such a great success that plans are already in the works for this year’s Fashion Week. The dresses will be auctioned off to benefit the organization at the Miami-Dade Heart Ball, slated for May 30, 2009.
Through the Heart Association’s events, “Our goal, besides raising funds for the mission of what we do, is really building relationships with people where we work together throughout the year,” says Estorino. “Our events are a celebration of what we do.” By building those relationships, the organization can further its mission of educating Americans about the risk factors of heart disease and to fund research to fight it. During American Heart Awareness month this February, take the time to learn about the steps you can take towards a heart-healthy lifestyle. SA

Photographed by Funkshion: Fashion Week Miami Beach

For more information, visit www.americanheart.org

As each exquisite design hit the runway, the dazzling beauty of the jewelry took yet another breath away. In Miami, the debut of the Luis Felipe Jewelry Designs Winter/Spring Diamond Collection was more than enough to remind every onlooker of why they say diamonds are forever. Once one of these gleaming pieces captivates admiring eyes, it leaves a lasting impression—forever.
For Luis Felipe Perez, his passion for jewelry design has been evident since the age of 12. Born in Havana, Cuba in 1972 and living with his family in Miami by 1977, Perez went on to the Gemological Institute of America to learn the study of gems and precious stones after graduating high school in 1990. In 1995, he opened his first retail jewelry store, quickly establishing a large base of private and wholesale clients. Soon after, he followed his success by moving into the business of diamonds and wholesale and the designing of his own collection.
Since that time, Luis Felipe Perez has established himself as one of the most successful independent private jewelers in the country. Specializing in using the rarest of stones and best of quality in his designs, Perez has created jewelry lines for department stores across the country while also maintaining a following of private clients. October 2008 marked the completion of a year devoted to the creation of earrings, bracelets and necklaces for the Luis Felipe Jewelry Designs Winter/Spring Diamond Collection. The gleaming debut in Miami featured $20 million in diamonds.
During the premiere of the new collection, models dressed in bold black took to the runway while the diamonds they wore danced in the lights. The collection, classic yet unique, features pieces with long strands of diamonds to adorn a bare back—certainly a highlight of the show. Perez was in attendance to present the collection and took time to meet with guests during the reception afterwards. Recalling the night of the premiere, Perez said, “I felt many things, but most of all, I felt proud of the hard work we did for almost one year, myself and all those who collaborated with me, in making the night possible.”
Perez specializes in one-of-a-kind, custom-made pieces created to encompass every detail of his clients’ specifications. Using precious metals and stones including diamonds, rubies, sapphires and birthstones, he creates timeless jewelry to match each customer’s vision. “My specialty,” explains Perez, “is loose diamonds; I love to work with loose diamonds to make long diamond necklaces, bracelets and earrings.” He continues, “My favorite part of this business, I have to admit, is creating special wedding and engagement rings.”
“Art and jewel design go hand in hand,” says the Miami-based designer, and to a tee, he follows that mantra. Perez states, “My inspiration has always been the beautiful women, and this great romantic yet glamorous city we live in.” His awe-inspiring creations are the perfect accessories for any occasion, from elegant balls and charity events to a romantic evening out on the town. Perez has offices in New York and Miami, each with showrooms, where the designer consults with his clients one-on-one by appointment only. As for what the future holds, Perez says his plan is to “start new lines and designs for next year and continue to dazzle all of our current clients and potential new ones with amazing one of a kind pieces.” SA

Photographed by Zoltan Prepszent

Indian Creek Country Club

The Indian Creek Country Club served as the regal setting for the Miami Children’s Hospital Auxiliary Committee’s 42nd annual Queen of Hearts luncheon. The 2009 queen regnant is philanthropist Swanee DiMare, who was escorted to her coronation by her own Prince Charming, Paul DiMare. Before a royal court of 250 guests, the new queen was crowned by reigning Queen of Hearts Brenda Nestor Castellano and luncheon chair and past queen Nicole Lozano. Nancy Batchelor and Norma Quintero, also past queens, were in attendance along with Bunny Bastian, Yolanda Berkowitz and Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation president Lucy Morillo. Guests were also treated to a fashion show courtesy of Neiman Marcus Bal Harbour.

Images courtesy of Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation

Neiman Marcus, Coral Gables

Neiman Marcus Coral Gables hosted a special birthday celebration for Norma Quintero and Brenda Nestor Castellano, where friends joined in a special toast for the birthday ladies. Stephen Brunelle, Vice President/General Manager of Neiman Marcus Coral Gables, welcomed guests to the event featuring light bites, champagne bubbly and signature Coco Chanel Martinis by Neiman Marcus’ MARIPOSA Restaurant. The guests of honor were presented with a Chanel Beaute cake featuring edible replicas of Chanel Beaute products and fragrances. Among those in attendance included Lydia Touzet, Tina Carlo, Dorothy St. Jean, Zurami Pascual, Esther Delgado, Ana May Conese, Lucy Murillo, Marysol Patton, Gina Arcic, Debbie Campbell, Swanee DiMare, Mari Alarcon, Nancy Cole, Betty Duarte and Diane de Olazarra.

Photographed by Orlando Garcia