Palm Beach Illustrated June 2022

If you have any doubt that season is stretching into summer, welcome to June. For a month when things are supposed to be “slowing down,” there’s quite a lot going on—and many reasons to celebrate. One of my favorite observations in June is Pride Month, when we spotlight the accomplishments and contributions of the LGBTQ community. I loved the idea of showing support in our pages, so a few months ago, at the amfAR gala, I approached event wiz Jeff Fowler with a thought: Why not put together a team of partners to assemble creative scenes in celebration of LGBTQ culture? Jeff was immediately onboard and, several brainstorming sessions later, we hatched a plan to create rainbow vignettes inspired by cult gay films. The result is a riot of color that…

CHEERS TO 70 YEARS! WHO: Palm Beach Illustrated WHAT: Seventieth Anniversary Celebration WHERE: Swifty’s at The Colony, Palm Beach HIGHLIGHTS: Swifty’s set the scene for poolside cocktails and mingling, as well as an elegant three-course dinner to honor PBI’s “70 Years of Style.” CHEERS TO 70 YEARS! WHO: Palm Beach Illustrated WHAT: Seventieth Anniversary Celebration WHERE: The Regional, West Palm Beach HIGHLIGHTS: Longtime friends and supporters of PBI celebrated the magazine’s milestone anniversary with fare by chef Lindsay Autry and flair by The Special Event Resource and Design Group. THE EDITOR’S TABLE WHO: Palm Beach Illustrated WHAT: The Editor’s Table WHERE: Le Bilboquet, Palm Beach HIGHLIGHTS: Editor in chief Daphne Nikolopoulos partnered with Le Bilboquet, The Special Event Resource and Design Group, and Via Coquina to present an exclusive editorial VIP dinner in honor of the magazine’s platinum anniversary. CHEERS TO 70 YEARS! WHO: Palm Beach…

After finding inspiration in the wildflowers of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Palm Beach Gardens resident Nikki Hodson began creating floral crowns as a hobby. Her passion soon blossomed into a business, replacing her job as a visual director for Anthropologie. Today, Hodson and her team at Boho Garden Crowns & Events are a full-service boutique florist offering arrangements for every day and special occasions, as well as wedding and event design and installations. Still, Hodson’s boho-chic flower crowns are a popular request—and she’s eager to share the love, offering crown-crafting workshops upon request and often hosting pop-ups in season. Feeling free-spirited? All you need is scissors, wire, and a wildflower-picking spot. “I love to use chamomile, spray roses, ranunculus, tweedia, anemone, and wax flowers—the smaller the flower, the better,” Hodson says.…

FORE A GOOD CAUSE On June 7, join with golfers around the world in marking Women’s Golf Day, an annual global event founded in 2016 by West Palm Beach resident Elisa Gaudet. Held on the first Tuesday in June, Women’s Golf Day is a four-hour sporting celebration that spans 24 hours, beginning in New Zealand and ending in Hawaii. During the first two hours, new golfers can receive lessons while practiced golfers enjoy two hours of nine-hole play; the remaining two hours are a chance for both groups to mingle. The event has been hosted at 1,000 locations across 80 countries and aims to support women and girls in a historically male-dominated sport. Once a model and actress, Gaudet’s golf-industry experience ranges from spearheading marketing for the Tour de las Americas (Latin…

COOL CREATIVES Summer camp at Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach is open to ages 6 through 17 and is divided into junior and teen sections, promising hands-on art adventures. Whether they’re into fashion design, bugs, street art, ceramics, or sewing, there’s a class to suit every taste. Enrollment closes on the Friday before each camp week. (armoryart.org) WEEKEND WARRIORS Every month, West Palm’s The Square hosts TGIFamily, an outdoor event for the whole family—think lawn games and live music as well as story time with Rohi’s Readery, crafts with Rhythm & Hues, and science activities with the Cox Science Center and Aquarium. Summer TGIFamily dates are June 24, July 29, August 26, and September 30. Need a staycation? The Sun, Swim, Summer Package at the nearby Hilton West Palm Beach is…

Arrested for drug trafficking at the age of 17, Allie Severino faced a possible prison sentence of 120 years. She thought her life was over. “I even wanted to go to prison because I was convinced I couldn’t succeed on probation,” she says. But Severino got a lucky break when the judge assigned to her case decided not to give up on her. “He saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself at the time,” she says. “It’s people like him, who gave me a second chance, who allow me to live the life I live today.” More than a decade later, Severino is sober and thriving in her new role as a homeless outreach specialist for the City of West Palm Beach. “They didn’t look at my past,…