A two-and-a-half hour flight from April’s cold, rainy New York streets, paradise was found. Tucked in between Palm Beach‘s elaborate, ornate mansions, The Brazilian Court Hotel has been a discrete retreat since the 1920s. The unassuming yellow facade is completely transporting once inside, becoming a tropical oasis with glamorous Spanish colonial architecture overlooking sprawling courtyards of lush foliage. And this week, the oasis was transformed into a hotspot for fashion’s finest and Palm Beach’s social scene, courtesy of Moda Operandi.
The luxury online retailer, co-founded and helmed by Vogue alum Lauren Santo Domingo, took over the iconic hotel, hosting five days of curated designer events, as well as an immersive pop-up shop at the property’s Casa by Brazilian Court boutique.
Photo: Courtesy of Gabrielle Wilde
From a facial masterclass and breakfast with founder and CEO of Skin Design London Fatma Shaheen, to styling sessions at the shop with Moda’s Chief Merchant April Hennig and designer Trish Wescoat Pound of TWP, every event was meticulously modish and tailored to Palm Beach perfection.
One of the standouts from the week was eponymous designer Johanna Ortiz’s lunch and salon-style presentation on Thursday. Party-goers were ushered to their seats on Cafe Boulud’s terrace where tables were set with tropical chic linens and tableware from Johanna Ortiz Home, and the space was finished with a bespoke surfboard by Australia-based Nusa Indah Surfboards in a custom Johanna Ortiz print, and coconuts, amaranth, and other tropical touches by Fern and Douglass Florals. “It always amuses and inspires me to be surrounded by brilliant, beautifully sophisticated women,” Ortiz says. “The Palm Beach charm, The Brazilian Court, and Moda Operandi: a perfect match to celebrate Johanna Ortiz’s ‘joie de vivre’!”
