Val's View: How I become a Florida Fashionista

Hi, I’m Val, and I’m a paradise addict.

When my husband Marv and I took our first trip to Florida right after we got married, I vowed to both him and myself that one day we’d return permanently!

And now that dream has come true!

I’m hooked on paradise, hooked on Florida travel, hooked on Florida resort style, hooked on wearing shorts and capris and ankle-length pants with cute sandals all year long.

I’m a Baby Boomer obsessed with the beach – from Palm Beach to Naples to the Keys. Even when I’m with friends in Central Florida, we live the beach lifestyle.

Embracing the Florida Lifestyle

Of course, when we relocated to South Florida, my first move was to throw out the wool. I needed a wardrobe as bright as my paradise – and as comfy and easy-care as my flip-flops.

My best friend Betsy lives in The Villages, and she always looks so cute tooling around the community in her golf cart, so I had to ask her: Where did you get those Bermuda shorts? They’re the right length to cover my thighs – and still cute, with button details at the bottom.

(They’re also stretchy and as comfy as sweat shorts – but they look so tailored and put together, you could wear them to The Breakers in Palm Beach.)

She drove me right over to Anthony’s women’s fashion store – a Florida fashion legend for 120 years and one of the most popular women’s fashion stops in The Villages.

I was fascinated to learn that Anthony’s was already in Florida when Henry Flagler was building Palm Beach and West Palm Beach. And that the Anthony brothers were the first to popularize white shoes in resort climates – not to mention, that they made straw hats and navy blue blazers popular in Palm Beach, too!

Let’s just say, the Anthony family knows Florida style better than anyone – because they essentially invented it!

So, I walked into The Villages store and said to the sales associate: “Dress me, I’m yours!”

Want to know what I bought first?

Catch my next blog. It’s a secret until then…but I must say, I am looking 10 pounds thinner and getting a lot of extra attention from my husband, Marv.

LOVE FLORIDA TRAVEL?

Here’s Val’s Florida vacay tip of the week: Do you love an artsy downtown scene?

Head over to historic downtown Melbourne some time. The seven-block stretch of historic downtown is filled with hip restaurants and shops. Be sure to pack a tankini from Anthony’s – because the beaches of Melbourne and neighboring Indian Harbour Beach and Satellite Beach are some of the best in the state.

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