AN ARMARIUM ENSEMBLE AT THE COLONY HOTEL
PRODUCED BY ELIZABETH MEIGHER PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHRIS SALATA OF C APEHART PHOTOGRAPHY HAIR AND MAKEUP BY IVETTE GIL OF IVETTE GIL BEAUTY DESIGN
“JOIN THE ARMI!” proclaims designer ready-to-wear rental service Armarium. Co-founded by CEO Trisha Gregory and creative director at large Alexandra Lind Rose, Armarium officially launched in April of 2016 through an invite-only mobile app, e-commerce platform, and a New York City showroom. Lind Rose is a former fashion designer, and Gregory oversaw public relations at Salvatore Ferragamo (North America) for nearly a decade. Gregory understands the power of a good outfit. “For years, we’ve talked about how hard it is to find statement pieces from the runways to wear to events or even to dinner with friends,” she says. “That’s when we started thinking about how we could solve this issue…and the idea for Armarium was born.” Today, Armarium stands as the premier online destination for styling and luxury fashion rentals, curated with top fashion brands (for example, a $5,000 Marchesa dress can be rented for an evening for $500). The program offers members the opportunity to borrow pieces from a skillfully curated lineup of couture, ready-to-wear, and accessories, as well as the option to hire one of Armarium’s professional stylists to assist with day-of dressing needs. Dubbed the style brigade, Armarium’s roster of 104 QUEST
experts includes Meredith Melling, Valerie Macaulay, Siobhan Bonnouvrier, and Karla Martinez de Salas. To get the word out, Armarium hosts pop-up shops across the country—one of which recently took place at Palm Beach’s legendary Colony Hotel. Hosted by Armarium ambassadors Binkie Orthwein, Elisabeth Munder, Bettina Anderson, Whitney Bylin, and Armarium “style brigade” stylist Katherine Lande, the occasion offered Palm Beach fashionistas the chance to access Armarium’s impressive roster of luxury brands, including looks from the Spring/Summer 2018 collections of Naeem Khan, Missoni, Pucci, and Roberto Cavalli. The Colony Hotel served as the ultimate spot for Armarium’s pop-up Style Lab, with its ideal location steps away from the luxury shopping along Worth Avenue and its reputation for Hollywood glamour. (Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland are among its well-known guests.) Since 1947, The Colony Hotel has served as a beloved Palm Beach landmark, hosting U.S. presidents, European royalty, winter season snowbirds, and the world’s most discriminating travelers. As The Colony turns 70, the property is unveiling a fresh point of view under new owners, Andrew Wetenhall (whose father was the hotel’s