As a personal assistant to a wealthy retiree, Nora Szigeti is tasked with many of the usual tasks, including managing the calendar, booking travel, and running errands. But after her 70-year-old boss recently came across an Instagram post shared by Class of Palm Beach, an account that documents the outfits worn by people in the wealthy neighborhood of Palm Beach, she I took on another role as a public relations officer.
Szigeti, 50, recalled writing a message on the account in November. “My boss is the perfect person for your site.” Shortly after, her employer, Oblio Wish, appeared in a video shared by Class of Palm Beach, in which she appeared at Dior , Gucci, and Chanel.
She has been featured on Class of Palm Beach’s Instagram, TikTok and Facebook accounts since it launched last March, inviting Palm Beach residents and visitors ranging in age from their 20s to their 80s to One of hundreds of people. Her accounts on these three platforms currently have her over 1 million followers combined.
On this 24-mile-long island, Class of Palm Beach functions for some as a kind of shiny seat for the social media age. This is the nickname for the Palm Beach Daily News, which features full-page photos of social events and luncheons. .
For people like Szigeti, the accounts offer a near-daily glimpse into how the super-rich dress. (A Report from the U.S. Census Bureau lists the median household income in Palm Beach from 2018 to 2022 as $190,824. ) Brunello Cucinelli, Zimmerman, and Hermès are common names mentioned by the people who appear on the Class of Palm Beach account, many of whom can be seen clutching Chanel bags.
“For them, it’s a very normal thing. ‘Oh, today I’m wearing a Rolex and it’s just a Birkin,'” Szigeti said, adding that part of the subject matter of the account is that most people He talked about casual references to watches and bags that he could only dream of. It means owning it. “I would have to save up for two years to buy half a Birkin.”
Deborah Ezaghi, 28, who lived in Palm Beach for part of her childhood, started the Palm Beach Classroom account after returning to the area last year. She previously lived in New York, where she juggled personal training and marketing work, and she said she often asked people on the street about her outfit.
Palm Beach fashion includes the same brands worn in other wealthy enclaves, but the way people dress is reminiscent of a particular lifestyle, Ezaghi said. She added that the account aims to showcase not only fashion inspiration but also that lifestyle and provide an escape.
Alana Stray, a San Diego real estate agent who discovered Class of Palm Beach on Instagram, said she appreciated its “old-world charm” aesthetic and its ambitious atmosphere. She added that Stry also likes that the account features a wide range of people, not just what she calls “Real Housewives of Miami” types.
Ezaghi’s “Palm Beach Classroom” videos are mostly interviews with men on the street, filmed on an iPhone and examining their subjects’ clothing, accessories and fragrances. This approach is similar to that of other social media accounts that have started documenting what people wear in wealthy places, such as: Madison Avenue in New York and greenwich connecticut
Ezaghi, whose wardrobe includes Celine flats and Maison Margiela denim shorts, is also a personal stylist for clients in the Palm Beach and New York areas. She said she spent at least four hours a day managing the Class of Palm Beach account, which shares sponsored posts paid for by brands.
The account features several clients styled by Ezaghi, but most of her subjects are photographed while she’s out and about, such as when she’s shopping at a local Publix grocery store or the upscale retailer Worth Avenue store. They are said to be strangers they met. strip.
She has visited former President Donald J. Trump’s home, Mar-a-Lago, but has yet to record what she wears there. “That was actually something I wanted to look into,” she said. However, she added that there are “strict rules” about “going to other people’s tables” at private clubs.
The type of people she looks for, she said, have lively personalities and appear to “really put purpose into the way they dress.” Ezaghi added that about 70 percent of the people she asked to be featured agreed.
Most of those people are white women, a trend some of the account’s followers noted in the comments. Ezaghi said the demographics of those featured don’t reflect her choices as much as Palm Beach’s population.Recent Census Bureau report Approximately 94 percent of the town’s residents were found to be white and 0 percent black.
“Not everyone is in this area,” Ezaghi said.
Some followers have also requested that the site focus on younger demographics. But Ezaghi said videos with older subjects definitely garner more attention. “I know what works,” she said.
Walking down Worth Street on a rainy Saturday in January, Ezaghi stopped to look at passerby Carolina Paulino, who was wearing Zimmermann separates, Loro Piana shoes, a Hermès handbag and a Cartier bracelet. complimented her outfit. So the next question arose. Does she want to do a video shoot?
Paulino, 28, came to Palm Beach from Miami for lunch. agreed. She later said that her outfit she wore was intended to evoke a “luxury but beach vibe.”
Ezaghi said some people asked her to include fewer designer clothes and more stylish items from affordable retailers like TJ Maxx. But for her, luxury brands are a key element of her beach success.
“People are looking for inspiration,” she says.