Palm Beach Society: Organizers of Coconuts New Year's party had to slash guest list in COVID-reduced venue
Well, ain't this a round, hairy, hard-shelled crack on the noggin.
Seems a boatload of folks who for years have religiously saved New Year's Eve to celebrate at the swankiest bash of all — The Coconuts — will have to find someplace else to go.
The 2022 guest list has been cut. Like, deep, blood-drawing, that's-going-to-need-stitches cut.
Don't blame the Lovely Bunch of Coconuts. They've been looking forward to celebrating their 100th birthday this year. Blame instead the round spiky ball called coronavirus, which put the Cocos on ice for 2020 and 2021.
"The Flagler has very stringent post-COVID rules on the number of guests that are allowed at the museum," said Our Man On the Inside. "The invitation list had to be drastically reduced."
Well, that couldn't have been easy. Everyone knows that seating is the hardest part of hosting. Imagine having to do an un-seating.
Our Man confirmed that. "This has been an enormous task. Many guests who have attended in the past will not be receiving an invitation. "
The list has been made and those cream-colored cards are in the mail. If you don't get one, it's not because it blew off the porch.
So make other plans, as long as those plans don't include calling your Cocos contact.
Seriously.
Don't do it.
"There will be no additions to the list," Our Man said.
It's finalized. And, unlike writs of execution, a basket of yellow lab puppies and bottomless Bloody Marys, there is no appeal.
More Palm Beach society news here.
Homecoming
Yes, that was singer-actress Selena Gomez spotted around town this weekend, spending the Thanksgiving stretch with her friends Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz Beckham.
Brooklyn posted videos of the three of them preparing their holiday dinner on both Instagram and TikTok.
The weekend also included Friday night's birthday bash for Nicola's cousin Tommy McCloskey, son of Holly and Michael McCloskey, longtime North End residents. (Holly and Nicola's mother Claudia are sisters.)
The evening went off with enthusiasm of youth — that's code for "well into the night" and everybody woke up safe and sound.
So that's a win-win.
It's in the bag
The Center for Family Services Old Bags Luncheon has established a tradition of featuring a high-end handbag — the IT bag — as part of the event.
This 2023 IT bag was created by Jennifer Tattanelli, making it truly one of a kind.
The bag's body is made of natural wood, hand-woven in the ancient Italian basket weaving tradition. The interior and exterior flap, base of the bag, handle and shoulder strap are made of naturally tanned red tone crocodile. The interior is lined with natural suede and the bag has a flat base so it can sit upright on any surface.
(We never realized how important that is until one day at Cafe L'Europe when our bag tipped over and an empty airplane-sized bottle of Tito's rolled out.)
The bag will be available for purchase at the Old Bags Luncheon, which will take place on Feb. 22, at The Breakers.
Retail value $5,890. But that includes lunch.
Seen...
Beth DeWoody Susan Gutfreund, Alex Hitz, Cornelia Bregman, Gale Hayman, Yanna Avis, Carolina and Renaldo Herrera and Vanessa Noel at Marc Rosen's cocktail party honoring Joan Collins and husband Percy Gibson, who are longtime friends of Marc and his late wife Arlene Dahl ... Suzanne and Bob Cochran, Susan Magrino, Katherine Murdoch, Margo Nederlander and Martha Stewart as the Central Park Conservancy celebrated its 60s-themed gala at Rumsey Playfield. Gillian and Sylvester Miniter were co-chairs ... Kara Ross at the Alzheimer’s Association's annual Imagine benefit, where she was one of eight co-chairs ... Peter and Leni May, Virginia Duchin and Barbara Tober at the opening gala of David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center.
Heard
That smart money's on billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, the wealthiest man in Great Britain, as the likeliest to buy the Manchester United soccer team from Palm Beach's Avram Glazer ... that a high-up GOP politician in New York is telling that city's media outlets that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is absolutely, positively throwing is hat in the 2024 ring. "DeSantis is running,” the pol told the New York Post. “He’s talking to donors in New York. He has good friends here. He’s been up to the Hamptons [for fundraisers].”
Shannon Donnelly is the society editor and columnist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at sdonnelly@pbdailynews.com. Help support our local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Venue's post-pandemic rules make Cocos invite more coveted than ever
