The Original Palm Beach Style Icon Gets Her Due

Few women have left as lasting an impression on American style as C.Z. Guest. With her signature blonde hair, impeccable wardrobe, and unmistakable sense of personal taste, Guest was one of the most photographed and admired women of the 20th century. A fixture of Palm Beach society, she was equally at home in couture gowns and riding clothes, with a personal style that is still referenced to this day.

This week, her legacy was celebrated in Atlanta at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film, where a new exhibition titled C.Z. Guest: Portrait of an American Style Icon is bringing together for the first time more than 40 ensembles and accessories from her personal wardrobe. Curated by PALMER Editorial Director Stefano Tonchi alongside SCAD FASH curator and assistant director of fashion exhibitions and operations Ariel Stark, the show offers an intimate look at the woman behind the celebrated image.

For Palm Beach, Guest remains a particularly compelling figure. She and her husband, Winston Frederick Churchill Guest, divided their time between Long Island and Palm Beach, where she was as comfortable entertaining in a beautifully cut dress as she was gardening, playing tennis, or spending time with her beloved horses and dogs. Her wardrobe reflected this varied life, but always bore her personal touch, which often included having her pieces embroidered with her name or initials. Whether photographed by Slim Aarons beside a Palm Beach swimming pool or dressed for an evening out, she always looked entirely herself.

The exhibition traces that sensibility through designs by Mainbocher, Adolfo, Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Valentino, Chanel, Courrèges, and Max Mara, alongside equestrian attire, sportswear, and personal accessories. Photographs by Slim Aarons, Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn, Bruce Weber, and others offer a glimpse into her remarkable life, from Hollywood in the 1940s to her years as one of Truman Capote‘s famous Swans.

As Tonchi explains: “This exhibition at SCAD FASH presents for the first time the importance of C.Z. Guest as a tastemaker whose vision and style go far beyond the value and the beauty of each single piece presented. Her wardrobe is of great relevance, yesterday as it is today, because it presents a portrait of a woman and her lifestyle, not only her clothes: one of America’s best kept secrets.”

Guest’s daughter, Cornelia, who donated her mother’s wardrobe to SCAD years ago, has been closely involved in preserving her legacy. She joined Tonchi and a number of notable guests and Palm Beachers, including Kimberly Bluhm, Kelly Williams, and Bruce Weber for the November 10 opening celebrations, which included a private reception and a conversation presented by Max Mara, the exhibition’s sponsor. Below are a highlights from the opening and exhibition.

C.Z. Guest: Portrait of an American Style Icon is on view at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta through February 21, 2027.

C.Z. Guest Collection

The Original Palm Beach Style Icon Gets Her Due

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