By Rachel Deena ’13
The year was 1959 and Lilly had opened up a juice stand to occupy herself. The young heiress soon was faced with a life-altering question; how to hide the juice stains from oranges and grapefruits. Her answer was to create a house dress that was visually vibrant so that the stains didn’t stick out. And so the Lilly Pulitzer shift dress was born.
The shift dress and other designs by Lilly Pulitzer reflected the radiance of her Palm Beach lifestyle. Everything inspired her, from fruit and vegetables, Flamingos to Peacocks even politics. Her modern pieces are sprinkled with prints that stretch from lipsticks to cats. Lilly made the simplest things into beautiful clothing.
Lilly Pulitzer, a mother, wife, socialite, daughter, and designer passed away on Sunday April 7th 2013. At the age of eighty-one, Lilly’s name is known throughout the east coast and her sunny take on the “preppy look” decorates wardrobes from New England to Florida.
Pulitzer had always been an “It Girl”, always running with the best of the best. Born to Robert and Lillian McKim on November 10th, 1931, Lilly was destined to a life of privilege because she was born to an heiress to an oil fortune. As Lilly grew older, she attended Miss Porter’s school then Chapin School. After high school and In a whirlwind romance, she eloped to Herbert Pulitzer Jr., grandson of the publisher, shocking both their families.
These days, Lilly Pulitzer designs cover almost anything from agendas to maxi dresses, wine glasses to bikini tops. Her upbeat floral prints have accumulated a net sale of close to 122.6 million dollars.
Lilly has even affected the lives of Williston students. “I wear Lilly because the bright bubbly colors in her designs always brighten up my day. When I wear Lilly I know I’m going to have a good day. It’s sad to know that the queen of pink and green isn’t with us anymore” says Zoe Lai. Athena Yeung adds, “when you wear Lilly you feel classy and pretty. You fall in love with their forever dresses, which are dresses that you will love forever.”
Lilly has done it all, from dressing Jacky Kennedy to putting on runway shows. Her life truly reflected one her quotes “Life is a party, dress like it.” That she surely did.
