Lilly Pulitzer

It all started with a juice stand. Lilly McKim married Peter Pulitzer and needed something to keep her busy down there in Palm Beach all day long. She opened a juice stand and soon found the need for something comfortable that would camouflage the stains she would get on her clothes when squeezing fruit. The result was a brightly printed dress she could wear every day, everywhere. Not only was the dress practical, it quickly became the iconic style of a fun-loving lifestyle... The Classic Lilly Shift was born.
The "classic shift dress" shot to international fame and demand when Lilly's old schoolmate Jacqueline Kennedy née Bouvier, now the First Lady, was photographed wearing a "Lilly" while on vacation. "Jackie wore one of my dresses – it was made from kitchen curtain material – and people went crazy. They took off like zingo. Everybody loved them, and I went into the dress business." – Essentially Lilly, A Guide to Colorful Entertaining.
To this day, we design every print and pattern in our print studio. We start each season with a color palette (color is yes, always bright and spill-proof) and develop prints and patterns that bring the brand to life. Our designers sketch, draw, marker, watercolor, and block print every tid-bit of the line. It's all original artwork, and we make sure to carry on the tradition of hiding LILLY in every print.
Once we set the color and theme for the season, the print team starts creating. It is a true artists dream. Paint is flying! As we finish each print, we hang them on one big long wall. After a few weeks of pure creative energy, and a lot of editing we choose our favorite prints for the season. We get into hysterics naming each one – it is one of our favorite moments, tears of laughter!