LILLY PULITZER - COLOR AND PATTERN MUSE

Lilly Pulitzer is not my only muse for color and pattern, but I think she was my first.  I first discovered Lilly somewhere around junior high school and I remember thinking I wanted to dress THAT colorfully when I grew up.  Oddly I don't actually have any Lilly Pulitzer in my wardrobe at the moment, something I need to remedy immediately!   

If you're not familiar with the LP story it goes something like this.  Lilly and her husband, Peter Pulitzer, moved to Palm Beach Florida in the 1950's where she became a bored housewife and was eventually hospitalized for a "breakdown."  The doctor who was caring for her told her "There's nothing wrong with you, you just need something to do".

So.....she decided (naturally) to begin selling the citrus from her husbands vast orchards out of  the back of her station wagon (huh?).  Eventually she decided to open a juice stand on the beach where she would literally juice the fruit and sell it to beach goers.  Are you beginning to wonder what any of this has to do with the Lilly Pulitzer fashion company we know today?  OK I'll cut to the chase.  Basically, she got citrus juice all over her good clothes and Peter wasn't too happy about it.  She hired a seamstress to make her a wardrobe of washable - citrus colored - cotton - comfortable shift dresses.  Her friends saw them, wanted them and tada a fashion mogul is born.  Whew, that took forever.   On to the colorful stuff;         

Lilly, all decked out in one of her classic shift dresses, chillin at home.

Her first (and I believe only) shop in Palm Beach.  This is what I mean when I say color and pattern muse!

Waking up on LP sheets must feel like a vacation everyday.

I haven't played in years, but if pink tennis balls are in order, I could be convinced.

Surely everything tastes better.

Summer Lilly style.

I think guys in super preppy outfits are adorable.  Tell me I'm not alone here.

Here we are, Braxton and myself, riding into the sunset on our pink vespa.  In my dreams.

All pictures are from ESSENTIALLY LILLY written by Lilly Pulitzer and Jay Mulvaney.

Please forgive my mania today.  I may or may not have eaten two pieces of fudge for lunch which can make a tiny girl high on sugar for a loooong time.  Or I just may get really excited in the presence of pink and green.
Have a beautiful day!
Yancey