Lilly Pulitzer

Throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, Lilly's bright, colorful, well-made clothes were very popular and continued to be high-prized items. In 1980, Lisa Birnbach's bestselling tongue-in-cheek "guide," The Official Preppy Handbook, featured a golf skirt and "Lilly beach dress" as must-have items for "preppy" women. Arguably, Lilly Pulitzer's clothing was at the height of its original popularity in the early 1980s. In 1984, however, Lilly retired so as to spend time with her grandchildren, and closed down her entire clothing operation.

Thus, it came as a surprise to the fashion world when in January 1993 Lilly Pulitzer allowed her line to be revived. Lilly is not involved in the day to day administration of the company, but she continues to serve in the role of creative consultant, approving new designs, fabrics, and collections. Good sales have inspired branching out into other product lines. The company also produces Lilly bedding, men's clothing, children's clothing, maternity clothes, shoes, jewelry, and accessories. Today, the company maintains 70 Lilly Pulitzer Signature Stores, several company-owned retail stores, and sells in major department stores such as Bloomingdales, Lord and Taylor, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus.

Recently, she published a pair of lifestyle books, Essentially Lilly: A Guide to Colorful Entertaining and Essentially Lilly: A Guide to Colorful Holidays, with her friend, author Jay Mulvaney, showcasing the "barefoot elegance" that characterizes her entertaining style, as well as two successful desk calendar books, Essentially Lilly 2005 Social Butterfly Engagement Calendar and Essentially Lilly 2006 Party Animal Engagement Calendar. Regarded, to her amusement, as "The Paris Hilton of Palm Beach," Lilly still lives in her "Jungle," enjoying life, her family and friends, and the pursuit of happiness.

In 2006/7, the Lilly Pulitzer identity was rebranded to bring Lilly's aesthetic to a whole new generation and audience to include a men's line and home collection.

Source: Wikipedia