“That’s what life is all about: Let’s have a party. Let’s have it tonight.”
And that glamorous gathering-turned dance party by night would have been thrown by a barefoot Lilly, draped in one of her signature shift dresses, smiling & celebrating with her equally stylish guests.
Best known for her designs in the bright colors & patterns of a Floridian vacation, Lilly Pulitzer was first and foremost an inspiration to wardrobes everywhere.
Fashion designer, style icon, socialite, hostess, juice maker...Lilly wore many hats in her lifetime. Although she's widely celebrated for her eternally sunny outlook on style & life, it's the dresses she will be remembered for. The dresses which can be found on daughter, mother & grandmother all at once.
Without her, we wouldn't have our pink & green, our flower splattered & pineapple patterns or our "Lilly" dresses to throw on after a day spent in the Palm Beach sun.
I mean, how can you not love a woman whose iconic career originated with the vibrantly colored cotton dress she had made to disguise the orange & grapefruit stains she acquired from working at her juice stand.
“I was a gypsy, living a carefree life of ponies and tennis.” -Lilly Pulitzer |
When I pull on a Lilly creation from my closet, I'm instantly transported to sunny Palm Beach no matter where I am in the world. Of course, everything becomes more delightful then.
Today's aspiration it to live life as brightly as Lilly. So go ahead and thrown on your favorite shift or your most flamboyant colored pieces today, not matter what the weather calls for. As she always said, "being happy never goes out of style".
xx
{first photo via salon.com, second my own, third via nytimes.com}