LILLY PULITZER, Fifty Years of Palm Beach Preppy Prints

vintage Lilly Pulitzer men's slacks, circa 1970, worn with a Lacoste polo shirt in the Palm Beach manner

1960s Lilly Butterfly Print Skirt
an array of 1960s-1970s Lilly Pulitzer Men's trousers, private collection

Summer is here, and the prospect of barbecues, holidays and relaxation stretches before us. Summer isn't just a season, it is a state of mind. One of the ways we enjoy summer is in the more casual way that we dress. Seersucker, linen, bright and light colours, all look and feel great and help us enjoy the season. What would July and August dressing, or for that matter resort dressing, be without Lilly Pulitzer? Lilly is the Florida designer known for her unmistakable, brightly coloured prints, who this year celebrates the 50 year anniversary of her first designs.

In the label's heyday of the 1960s, her fashions were worn by Jackie Kennedy and members of the Kennedy family, as well as Vanderbilts and Rockefellers. The look said, "Leisure class, preppy, country club, cocktails by the pool." It was establishment, but very funky and slightly eccentric establishment.

Growing up in cold Canada, I never really knew Lilly. When I was in university in the late 1970s, I used to frequent thrift shops. From time to time, I came across trousers in colourful prints with the label, "Lilly Pulitzer, Palm Beach." I had never heard of the designer, but the prints were so whimsical, so original, and so amusing, that I was smitten. At that time, I tried to research the designer but found that the label was out of production. The label in fact ceased in 1984 and was revived in 1992. In the 1980s, to most eyes, the prints looked hopelessly wild and psychedelic as the fashion industry embraced the haute Conservative, haute bourgeois propriety of the Reagans. Nonetheless, I continued to collect these powerful Pulitzers. Then I noticed, almost simultaneously with the revival and renaissance of Pucci fashions and that label, that hipsters and those in the know could be seen wearing vintage Lilly Pulitzers. Eventually, the label was revived and a new generation was introduced to the designs of Pulitzer.

At first glance, a Pulitzer print looks rather bold, especially in a world where so many are in black or beige. But look closely, and you will see that often only one or two colours are strong, and the rest are retiring. The themes of the prints are whimsical and charming. There is always something sophisticated or a certain finesse in the patterns that prevents them from looking comical or juvenile. These are not your typical 1960s wild flower power florals. Most motifs were based on nature and include subjects like pandas, seashells, butterflies, tropical fish, etcetera.
"lilly" signature concealed in the stripes on the zebra's back signature concealed, like camouflage, among the spots of a seashell
a wild, tropical pineapple print
signature in the fur of a panda bear early 1970s print of pandas and bamboo in a typical green and yellow colourway of the period this print was of yellow and aqua; the overprinted areas resulted in the verdant green Lilly Pulitzer fish and shell motif print, perfect for seaside resort wear; signature at edge of the shell
All the prints are discreetly signed. It is hidden, like a treasure to be found, in the design. "Lilly" might be spelled out in the veins of a leaf, or the stems of meadow daisies, or the fur of a panda bear's back. While current Lilly prints are charming, they cannot touch the vintage ones for charm, whimsy, and innovation. Really, I wish that they would periodically re-issue the old ones. Lilly is famous, but not nearly as famous as she deserves to be. It is my hope that there will be more research and documentation of her wonderful work. Porthault, Manuel Canovas, Paule Marrot, and Emilio Pucci prints are wonderful and unmistakable, but nothing says,"Fun in Palm Beach," like Lilly Pulitzer.

For summer or resort, the perfect look for a woman is a Pulitzer skirt and a Lacoste polo shirt, or a simple Pulitzer print shift like Jacqueline Kennedy wore when in Florida (even to church!). For men, the equivalent look is Pulitzer print slacks with a Lacoste polo shirt, worn with or without a tropical weight navy blue blazer.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the label, there will be an exhibition the the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History in Palm Beach County from August 3, 2010 until May 31, 2011.


vintage Lilly Pulitzer garment labels

Photos by Square with Flair

http://www.mlfhmuseum.org/exhibitionschedule/upcomingexhibits.html

Poor, but Pretty in Pucci

Pucci is one of the most iconic fashion looks of the mid to late 20th century. I remember one fashion expert saying that in the '60s, "If you weren't wearing Pucci, you didn't exist." To be in a Pucci dress was to be recognised as a member of the jet set, and those who were fashionable, modern, and had European sophistication. Pucci reached the height of popularity in the late '60s to early '70s when brilliance of colour and pattern could be seen on fashions for children, men, and women, as well as household products such as bedding, wallcoverings, upholstery and drapery fabrics. The most sophisticated patterns of this era were by Emilio Pucci of Florence. Women became weary of the brilliant looks in the mid '70s, and the immediately following trends played with Edwardian, Victorian, and romantic influences by Laura Ashley and Ralph Lauren. Within a decade, the futurism of Cardin, Gernreich, and Couregges was abandoned for high necked blouses, buttoned granny boots, and patchwork skirts that evoked the previous century. The most notable example of this was Lady Diana Spencer's 1981 neo-Victorian wedding dress, covered with lace, frills, and bows.

Diana Spencer's 1981 wedding dress in neo-Victorian style

The renaissance of Pucci started in the early '90s with women wearing vintage pieces. Around this time, books were published about Pucci, and this brought awareness and discovery to a new generation, who was smitten with Pucci's unique dolce vita modernism. Eventually the house itself increased advertising and production, and after an absence of two decades, Pucci was seen again in the most prestigious clothing stores

Iconic fashion like Pucci rarely goes on sale, and when it does, selections are very limited in terms of size, style, and colour. One will sees very expensive fashions on sale, but less frequently does one see fine classics like Chanel suits, Hermes handbags and scarves, Burburry trench coats, or classic Lacoste polo shirts, at reduced prices. That is why when they do go on sale, it is a good opportunity to buy, especially if you've always dreamed of one of these iconic pieces, but never been able to afford it.

Pucci blouses and dresses have been worn by the most fashionable women of the 20th century, including Audrey Hepburn, Catherine Deneuve, Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, the Duchess of Windsor, Elizabeth Taylor, Helen Gurley Brown, and Paloma Picasso. A Pucci print is very sophisticated, and recognisable in the way that a painting by a good modern artist is. Pucci prints are bright and colourful, but upon examination, many of the colours are not so brilliant as they seem. The colours are so well coordinated and contrasted that they sing and vibrate. If you look at some of the colours in these Pucci prints in isolation, you'll see that many of the colours aren't nearly as electrifying as when they play off the other very carefully selected tones. The mixing of these colours is much more difficult than one can imagine. This is why most vintage psychedelic prints of the 1970s are brash and vulgar when contrasted with a Lilly Pulitzer, Porthault, Paule Marrot, or Pucci. In Pucci prints, each area of colour is delineated by a very fine black line. The small and very discreet signature "Emilio" is scattered throughout the print, so that one can discern if the pattern is authentic.

Just this week, I was surprised to come upon this rack of Puccis on sale at a major Canadian clothing discounter. There were blouses, dresses, pants in cotton and silk. Prices were half suggested retail, so that $600.00 blouses were $300.00. Considering that most fashion loses 90% of it's value when it leaves the store, these sale pieces are an excellent investment compared to most clothes. The $300.00 blouse will likely get you $100.00 to $200.00 if resold, whereas virtually any other clothing in that price range will bring nothing if resold.

Puccis are very noticeable, and some people think they are difficult to wear. This is not correct. The best way to wear them is as separates, so that for example, a blouse would be worn with slacks, jeans, or a skirt in a solid colour of one of the tones used in the print. A cotton Pucci print blouse and a pair of simple white jeans will take you almost anywhere this summer.

Fashion is often fickle and unpredictable. Avoid expensive fashion errors by sticking to time tested looks, and fashion can be much friendlier. Pucci is a dear friend one first met in the 1960s, and who is always cheerful and bright. Pucci is the perfect antidote to economic gloom and the predictable black that so many of us seem unable to shake off. In these times calling for extraordinary fiscal measures, one can still be pretty in Pucci.

© 2010 Square With Flair™