Lilly Pulitzer revolutionized fashion with her bright colors and bold prints. What started out as a uniform for her Palm Beach juice stand became a well-known brand loved by many. The Lilly Pulitzer brand website, celebrates the official establishment of the brand in 1959, Palm Beach, Florida (Our Story: Lilly Pulitzer). This foundation occurred during a time of a drastic transformation in the fashion industry. Paul Phipps, author of the article "1960s Fashion for Women & Girls" on RetroWaste.com, discusses how women's fashion was changing drastically during the 1960's from feminine and dressy to unfitted and casual (Phipps). Lilly Pulitzer debuted her line during this time. She was significantly influenced by the changing fashions of the time. Not only did she notice the changing styles, but she also contributed to the changing fashions of the 1960's. Lilly Pulitzer created a lifestyle brand name for herself by recreating preppy. Lilly Pulitzer has positively affected women, men, and the fashion industry from the 1959 to today. The Lilly Pulitzer brand is known and loved for its preppy look, clean-cut lines, conservative styles, and specific customer market.

The Lilly Pulitzer brand has effected and continues to affect women, men, and the fashion industry today. The style of clothing the Lilly Pulitzer brand produces is the main contribution of the label. The brand is known for its "preppy" and minimalistic look. Another major contribution of the brand is the market it targets. The Lilly Pulitzer brand aims to create a clothing line that is appropriate for all ages, with a focus on an exclusive group of customers that live in or travel to warm, tropical locations. In addition, the Lilly Pulitzer brand is mostly recognized for its colorful, bold prints and patterns. The designs on the fabric are what set the Lilly Pulitzer brand apart from other designer's labels. William Norwich, the author of the article "Lilly Pulitzer's Uniforms for an Entire Class" for the New York Times, discusses how the Pulitzer brand brought a new look to the 1960's and 1970's by introducing the shift dress (Norwich). Norwich also comments how, as a result, Lilly Pulitzer created a uniform for the people and vacationers of Palm Beach, Florida (Norwich). The Lilly Pulitzer brand has made many contributions to the fashion industry since its' founding in 1959, and continues to remain an important contribution to the fashion industry today.

Trends in fashion changed drastically during the 1960's. Paul Phipps, author of the article "1960s Fashion for Women & Girls," states that up until 1965 fashion remained stagnant to those popular in the 1950's (Phipps). Women continued to wear conservative cuts in combination with a dull color palette. A dull color palette consists mostly of pale and neutral colors, such as shades of black and brown. Bright, vibrant colors were typically not used in clothing. In addition, women's clothing was very feminine and body conscious. Traditionally, feminine clothing is a combination of dresses, skirts, and blouses that hug the woman's figure. This kind of clothing accentuates the female's body, showing off her hips, bust, and waist. The Victoria and Albert Museum published an article titled "History of 1960s Fashion and Textiles," which discusses how because of these specific fashion characteristics, the typical attire for women consisted of dresses with accentuated busts and pulled in waistlines (History of 1960s Fashion and Textiles). This type of clothing was meant to show off the woman's body to make her appear feminine. However, as discussed by Paul Phipps, this conservative and traditional attire quickly vanished during the mid and late 1960's (Phipps).

Paul Phipps goes on to discuss, how the late 1960's were a time of wild colors, bold patterns, and shortened hemlines for women's fashion (Phipps). In addition to these drastic characteristics, fashion strayed away from feminine, body hugging attire and shifted to boxier cuts. He also discussed how these new cuts not only showed up in the form of baggy tunics, but also in the form of manly pantsuits (Phipps). These new revolutions shocked those accustomed to and comfortable with the old, more traditional fashions. However, it was not long before these trends caught on and the fashion keen of the 1960's adopted these fashions.

Radical change in fashion came about through two particular parties: the youth of the 1960's and designers in London. The article published by the Victoria and Albert Museum discusses how the youth of the 1960's decided that they wanted their ideas to be voiced, and that they did not agree with the previous notion of the time that fashion was only for the wealthy and elite of society (History of 1960s Fashion and Textiles). Therefore, they inspired a push away from the elites' conservative and traditional ways. The youth did not want dressy and feminine attire any longer; they wanted casual and more comfortable garments of clothing. The second party that effected the change in 1960's fashion was the designers in London. These designers were inspired by the pop culture occurring around them. The article published by the Victoria and Albert Museum also comments on how one of the major influences on British designer's clothing was the mod look, a look consisting of bold geometric shapes and designs (History of 1960s Fashion and Textiles). London fashion designers incorporated these bright and bold colors and shapes with boxy cuts and shorter hemlines. The article concludes that soon after these fashions became popular in London, they migrated and inspired designers in the United States (History of 1960s Fashion and Textiles).

Fashion did not only change for women during the 1960's, it also changed dramatically for men. The Victoria and Albert Museum article also discusses how the "Peacock Revolution" was a major turning point in men's fashion (History of 1960s Fashion and Textiles). This revolution entailed designers adding color and prints to men's apparel (History of 1960s Fashion and Textiles). Men's shirts, pants, and suits began to embody color and bold prints. This change in men's clothing was groundbreaking. Prior to this shift in style, men had not worn colors other than neutrals in over 150 years (History of 1960s Fashion and Textiles).

Lilly Pulitzer introduced her men's line shortly after this fashion revolution. The authors of the article "Pulitzer, Lilly," published on the Fashion Encyclopedia website by Richard Martin and Owen James, discusses the premier of the Lilly Pulitzer's men's line in 1969 named the line "Men's Stuff" (Martin & James). This line embodied qualities from the Peacock Revolution, such as the introduction of color into men's wear. Lilly Pulitzer's "Men's Stuff" line incorporated the bright and bold prints and colors that were already showcased in both her women's and children's lines.

This was the state of fashion when Lilly Pulitzer premiered her signature shift dress at her Palm Beach, FL lemonade stand in 1959. Lilly Pulitzer's lemonade stand would eventually become the location where she unintentionally became famous. As told by Lizzie Bramlett, author of the article titled "Pulitzer, Lilly" on VintageFashionGuild.org, Lilly Pulitzer decided to make a brightly colored, printed dress to hide the stains she continuously got on her apron from making juice for her lemonade stand (Bramlett). As her juice stand grew in popularity, her customers began to notice her new attire. The women began asking about where the dress came from, and quickly after everyone was raving about it. Bramlett later discusses, how soon enough Lilly Pulitzer's customers began asking her to make them one of them, which is when she became more popular for her dresses then her juice (Bramlett). This was the official moment when Lilly Pulitzer became a fashion designer. As stated by the official Lilly Pulitzer website, what started out as a small business at her Palm Beach juice stand eventually flourished into a national loved corporation in 1959 (Our Story: Lilly Pulitzer).

Kathryn Livingston, author of the article "Lilly Pulitzer: The Story of the Enterprising Designer" on NYCityWoman.com, discusses how Lilly Pulitzer's designs first struck fame when her college best friend, Jackie Kennedy, wore them in a LIFE magazine cover in 1962 (Livingston). Jackie Kennedy grabbed the public's attention instantly. Her high social status as the first lady and her high respect as a fashion icon made her the perfect person to publically debut Lilly's classic shift dress. Jackie stopped wearing the typical 1950's trends. She strayed away from formal dresses, hats, gloves, and long hemlines, and in turn favored Lilly Pulitzer's more casual and simple designs. Livingston later declares that as a result of this newfound popularity, American women followed Jackie Kennedy's lead (Livingston). Livingston also notes that America raved about Jackie Kennedy's dress soon after the magazine was released, which was when Lilly Pulitzer became publically recognized as a designer (Livingston). Women loved the combination of comfort, femininity, and color that were embodied in Lilly Pulitzer's designs, which began the Lilly phenomenon.

Lilly Pulitzer's loud prints and bold colors began to pop up all over 1960's and 1970's fashion. Livingston also discusses how Lilly Pulitzer helped bring a new, casual, and weather appropriate look to the women of the 1960's (Livingston). Many women became fascinated with this new look because of its booming popularity. It even caused some women to want one of Lilly Pulitzer's designs. Rod S. Hagwood, who wrote the article "Wanted: Dancing Pink Monkeys," argues that the reason Lilly Pulitzer designs were so desired by the public was because of their exclusivity (Hagwood). At first, as noted by the Lilly Pulitzer official website, Lilly Pulitzer designs were only sold to celebrities and the extreme elite (Our Story: Lilly Pulitzer). Hagwood contributes to this argument by stating that families such as the Vanderbilts, the Rockefellers, the Whitneys, and the Kennedys were the only ones who could afford Lilly Pulitzer clothing (Hagwood). However, over time, the brand became less exclusive and trickled down to those who had wealth but were not necessarily American icons.

The admiration for Lilly Pulitzer quickly spread and people began to recognize the value and status a Lilly Pulitzer design held. A woman wearing a Lilly Pulitzer dress was instantly deemed be well off. As stated by Hagwood earlier, this recognition came with the brand because of its' exclusivity when it began in the 1960's (Hagwood). The brand was always most popular in Palm Beach, FL because it was the location where the Lilly Pulitzer brand originated. New York Times author William Norwich, emphasized in his article, that owning a Lilly Pulitzer design in Palm Beach became a rite of passage, and over time, Lilly Pulitzer was deemed the "uniform" of those who vacationed in Palm Beach (Norwich).

Another nickname the Lilly Pulitzer brand quickly adopted was the "Lilly." Emily Langer, Washington Post writer, expands on the nickname by saying it is a shorthand way for referring to one of Lilly Pulitzer's famous sundresses (Langer). She goes on to explain that this nickname first began in 1959, and continued to be commonly used until present day (Langer). Additionally, you will hear people refer to all Lilly Pulitzer designs as "Lilly's." The term "Lilly's" refers to a bunch of designs or the brand as a whole, rather than one design in particular. Those well versed in fashion designers and brands, and of course by Lilly Pulitzer lovers.

Bright colors, statement prints, and conservative silhouettes are the recipe for the Lilly Pulitzer brand's preppy look. The reason Lilly Pulitzer clothing is deemed "preppy" is because of the market of people, the designer, Lilly Pulitzer, was trying to attract when the brand originated. Langer gives some background of Lilly Pulitzer by discussing how she grew up in wealth, attending private school, and eventually marrying into the elite Pulitzer family (Langer). Lilly's background and social circle helps explain her style and the type of market she was aiming to attract when shaping her brand and clothing.

Although the styles created by the Lilly Pulitzer brand boomed in popularity with some, not all agreed. There are critiques written about both the brand's preppy look and the cut of the clothing. Cintra Wilson, a commentator on popular culture, wrote a critique labeled "The color of mad money" on the Lilly Pulitzer brand. Wilson finds the bold patterns and prints that define the Lilly Pulitzer as preppy to be obnoxious (Wilson). She specifically makes fun of Lilly Pulitzer men's wear and questions what kind of man would wear brightly colored and patterned garments of clothing (Wilson). Next, the Lilly Pulitzer critic moves on to make fun of the style of fabric the Lilly Pulitzer brand uses. She mocks the animal and floral patterns used on dresses, by stating "lily pads, pandas, daises, gooseberries, oh my" in her article (Wilson). Even though the preppy look of the Lilly Pulitzer brand is not admired by all, it is a leading reason why the brand is so loved and appreciated by many.

Another major contributing factor to the style of Lilly Pulitzer clothing is the cut of the apparel. However, people are not always in favor of the conservative look the Lilly Pulitzer brand sells. The boxy cuts, long hemlines, and not too plunging necklines are all factors that can turn people away from the brand. Also, because of these basic cuts and styles Richard Martin and Owen James have deemed Lilly Pulitzer as not a true designer (Martin & James). They claim that her looks are not creative and that she did not design anything new, instead they believe she just simply "provided a uniform of sorts for women of the early and mid 1960s" (Martin & James). Lilly Pulitzer designs have been labeled a variety of negative terms such as common, too conservative, or boring; however, these could also all be terms could that bring costumers to want to buy Lilly Pulitzer clothing.

The Lilly Pulitzer brand has a specific customer market. However, some people do not see this as a positive attribute. The brand has been criticized, once again, by Cintra Wilson for having too small of a costumer market (Wilson). Wilson believes that Lilly Pulitzer clothing is overpriced and not practical (Wilson). In her article critiquing the Lilly Pulitzer brand, Wilson comments on an article of children's clothing. She exclaims, "It's $58, pricey for a washcloth-sized garment a growing baby might wear for a grand total of 4.8 hours" (Wilson). Here, Wilson expresses how the price of an article of Lilly Pulitzer clothing may not be worth it due to its high cost. Another critique of the brand's small costumer market is that the clothing is not always practical because the clothing is typically geared toward a warm-climate area.

Lilly Pulitzer critics may disagree with the brands preppy style, conservative cuts, and specific customer market; however, these are all supporting factors of why the Lilly Pulitzer brand is loved. Lizzie Bramlett discusses how the Lilly Pulitzer brand is best known for its whimsical and tropical prints (Bramlett). People believe that the bold, vibrant colors and repetitive patterns and prints are what set the brand apart from other designers and make it unique. Conservative cuts and clean-cut lines have also been a selling point for the Lilly Pulitzer brand. Even though people of the 1960s wanted to move away from conservative clothing, it still remains a major factor of why the brand is popular today. The Lilly Pulitzer brand is not conservative in all areas; it may be conservative in body coverage, however it's bold prints and colors are far from conservative. Lastly, some may argue that Lilly Pulitzer's customer market is too customized; however, Lilly Pulitzer herself worked to create a brand that would include all ages and types of women. The Associated Press at Mail Online, discusses the type of client the Lilly Pulitzer brand is for. They discuss how Lilly Pulitzer wanted to make a "lifestyle that real people had, or at least, wanted" (Associated Press). The Lilly Pulitzer brand is not exclusive, it is meant to be a lifestyle brand for all ages and types of women. The Associated Press then moves on to discuss that the purpose of Lilly Pulitzer clothing is to make women feel happy, and there is no one age for that (Associated Press). Finally, the article concludes and discusses how Lilly Pulitzer is not just for any occasion, because it is not supposed to be (Associated Press). Lilly Pulitzer clothing is to be worn at celebrations and during happy times, not for every day activities (Associated Press). The Lilly Pulitzer brand is designed for a specific and customized market; women of all ages with a "life's a party" attitude (Associated Press).

The overarching theme that pulls the Lilly Pulitzer brand together is a carefree lifestyle. Lilly Pulitzer created her brand with the image of luxury and whimsy. She painted a picture of a lifestyle that people desired in her resort-inspired clothing. The bright colors, tropical prints, and bold patterns brought people closer to living the carefree, Palm Beach lifestyle. Lilly Pulitzer made her mark in fashion by creating unique clothing that stands out. The Lilly Pulitzer brand brought a new twist to preppy, and is a lifestyle brand that people continue to want to be a part of.
