Hi All,
It is was great sadness that I am writing this post. One of my all time favorite fashion designers has passed away, Lilly Pulitzer.
I have always held her clothing lines close to my heart, as a woman who believes she should have been born in the 1960′s, her designs inspired my love of vintage psychedelia and love of pattern – anyone who knows me, will only iterate that I am never without a pattern.
Lilly’s original designs back in the 60′s created the iconic silhouette that we still love today, but for me, it was her color play that kept her designs close to my heart. She kept her designs, bright, bold and definitely tongue in cheek. Mixing florals with jungle scenes, that had an almost animated quality to them – I truly believe her lines could have been just at home in an art gallery as they were in her shops.
She is quoted as stating;
“I designed collections around whatever struck my fancy … fruits, vegetables, politics, or peacocks! I entered in with no business sense. It was a total change of life for me, but it made people happy,” (Quote from http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/)
Her extensive design ranges and portfolio included swing dresses, the shortest of hotpants, swimwear and later on introduced menswear; they all had one characteristic that made them scream her name, they screamed SURF, SUN and SUMMER FUN! She kept true to her branding and her passions, even when things went badly in the 1980′s as punk and grunge emerged, she remain truthful to herself, something we could all learn from! So Lilly, this post is for you, the fashion world wont be the same without you!
“Style isn’t just about what you wear, it’s about how you live,” (Lilly Pulitzer 2005)
