The designer Lilly Pulitzer, who was famous for her brightly colored, whimsically patterned mini-dresses and other resort wear, died on April 7th. (You can read her obituary here.)
I walked by the Lilly Pulitzer boutique on Madison Avenue this afternoon; things seemed to be business as usual. I expected some sort of tribute display in the window, perhaps a photo of Mrs. Pulitzer herself with some vintage outfits arranged around it. But the current display, just a row of cheerful shift dresses against a splashy floral backdrop, could have represented any day in the designer’s business from the 1960s through today.
On the other hand, there’s something just right about that.
You can listen to a short National Public Radio story about Lilly Pulitzer and her designs here.
Image: photo by Tinsel Creation, with a little editing help from Picasa.
TINSEL CREATION 
There was a Lily Pulitzer outlet in Miami when I was a child (may still be there?) and my mom would “drag” us there every so often. She hosted many pool parties in her long wrap-around skirts; I had matching ones. I still have about 4 or 5 outfits from the ’70s; great condition. Did you know that the fabric used to have her name “hidden” throughout? That was great fun to find when I was a child, I would go through the racks searching the fabric for hidden script! Rest in peace, Mrs. Pulitzer.
These would be the perfect outfits for hosting pool parties!! ;)
Hang onto those items from the 70s, Andrea!