Every summer, pictures of girls in Lilly Pulitzer dresses plaster social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The faces are different in each picture, but all of the shots begin to blur into one as I notice a trend — girls as young as 4 or 5 sporting vibrant, floral patterns on dresses, rompers, shorts, tops and even accessories, smiling at the camera.
For those unfamiliar with the brand, Lilly Pulitzer, known affectionately as Lilly among loyal customers, is a high-end clothing brand that places a strong emphasis on its bold, flamboyant prints. Lilly Pulitzer Rosseau first founded the company when she eloped to Palm Beach, Florida, shortly after marrying Peter Pulitzer. She started off with nothing more than a juice stand and colorful dresses to hide the juice stains, and eventually started a company where she designed and sold shift dresses. Her dresses were very popular and were worn by socialites as well as the Rockefeller, Vanderbilt and Whitney families. She shut down the business in 1984, but Sugartown World Inc. revived the brand in 1993. Today, the business is owned by Oxford Industries Inc. and Lilly’s signature shift dresses are still vital pieces in many women’s wardrobes.
I encountered many girls wearing Lilly Pulitzer dresses during my time at boarding school, which made a lot of sense because Lilly Pulitzer is preppy. Ask any teenager, boy or girl, and they will name Lilly, along with brands like Vineyard Vines, J. Crew and Ralph Lauren. They will not be able to explain to you why it is preppy — they just know.
At 16, I wanted one too. I mean, their dresses are pretty. I went on their website to browse possible options, only to realize that I missed out one very important piece of the puzzle.
Each Lilly shift dress costs $198.
With some disappointment and barely enough money on my debit card, I closed the tab.
There is a difference between Lilly and other brands in the same price range. You can work hard, save up and whip up $200 to pay for a dress from Michael Kors or DKNY. But Lilly dresses are woven together generations of boarding school graduates, summer homes in West Palm Beach and legacies lined up at the nation’s most prestigious universities. It is a birthright that money cannot buy.
This theory was first mentioned inRobin Givhan's article for The Washington Post when Target announced its collaboration with Lilly Pulitzer in the spring of 2015.
Unsurprisingly, the Internet went crazy.
Some thought that the world was going to end.
lilly pulitzer collaborating with target is probably the worst news I will get in all of 2015 – Marisa Lyn Friedman (@marisalynnnn)January 7, 2015
Lilly pulitzer for target?! Holy hell What's next?! the apocalypse??! affordable clothing for the masses!? Disgusting — Pamela Beesly (@trillprincess47)January 6, 2015
Others were furious, worried that Lilly Pulitzer was going to lose their sophisticated image.
So basically I just spent almost 200$ on a dress that is going to now be about 50$ at target. What. The. Fuck. Lilly pulitzer -Taylor Appell (@T_appell15) January 7, 2015
Sorry but @LillyPulitzer should not be sold at Target. Sucks if you can’t afford it but that’s life. - ♡Marissa Boyd♡ (@marissuhh) January 7, 2015
Simply Vera Vera Wang is not real Vera Wang.
Ralph Lauren Polo is not real Ralph.
Lilly Pulitzer for Target is not going to be real Lilly.
— 50 Shades of Srat (@ShadesOfSrat) January 6, 2015
Not happy about Lilly being in target! If you weren’t classy enough to have it before, you sure as hell aren’t classy enough now. — Kylie Andrews (@andrews_kylie) January 7, 2015
Since the company’s founding, Lilly Pulitzer has focused on catering towards women in upper class families. I, however, am not saying that all girls who wear Lilly are stuck-up girls obsessed with brand names and the prestige that comes with wearing the pink label like these girls are. I do not have any problem with the people around me being preppy, either. Just do not be snobs about it. I have absolutely lovely friends who bus tables all summer and save up to buy a Lilly dress at their semi-annual sales, and I respect them for that. I admire those who have to work for what they have.
You might disagree with everything that I have said, and that’s okay. I might not ever understand the hidden value of a preppy outfit. I was born into a different world, one that values genuine, hardworking individuals over those who take everything for granted. As someone from the outside looking into this somewhat exclusive society, I would much rather spend my $200 somewhere else.
