Lilly Pulitzer and Splash of Pink: The Legacy of a Heritage Brand

By Matthew Longcore

“Shopping from the Lilly catalog is a Preppy’s idea of walking on the wild side. The clothes here – men’s and women’s resort wear – are totally out of control in prints famous for their distinctively intense shades of lime green, shocking pink, and electric yellow. Count on at least four women at any yacht club gathering to be wearing one of Lilly’s whalebone-bodiced dresses.”

– The Official Preppy Handbook (1980)

Growing up in coastal Connecticut in the 1980s, this passage from The Official Preppy Handbook described the yacht club set perfectly. Perhaps it helped that Carol McD. Wallace, one of the four main writers of the book (along with Lisa Birnbach, Jonathan Roberts, and Mason Wiley) grew up in Southport, Connecticut. Southport – in addition to other Fairfield County towns – is listed in a section titled “A Sampling of Suburbs” (page 188) and Pequot Yacht Club is mentioned in “The Right Clubs” section of the book (page 209).

As evidenced in The Official Preppy Handbook, by 1980 the brightly colored clothing of Lilly Pulitzer had already become synonymous with preppy resort wear. From Kennebunkport, Maine to Palm Beach, Florida, attractive and well-heeled people loved Lilly. High society photographer Slim Aarons featured many ladies and gentlemen wearing Lilly Pulitzer clothing. New York City mayor John Lindsay looked smashing in his custom Lilly Pulitzer blazer. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy was unforgettable in her Lilly shift dresses. Mayor Lindsay – St. Paul’s ’40, Yale ’44, Fence Club, Scroll and Key – made “The Prep Pantheon” section of the book (page 198). Caroline Kennedy – the Harvard-educated daughter of Jackie and JFK – also made list (also page 198) with the proud preppy statement that “an unnatural fiber never went near her body.”

The Lilly Pulitzer brand recently celebrated its 65^th anniversary. The origin story of the brand is well-known in preppy circles. In the 1950s, socialite Lillian Lee McKim Pulitzer and her husband Herbert Pulitzer decided to live year-round in Palm Beach, the oldest resort town in the United States.

A beautifully illustrated coffee table book from Assouline tells the story of what is now an iconic heritage brand:

“The instantly recognizable Lilly Pulitzer brand, now synonymous with resort wear, was created in the late 1950s, when Lilly worked at a stand selling juice from her husband’s orange groves. While Lilly loved the job, it was messy, so she had her dressmaker create brightly printed, comfortable shift dresses that would mask the fruit stains, a stark contrast in both color and shape to the form-fitting styles of the decade. With this design, Lilly unknowingly invented American resort wear. Soon, women of every age wanted the Lilly dress, and it began selling more than the juice.”

The other big name in the story of the Lilly Pulitzer brand is designer Suzie Zuzek. Suzie was a textile genius who created the whimsical and timeless prints that provided Lilly Pulitzer fashions with their original look. The Zuzek prints gave the Lilly brand its distinctly celebratory spirit, a year-round celebration of the perfect summer day.

Last year Sarah Cooney from the blog Fewer & Better wrote an article about Suzie Zuzek for Ivy Style stating, “The signature Lilly look perfectly captures this celebratory approach to life, and it was Suzie Zuzek, the artist behind the prints, who overwhelmingly shaped that look.”

In October of 2020, I attended a virtual event hosted by the Social Register Association titled An Evening Celebrating Suzie Zuzek, the Artist behind Lilly Pulitzer. The presentation featured images from the Cooper Hewitt exhibition titled Suzie Zuzek for Lilly Pulitzer: The Prints That Made the Fashion Brand, 1962-1985. Here is the description of the event from the Social Register:

“We now have access to her never-before-seen archive of original watercolor paintings, many of which Lilly Pulitzer used in her eponymous line from 1962-1985. The classic resort wear creations were worn by many of the most prominent women in society, including Jacqueline Kennedy, Dina Merrill, and Jayne Wrightsman.”

Caroline Rennolds Milbank, Social Register member, fashion historian, author, lecturer and appraiser provided the social and historical context in which Lilly Pulitzer became one of the most successful American fashion designers and entrepreneurs of all time. Becky Smith, Social Register member and co-founder of the Suzie Zuzek Project, narrated the previously unknown story of the artist, her brilliant and timeless designs, and how the nearly lost Zuzek archive was saved, now privately owned.

My wife and I love Lilly Pulitzer. We shop locally at Splash of Pink, a family owned and operated Lilly Pulitzer Signature Store with locations in Westport and New Canaan, Connecticut. Westport is my hometown and Cedar Point Yacht Club is the place where we keep our sailboat. As sailing season in New England comes to an end and the time to put our boat in winter storage rapidly approaches, we take some comfort in knowing that visits to Splash of Pink will give us a taste of summer year-round. I already have my eye on potential Christmas gifts from Splash of Pink.

What began as a fun trip to Nantucket ended as a mission to bring Lilly Pulitzer to Fairfield County. On February 5, 2003 – just 5 days after they returned home from their honeymoon – Amy and Marc Cesaratto quit their jobs in New York City and opened the first Lilly Pulitzer store in Westport, Connecticut. Their online store, splashofpink.com, followed in 2006. In April of 2019, they opened their second Fairfield County location in New Canaan, Connecticut. Splash of Pink recently expanded and upgraded their space in celebration of their 21^st anniversary.

Amy and Marc work together every day to build a business that inspires customers to keep coming back. Their bright, beautiful stores are overflowing with colorful Lilly Pulitzer designs. Customer service is exceptional at Splash of Pink and the staff works with each client to make great selections.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Lilly Pulitzer has launched their 6^th annual collection in collaboration with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). Amy and Marc are grateful for their success and give back by actively supporting local charitable organizations. “Become a part of the community, whether it is partnering with a local charity to host its event or using local restaurants and vendors to provide services,” advises Amy.

When you shop from a locally owned business, you contribute to their ability to give back to the community.