Sorry for the lack of blogging recently. I have thirty or so articles lined up in my email, all ready to type something about… and I haven’t had the chance. Mea culpa.
Anyway, onto actual blogging. In January, Lilly Pulitzer announced that it would be pairing with Target to come out with a special line for the store. Mayhem ensued. Last weekend, the brand hit stores, and even more mayhem ensued. Target’s server almost crashed; the stores were sold out in hours; and throngs of Lilly-loving bargain hunters cleaned the place out.
This is fodder for the commetariat set, who enjoy the shrieking about how Lilly would be rolling over in her grave, or how this is so gauche. Charlotte Wilder covers it here, but she falls into the “Lilly is for snobs” trap.
Look, kids: Lilly Pulitzer isn’t about being snobbish, exclusive, or elite. It’s about being fun. In case you can’t tell from the giant animals in bright pastels, Lilly apparel and accessories are about enjoying life. You can buy secondhand Lilly (there’s even a Facebook group for it!), Lilly on sale, or wear your Lilly for years. My great aunt tried to steal my Lilly Pulitzer bracelet over Christmas. She has dementia, so it’s probably not a brand recognition thing; it’s because it’s super-cute and shiny:
Who can resist that, whether it’s sold in Target or on Martha’s Vineyard? So cute.
If you see “fun” and “lighthearted” and immediately think of dour snobbery, it’s not the country club set with the problem. Get yourself a flamingo dress, a mai tai, and a pedicure, and come back to us.
The Fog of Law 