Lilly Pulitzer

1020 Madison Avenue (near 79th Street); (212) 744-4620

The December 2nd issue of Women's Wear Daily, the fashion industry's premier publication, honors Lilly Pulitzer(r)'s Jubilee with a 16-page MILESTONE tribute. The special section within the pages of WWD includes not only several articles and photos dedicated to the past, present and future of the brand, but also congratulatory advertisements from our vendors and friends in the industry. WWD MILESTONES celebrate designers in the industry who have reached a significant "MILESTONE" and well - what could be more significant than our 50th Anniversary JUBILEE?

Lilly Land
The doyenne of Palm Beach dressing celebrates 50 years of pink and green.

By Sarah Haight
Photograph by Stefan Svensson

As one drives down South County Road in Palm Beach, past Worth Avenue and its glittering boutiques, past The Colony hotel, row after row after row of expertly manicured hedges swing into view. Lining both sides of the narrow street, the soaring sharp-edged bushes are interrupted every 25 feet or so by heavy iron gates, behind which sit massive houses, a blur of creamy stucco and sputtering fountains. And then suddenly, there are no hedges, only a tangle of drooping palm and banyan trees, a sidewalk jungle split by a driveway-no gate-that leads to a bungalow with a big blue door. It is behind that door, affixed with a wooden l, where the tiny island's most famous year-round resident, Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau, lives.

Lilly's Palm Beach Jubilee

By Julee Kaplan

PALM BEACH, Fla. - Lilly Pulitzer is out to throw its heritage around in the contemporary market.

As brands such as Tory Burch, Milly, Tibi and Trina Turk leapfrog Pulitzer in terms of growth, the company's owners are planning an aggressive expansion to stay in the game. "There are brands out there that are just eating our lunch," admitted co-owner and president James Bradbeer Jr. "But we are ready to compete with them head-on."

And last weekend, he outlined how. Pulitzer kicked off its 50th anniversary celebrations at The Breakers hotel here, during which it unveiled a string of initiatives to prepare for the years ahead. Buyers from Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue and owners of the 75 Lilly Pulitzer signature stores flew in last Thursday to hear about the plans.