As many of us know, Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau passed away earlier this month at the age of 81. A beloved fashion icon already, her designs have been even further thrust into the limelight in the past few weeks. While the line has evolved greatly since it was founded in 1959, its styles have remained classics that appeal to generations of both women and men. While there’s nothing better than a new Lilly dress, there’s also something to be said for an old one. Vintage Lilly Pulitzer styles still seem completely relevant in today’s world and are an almost one of a kind treasure. They are not particularly hard to come by, however, you just have to be willing to search a little.
High end consignment stores and vintage stores are the most obvious places to start looking. Here, you’ll find Lilly’s that are likely in good to excellent used condition and that have the most information about their past history. These types of stores may even have a Lilly section! A high end store may know the year, or at least the decade, of the piece, but you’ll also pay a pretty penny for your vintage treasure.
More modest, middle of the road consignment stores also can be a great resource for finding vintage Lilly’s, but you’ll probably have to dig a little. I found the green dress pictured here last weekend at a fairly low end consignment store (think more Forever 21 than Fendi) but there was no indicator that it was Lilly. Even the label was ripped out! Luckily, I picked it up because I happened to be there selling stuff, needed to kill some time while they looked through my clothes, and I just loved the pattern. As I looked at the dress more, I noticed the “Lilly” running throughout the print and realized I was scoring a fabulous Lilly Pulitzer dress for $20!
Ebay and Etsy are also wonderful places to find vintage Lilly. Ebay is great because most of them are auction style and you can get pieces fairly inexpensively, while Etsy often has sellers that specialize in selling vintage Lilly. However, the downside to both of these is that you don’t truly know the condition of these vintage pieces until they arrive and there are usually no returns.
When looking at vintage Lilly’s, there are also a few things to remember: There are several variations of tags that will indicate how old your dress is. The brand ceased to exist from 1984 to 1993. Prior to 1984, tags said “The Lilly” while tags from 1993 up to the mid 2000’s say Lilly Pulitzer in a curvy black font. All Lilly prints should say “Lilly” somewhere within the pattern. Make sure you find this, or your dress may be a knock off. Lastly, be open to alterations. I have never found a vintage Lilly that fit right off the rack. In some cases, I’ve had pieces sized down by from a 12 to a 2 while I’ve also had a dress completely remade with different straps.
Have fun hunting for vintage Lilly’s! It’s always more exciting to show up in a dress that will have everyone asking “Where did you find that?!”
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