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What is a 21 year-old girl named Lilly to do after she's just eloped?
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Each & every store in our family of Signature Stores has a unique history… but today, we’re happy to share the very unique & inspiring story of Rebecca Byrd, owner of Palm Avenue. Rebecca & her husband have a brood of 4 beautiful children who live a happy & typical life in Greensboro. But the story of how they came to be a family of 4 is not so typical. Hear from Rebecca and stick around for the end where you can find out how to buy a custom designed Murfee to benefit the cause Rebecca & her family now hold very close to their hearts- we think you’ll see why…
I joined Jane Stephens and her group from Amani Foundation for a “vision/mission” trip to Kenya in 2006. My sister Claire and my brother Frank joined me on my travels. Our goal was simply to be educated on the plight of orphans in Kenya due to famine, AIDS, and tribal conflicts – upon our return, we planned to share our stories to benefit the cause.
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In the Guest House with Kathryn Deane, Author of “Bermuda”
Posted on November 2, 2011 in Guest House by
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When Kathryn M. Deane, long-time Lilly Lover and co-author of “Bermuda“, approached us about doing some events at our Lilly stores to promote her new book, it was a quick “Yes, of course!!” How could we resist helping spread the word about a book that talks about one of our favorite Resort destinations all while giving 100% of the proceeds back to the island through 4 wonderful organizations?!? (well exactly, we couldn’t!!) Of course we wanted to know a little bit more about Kathryn & what inspired her to write the book (and just how she got Michael Douglas to write the foreward!) so we invited her into our Guest House to fill us in! Here’s a bit more from Kathryn…
1. What do you love most about Bermuda and why did you choose to do a book about the island?
To me, Bermuda is such a timeless place. I see photos of my parents sailing on their honeymoon in Bermuda in the 1950s. I remember exploring the island with my brothers and sisters in the 1960s and 1970s and bringing my children there in the 1990s. And now they are in college and love to come to the island to be with their family and friends. Bermuda has an enduring beauty both in the beaches and the water and in the life and vibrant culture. That’s what we tried to capture in the book—how Bermuda is such a great community made up of extraordinary people. It’s a place that truly has it all and the photographs we put in the book show how much there is to do and see there. There are incredible artists, business people, politicians, visitors & locals, museum curators, children & families, and scientists, all going about their lives in this place of breathtaking natural beauty.
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In the Guest House with Christie Leigh Mueller of Gridiron Belles
Posted on October 12, 2011 in Guest House by
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So it’s not a secret that Lilly Lovers love Fall for more reasons than the beautiful foliage and all the excuses to eat yummy food – we love Fall because we love football! Weeeellll… ok. Let’s be clear – we love tailgating. Sure, we eventually go inside and watch the game but our true love is the tailgate party, looking cute and having fun with all of our friends. Perhaps the reason we don’t get as excited about the game as we do about the pre-game is because we don’t know enough about football to appreciate the finer points. Which is EXACTLY what Christie Leigh Mueller thought when she authored the book, Gridiron Belles; A Guide to Saturdays in Dixie. Her passion is SEC football. And though she absolutely counts herself a Lilly Lover, she actually loves the game as much as she loves to party! (shocking, we know.) Her book celebrates what it means to be a southern Belle on Saturdays in the Fall and forces the rest of us to give up our excuses and join in the mania that is SEC football! In Christie Leigh’s words…
What made you write the book?
I was growing restless watching football with just guys. I wanted my sister and sorority sisters to enjoy Saturdays in the fall as much as I do. Not to mention, there is a huge overlap of etiquette and SEC football… and since I’m passionate about both, it was a perfect combination for a book for women!
Where did you go to school and what is your favorite football team?
I went to Rhodes College, a small liberal arts school in Memphis, TN. While Rhodes College has my money, the Auburn Tigers have my heart and loyalty.
How many games have you been to? Have you ever missed a tailgate?
I never miss a tailgate if I am going to a game. I always schedule at least 4 to 6 hours to tailgate, that way I have time to relax, visit other fans and catch other SEC games on TV.
Describe a typical game day outfit- what should it be?
My typical game day outfits consist of dresses, pearls and a team tattoo on my cheek! The South and its Belles are so beautiful, we love our wardrobes to match so nothing less than your best with team flare is what I encourage on game day in Dixie.
The biggest revelation I had during my days of research was_________.
Not all Belles know about college football or want to know about college football, but generally speaking, Gents want their Belles to know at least a little bit about college football!
Without a doubt, my absolute favorite thing about football in the South is________.
Escaping reality 12 Saturdays a year and being surrounded by something bigger than myself. I also love being surrounded by Gridiron Belles; they are passionate, strong and involved in all of the glory that is Saturdays down South.
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In the Guest House with The Breast Cancer Charities of America
Posted on October 5, 2011 in Guest House, Philanthropy by
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Last Friday we introduced our partnership with The Breast Cancer Charities of America (BCCA) for the month of October. And today, we are very excited to have them in our Guest House so they can tell you a little bit more about themselves. Fortunately there are a lot of organizations that have an active role in fighting breast cancer and the toll it takes on our lives but sometimes it’s hard to understand who does what. Which is another reason we wanted to feature more about BCCA because we really believe in the role they’re playing right now (with their aptly named “Help Now Fund“) in the lives of women affected by breast cancer. We really encourage you to read more about this wonderful group and get involved to help make a difference. Here’s Erica…
Can you give us a brief understanding of what The Breast Cancer Charities of America is all about?
The Breast Cancer Charities of America is the only non-profit bringing the “integrated cancer care” message to the women of America, where the care ‘program’ involves every aspect of body, mind and spirit treatment to the cancer prevention, treatment and recovery effort. Integrated cancer care is employed in addition to, not in place of, orthodox medicine as many studies show that techniques like diet, exercise, and social support can be as powerful as drugs and surgery. Through our iGoPink: Fashion Fights Breast Cancer campaign, BCCA brings a fresh approach to finding the cure.
BCCA exists to deliver this message to women with breast cancer and to educate healthcare providers with this news. The result: we will change medicine and we will save lives.
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We are very excited to have the Kleiers from HGTV’s hit show, Selling New York, in our Guest House today. This real-estate powerhouse trio (mother & daughters) are Lilly Lovers and loyal shoppers of our Madison Avenue store. They tell us that they love the vibrant colors of Lilly because they translate so well onscreen. (good to know!) They are always upbeat & fun when they stop in and shop and we love tuning in on Thursday’s at 9pm to see them donning their recent purchases. Of course, their first love is real estate which is another reason they love Lilly – they adore that our Madison Avenue store is located in the heart of Manhattan’s Upper East Side (where they sell most of their properties) and that the store is a two-story historic townhouse complete with original details including crown molding & a marble entrance. Which is why it’s the PERFECT place for them to host a book signing of their newly released book called “Hot Property!” Make plans to meet these Lilly-loving New Yorkers in person this coming Monday evening at our Madison Avenue store!
We wanted to know a little bit more about these lovely women so we asked them to answer some of our questions. Here’s what they had to say!…
Q. “Working with my mom/daughter is ______________”
A. A dream come true! (we all surprisingly agree on that!)
Q. If you could be selling real estate in any other city, which city would it be?
A. Impossible! We would never leave New York.
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In the Guest House with the Sisters of Fashionably Bombed
Posted on September 7, 2011 in Guest House by
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Janie discovered the sisters of Fashionably Bombed earlier this year and excitedly sent around their site to a bunch of us here in the Pink Palace. We all drooled over both the drinks and fashion fun they had on their blog weekly and just had to figure out a way to work together. So we dreamed up the idea of having them wear Lilly for one of their over-the-top photoshoots and doing a giveaway of their outfits of choice. We were very excited to be part Flannery & Katherine’s fun and we loved being featured on their glamorous blog. We also know our Lilly Lovers LIVE at the intersection of fashion and fun and enjoy a good party [and cocktail!] so we knew we had to bring these lovely ladies into our Guest House and have them tell you a little bit about themselves… (and you’re going to love them too!)
[Be sure to check out their Lilly photoshoot & giveaway HERE!]
Creating Fashionably Bombed seems to be the MOST fun job in the world- how did you dream it up?
We are both extremely creative people. As little girls we would invent mocktails (pickle juice with Jelly Bellys was a favorite combo), create fashion videos, dress up our cats for photo shoots, etc… So when Katherine quit her day job, we seized the opportunity to combine our talents and energy and put them into a project. Believe it or not, our original idea was actually to start a fresh juice stand, just like Lilly! We wanted to have a glammed up mobile juice cart serving tasty and seasonal fresh fruit and vegetable juice creations. Unfortunately, we quickly learned that the life of a modern day mobile food cart operator is less than glamorous, so we went virtual and started Fashionably Bombed! It was an easy transition since Flannery was working as a fashion stylist at the time, and Katherine had been a bartender in NYC a few years before. We just combined our two favorite things!
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As we get closer & closer to our Hamptons Splash event, we thought it would be the perfect time to play host to Oceana’s Vice President for Global Development, Bettina Alonso. Lilly prints are constantly inspired by the sea, sand & sun and we love the good work Oceana does to preserve our Lilly Lover’s playground! We also have a special place in our hearts for marine wildlife and even the gorgeous coral so many of them live in – what’s not to love?! (well maybe these- we don’t love them so much) We’ve asked Bettina to fill us in on what Oceana is up to in hopes it will convince you to support them by coming to our event on July 30th!
What are the mission and goals of Oceana?
Oceana is the largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation. Our teams of scientists, lawyers, and economists advocate for specific and concrete policy changes on an international scale that tackle issues like pollution, and preventing the irreversible collapse of fish population, marine mammals, and key habitats. We have a track record of securing tangible victories for the oceans all around the world.
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We always like to bring fun and interesting folks into our Guest House to have a little chat. Today we have the lovely ladies from Macaroni Kid. We’re suckers for entrepreneurial women (can you blame us??) especially those that hail from chic spots, like the Hamptons. So today, we introduce Joyce & Nicki, two well-connected, beach-loving Hamptonite moms and long-time best friends who concocted a fabulous idea over a bottle of wine one night in 2009… (coincidentally, a lot of Lilly ideas start that way too!)
Why did you start Macaroni Kid?
We saw a need in our small and seasonal community, to spread the word about the latest and greatest news, family activities and events that were always happening in our fun town. We always thought “I wish I had known about that!” So, we piloted a hyper-local free e-newsletter covering everything from story time at the Bridgehampton Library to kite flying on Cooper’s beach; the newest ice cream hot spot off 27 and of course, the Summer sale at Lilly in East Hampton. Apparently we weren’t the only moms in town craving this info because the response was overwhelming. Macaroni Kid was born!
How has Macaroni Kid grown so fast?
As we said, the response was overwhelming and pretty soon, all of our friends wanted in. (Lilly knows all about the power of friendship & business building!) Although the two of us are still loving life and publishing right in the Hamptons, Macaroni Kid is now in 370 communities across the country and we’re growing at a rate of 15% a month! We now have hundreds of “Publisher Moms” in local communities nationwide helping parents answer the question “What are we going to do today?!”
Tell us a little bit about life in the Hamptons as the original Macaroni Moms:
It’s hard not to feel the Lilly love around here! In fact, shopping in East Hampton is one of our favorite Saturday afternoon activities, along with heading to the CMEE Museum or Candy Kitchen in Bridgehampton (where Nicki got her 1st job back in high school!) Of course, the fabulous restaurants (we love B. Smiths and Suki Zuki) aren’t torture either. But as much as we love mingling at Hampton hotspots, we also appreciate the less-inhabited areas, like Scott Cameron and Road D Beaches, the hiking trails in the winter, and our own backyards for a good-old barbeque, just the kids and the dogs! We’re just ordinary moms with extraordinary friends – friends who have helped us turn Macaroni Kid into an amazing, nationwide community.
We’re proud to partner with these supermoms and their Lilly Lover friends across the country with a $400 Lilly Pulitzer giveaway! Just “like” Macaroni Kid on Facebook and check out the “Macaroni Kid Wants to Know” tab to be entered! We love that these ladies never gave up on their great idea, rallied their friends to build their business and that they absolutely live a colorful life!
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In the Guest House with Jennifer Dittmar of the National Aquarium
Posted on June 22, 2011 in Guest House, Prints and Patterns by
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We hope you’ll be as excited as we are about our latest partnership and house guest — we have partnered with the National Aquarium in Baltimore and today, we have Jennifer Dittmar, Stranding Coordinator for the National Aquarium’s Marine Animal Rescue Program in our Guest House! (beach, animal & Lilly Lovers, rejoice!)
Through our partnership, we designed a signature Murfee scarf to celebrate the Aquarium’s 30th anniversary! Excuse the bragging while we tell you how BEA-U-TI-FUL this Murfee is – we think you’ll love that we featured several of the Aquarium’s residents—the intelligent octopus, the colorful sea stars and the endangered sea turtle (more on them later!) —as well as a secret message hidden in the print! (so secret we think only the print team knows!) Of course the folks from the National Aquarium are as excited as were are… We were so thrilled to partner with Lilly Pulitzer on the creation of this print – her design celebrating these magnificent sea creatures coupled with the vibrant and playful colors captures the fun of a visit to the National Aquarium! And so many of us here love that Lilly Pulitzer’s designs are inspired by the sea, we just knew our supporters would love this design too!
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Today we are featuring Gordon Russell, Owner of “In the Pink,” a collection of Lilly Pulitzer Signatures Stores across New England, here in our Guest House. We’re so excited to feature Gordon, pictured above with one of his sons, because he’s doing some amazing work to support MitoAction and we’re proudly partnering with him and MitoAction for their upcoming, 2nd annual Sandra K. Russell Derby Day benefit. Sadly, Gordon lost his wife, Sandra who was also his business partner, after she battled with mitochondrial disease. At Lilly Pulitzer, we lead a colorful life, and COLORFUL takes on a lot of meaning in our world. Sandra, a long-time Lilly lover, set a wonderful example for so many in leading a colorful life, reminding us how color can be therapeutic in all of our lives. Gordon has since joined MitoAction as a board member and gratefully gives his time and energy to support this wonderful organization who helps families like his. And of course, we’re happy to spread the word about the great things Gordon and MitoAction are doing and get the word out about their upcoming Derby Day (buy tickets here!) to honor Sandra and raise awareness and funds for MitoAction. Here is Gordon to tell us a little bit about how this all got started…
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