Let’s all agree that the worst thing about being a college prepster is the fact that your wardrobe is so darn expensive (not to mention the fact that you’re already broke and in college). Of course, you wouldn’t be a true prep if one of your favorite brands weren’t Lilly Pulitzer. Lilly Pulitzer is a brand that offers elevated and colorful women’s dresses, tunics, resort wear, accessories and footwear inspired by the authentic Palm Beach lifestyle. Unfortunately, loving Lilly can become a bit of a hassle, especially when the shift dress that you are longing for costs almost as much as your rent. While in college, I’ve discovered a few different ways to be able to wear and love Lilly, even on a budget.
Re-Lilly
Re-Lilly is one of the best ways to save on your favorite Lilly Pulitzer designs. Their motto is “reduce, reuse, re-Lilly!” and it is a place to buy, sell, and even swap your Lilly products. Even though it’s a Facebook group, there are always a great variety of Lilly Pulitzer products, as there are over 33,000 people in the group. Even if you aren’t looking to buy a new Lilly outfit, it’s surely a great place to sell old phone cases, etc. They also have a sister group called The Pink Closet: Recycled Fashions, who sell Lilly Pulitzer, JCrew, Polo Ralph Lauren, and other preppy faves.
Ebay
Although Ebay is probably not initially your favorite place to shop for clothes, you can seriously find anything you want there – including MANY Lilly Pulitzer products. And as long as you check to make sure the seller isn’t totally sketchy (you can usually tell by their descriptions), Ebay is usually a safe place to buy. And no one is going to know that you purchased that dress on Ebay, unless you choose to announce it.
Annual sales
Each year, Lilly Pulitzer puts on a few major sales. They are very rare, and you have to keep your eye out for them (you can do so by joining their mailing list), but when Lilly throws a sale, she REALLY throws a sale. My favorite sale of the year is the Endless Lilly Summer Sale, which takes place mid-August. This past year, Lilly fans across the nation actually shut down the Lilly Pulitzer website at 8:30am, a mere half-hour after the sale began. Women everywhere set their alarm for this sale (I am guilty of this), ready to get that dress that they’ve had their eye on all season for a huge percentage off. The items will be anywhere from 30-65% off, and where Lilly dresses and shoes are involved, this is a HUGE deal.
Etsy
Etsy is one of the best places to find cute preppy clothes that are unavailable in stores. Now, Etsy doesn’t particularly carry Lilly Pulitzer products, as Etsy is simply for crafty items. But if you go to Etsy and type “Lilly Pulitzer” in the search box, you will come across an endless array of results. One of my favorite Etsy shops that supports Lilly is Preppy Pink Shop. She buys Lilly material and makes them into super cute, preppy skirts. So even though the skirt’s tag doesn’t say “Lilly Pulitzer,” you can still rock your favorite Lilly prints without spending a few hundred dollars. You don’t have to wear the BRAND to rock Lilly and show off your Palm Beach style.
Thrifting
Although thrifting is another unpopular technique when purchasing clothing, Lilly Pulitzer is scattered throughout various thrift stores and boutiques, especially if you know where to go. Towns near beaches and down town areas normally have boutiques carrying Lilly Pulitzer and other popular name brands. One of my favorite thrift stores is called Bluetique (located up north in Ponte Vedra), and it’s actually run by Goodwill. Bluetique features only upscale clothing, jewelry, shoes, etc. at a fraction of its original price. My favorite thing about Goodwill shopping is that they generate revenue and use them to provide training services to people with special needs.
Capital D-A-D-D-Y
‘Nuff said.