Lillian Lee McKim Pulitzer Rousseau

By Stephanie Alcantar

Early Life•Lillian Lee McKim was born November 10th, 1931 in Roslyn, New York • Socialites

Robert V. McKim,and Standard Oil heiress LillianBostwick McKim had 3 daughters, Mimsy, Lilly andFlossie

Early Life cont…

• Lilly attended Finch College for a short time before dropping out to become an assistant midwife

• Lilly and her sisters attended Chapin School in New York and Miss Porter’s in Faramingham,Connecticut • The girls met the Bouvier

sisters at Chapin

•Lilly and Peter were ‘madly in love’ and eloped in 1952

Married Life

• The socialites were the‘life of the party’• They had three children, Peter, Minnie, and

Liza in 4 years

Motherhood• The transition from care-free socialite to 3children in 4 years was a little to stressful for Lilly to handle • She checked herself into a mental institution in 1957

The Lilly• The Lilly was created out of necessity for her and her friends, Laura Clark, juice Business• The ‘Lilly’ was constructed from cheap,vibrant fabric and a business was born in 1959

Key West Fabrics•Lilly loved colorful fabrics and contracted

a screen printingbusiness, Key West Fabrics to fabricate the “Lilies”

Eccentric Lilly•Lilly was known for her eccentric personality and free spirited soul•She hardly every wore shoes and disliked the feel of undergarments, thus it is why the Lily was

constructed with a broadcloth lining

Kennedy Influence• Jacqueline Kennedy was a friend of Lilly’s and wore

the Lilly on the cover of Life in 1962, which made the brand a national phenomenon

Lilly Pulitzer expanded into Men’s and Children’s

Apparel, Bedding, Swimsuits and Accessories in 1966

• Members of the Vanderbilt, Whitney and Rockefeller

families

• In 1969, Peter and Lilly divorce, but she found new love in a Cuban man named Enrique Rousseau •They

lived happily ever after till his death in 1993

Divorce And Love

Bankruptcy• In 1984, Lilly Pulitzer Inc. expanded too far and couldn’t keep up with the new trends such as shoulder

pads, muted colors and minimalist lines, and Chapter 11 bankruptcy was filed

Lilly Pulitzer Today• In 1991, Lilly Pulitzer Inc. was

revived by Sugartown World Inc. and now

has a new set of Americans, including celebrities, …

Lilly Pulitzer Today con…

the wealthy, and ever sorority girls wearing and living the Lilly life style

Lilly Pulitzer, Passed Away on April 8th, 2013 at 81 Years Old •Lilly officially retired in 1993 after helping Sugartown

World Inc. revive the brand she created in the 60’s, but still consulted with Oxford Industries, who bought Lilly Pulitzer Inc. in 2010, till her death

They still design everything by hand in the studio!