Lilly Pulitzer, Fashion Designer And Socialite, Dies At 81

Lilly Pulitzer, the iconic fashion designer and socialite, died in Palm Beach, Fla., in the company of family. She was 81.

"Lilly has been a true inspiration to us and we will miss her," a statement read on her company’s Facebook page. "In the days and weeks ahead we will celebrate all that Lilly meant to us. Lilly was a true original who has brought together generations through her bright and happy mark on the world."

Pulitzer’s designing career took off during the presidency of John F. Kennedy. His wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, had been a former schoolmate of Pulitzer's and was photographed wearing one of Pulitzer’s dresses. “They took off like zingo,” Pulitzer wrote in her book, Essentially Lilly: A Guide to Colorful Entertaining, about the fashion icon First Lady. “Everybody loved them, and I went into the dress business.”

Initially, Pulitzer had taken to the sewing machine to design practical outfits for working at the juice stand she opened using the produce from her family’s citrus groves. She got sick of being covered in stains, so made something that would mask them. Customers began asking if they could buy her creations, which propelled her into launching a fashion line in 1959. It wasn't until Jackie Kennedy, however, that she and her brand became a household name.

In 1984, Pulitzer shut down her clothing line when sales started to take a hit. But when she sold the license in 1993 nearly a decade later, the Lilly Pulitzer brand got a much-deserved revival. Although she was no longer a part of the day-to-day business, she continued to serve as a consultant. Lilly Pullitzer continues to be a force in the markeplace today, with 75 signature stores and contracts with high-end department stores, including Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Pulitzer is survived by children Liza, Minnie and Peter Pulitzer; and her grandchildren.