IT'S HERE!!! Lilly + Hanky Panky Release Collaborative Lingerie Collection

THIS POST CONTAINS CONTENT ABOUT UNDERTHINGS.

IF YOU DON'T WANNA HEAR ABOUT BRAS AND PANTIES, OR HEARING PEOPLE TALK ABOUT UNDERTHINGS MAKES YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE, DON'T READ IT.

 

Lilly Pulitzer for Hanky Panky, by the Lilly Print Studio

I've said before that I feel a sense of guilt when I'm not wearing Lilly. I don't know if it's the way the clothes fit, or if it's a psychological thing, but with the launch of the Lilly Pulitzer for Hanky Panky collaborative line this holiday season, I no longer have to feel that guilt - even if my Lilly is underneath whatever else I'm wearing! I'm somewhat of a collector of colorful, lacy lingerie- not to mention LILLY- so naturally, I am a fan of this collaboration! Although he printed undergarments are sweet nod and throwback to some older prints, featuring the years-old favorites Checking In and See You Later, I do wish that more prints would have been included. At least there are a good variety of styles to choose from, even a chemise and two styles of tank tops to round out the collection.

Pricing for the items isn't terribly expensive for a Lilly product, but considering that similar products can be bought from competitors like Betsey Johnson and Victoria's Secret for about half the price, $26-$40 for a pair of panties is pretty expensive. The other items are more comparable in price, particularly the chemise, which is absolutely gorgeous.

 

Lilly Pulitzer for Hanky Panky Surf Blue Checking In Chemise, $98.

 

I'm not much of a fan of Checking In as far as the print itself goes, but I do love its appearance printed on lace, so I purchased the bralette and original rise thong in this pattern. I've never worn Hanky Panky before, in spite of hearing wonderful things, more so because I buy most of my underthings during sales and I can't justify buying a $26 panty when I can get a panty of the same quality at a quarter of the price (what can I say, I'm a savvy shopper and make no apologies for it). However, since this involves Lilly... Obviously I'm going to make an exception! The Pink Door in Memphis had these on sale during the After Party Sale, but I bought mine at Nordstrom immediately upon seeing them just a few weeks prior to that.

But really... How cute would a Good Reef matching lingerie set be?! #Resort365

 

I love that Hanky Panky's panties are one size fits all. I'm not exactly sure how that works, but I always feel that I'm inbetween sizing for most lingerie. The Hanky Panky sizing is awesome for that reason. It's accommodating as far as sizing goes and provides good coverage while still maintaining some sex appeal that one wouldn't normally associate with Lilly! The printed lace material feels good, is lightweight and doesn't itch, which can sometimes happen, especially for someone like me that's highly allergy prone and sensitive to certain synthetic blend materials and even dyes.
 

I'm not sure why Lilly hasn't started producing its own lingerie line yet, because IMO, it would do incredibly well in signature stores as well as department retailers like Dillard's, and with the redaction of the men's line, there is an opportunity to invest some resources elsewhere. There are a myriad of colors and bright prints to choose from each season, and even if women don't feel confident enough to wear the bold, sunny prints on Lilly clothing, they can still indulge in the brand by purchasing Lilly undergarments! There is definitely a market for a high-quality lingerie line featuring cute floral patterns- ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN WHO DO NOT LIKE EXTRA PADDING IN THEIR BRAS. I can't stress enough how difficult it is to find bras that are cute but not extremely padded, as a larger-chested girl. I, for one, LOVE Hanky Panky's lacy bralette undergarment, but wish it was more shapely without featuring padded cups, sort of like my favorite bra, the Victoria's Secret Very Sexy Unlined Plunge.
 

You can find the Lilly Pulitzer for Hanky Panky collection this holiday season at Lilly Pulitzer online, Lilly signature stores, and at major retailers such as Nordstrom, Saks, Neiman Marcus, Macy's, Dillard's, and Bloomingdale's. Availability may vary based on location, but nearly all of them have the products available to purchase on their websites! 

Melanie's Dillard's store now carries the Lilly for Hanky Panky line as well. You can call her store and ask for the Lilly Pulitzer or lingerie department at (501)661-0053.

The Lilly Pulitzer for Hanky Panky collection includes two popular Lilly patterns in a lacy brief, low-rise thong, original-rise thong, bralette, camisole, tank, and chemise. 

Pros: Coverage, quality, cute, variety
Cons: Only two prints, cost

Overall rating: 4/5 smooches

 

Xx,

Carol Anne

Edit: Intended to post this back in November when the collection was released but it's been sitting as a draft since then. I've edited it to include some recent findings. Sorry for the delay!

#OOTD

HAPPY MLK DAY!

Before I step in for my shift tonight, here's a glimpse of my outfit (and my custom Elephant Ears steering wheel, shout out to mammajane of etsy.com). 

Two of these pieces are new items I purchased this week. (See previous post on finding January deals for details!) You can't see my shoes, but I am wearing my gold Jack Rogers Regina flats (available at Dillards for $99!) The Etta top, originally priced $128, was purchased earlier this year at my Dillards location. I love it! It's airier than the Elsa due to the fabric (it's a cotton/poly blend I'm pretty sure) but it's got a nice weight and embroidery around the chest area with a little v-neck. It isn't quite the length of a tunic. I'd say it's closest relatives are the Briony and Moxy tops (pictured below). Off to work I go! If you are looking for some spectacular deals let me know and I will provide you with the contact info for Melanie and myself. 



The Briony top and Moxy are the closest tops to the Etta.

Wear pink & make the boys wink tonight! Hope everyone has a wonderful evening.

Product Review: On the Rocks Necklace

As a whole, I think Resort was my favorite collection of 2014: there wasn't a single piece produced that I wouldn't wear.

Lilly Pulitzer "On the Rocks" Necklace, $88.

That being said, one of my favorite Lilly purchases EVER is the On the Rocks beaded necklace. It's pretty much all that and a bag of chips; a menagerie of pearls, diamonds, and gold all with a signature Lilly finish. I bought it out of sheer impulsivity to complete my last minute NYE outfit, and haven't regretted it since the second my receipt printed.

At $88, it's a pretty steeply priced accessory for not being a David Yurman or James Avery piece, but it looks at least twice its value and is worth every penny and compliment it recieves (and I've gotten at least two each time I've worn it)!

I also wore it recently to a cocktail party for EY at Hotel Zaza in Houston. I wore it with the Lilly Pulitzer Betty slip dress in Almond Jacquard Packin' Heat and a pair of gold patent leather BCBG pumps (and will substitute those for gold McKim wedges or the Kristin resort wedge in the summer to come!) 

Little did I know, there was a shot of rum in each champagne glass. Whoops. Tipsy but classy as always with my handsome date!

Overall product review: 💋💋💋💋💋 (5 smooches)

#LillyforTarget

A preview of print swatches from the upcoming Lilly Pulitzer for Target collection, coming to a Target store near you, April 2015.

Naturally, I'm excited to see this collaboration between Target and Lilly. If you haven't heard by now, the two have paired up to produce a line of home, beauty, and clothing products ranging in price from $2-150. Am I over the moon thrilled? While some of the prints are eye catching, they don't quite emulate their $178 counterparts to a T, which is good. Most of the clothes are distinctly different from the Pulitzer brand from what I've seen, just adding a bit of its signature flora and fauna flair to Target's designs.

#LillyforTarget

This isn't resonating well on Twitter and Facebook. I understand the backlash, but it's not like you'll be able to walk into Target and see the 2015 spring and summer lines exclusive to Lilly Pulitzer retailers. If anything, it will generate a more ubiquitous interest in the brand.

An impending PR disaster? Only time will tell. These Facebookers don't seem too thrilled.

So while it was a pretty bold move for a brand that prides itself on its luxury and exclusivity to collaborate with a retailer known for its cheap chic fashion, by doing so, Lilly for Target will be attracting new customers to its more expensive, signature brand counterpart. If a few people end up falling in love with Lilly's whimsical prints and becoming well dressed in the process, I can't really complain. 

THAT GIRAFFE BOTTLE OPENER THOUGH. MUST. HAVE.

Honestly, I was more excited to hear about the home products, since the collection Lilly did for Lee Jofa is pretty rare to come across anywhere and there has yet to be a cohesive collection of tableware aside from the Lifeguard Press melamine trays, cups and plates, and the Lilly wine glasses. Can't wait to see the full line of these products and give my final word on everything. When I make my decision.... Trust me, you'll know! 

Xx,

Carol Anne

January Lilly Sales

One common misconception that readers may get from Melanie and me is that we pay full price for our Lilly. TRUST me, this couldn't be further from the truth.In addition to a generous "whenever" discount from Dillard's as employees, we get seasonal wardrobe discounts where we can purchase items for an additional % off. So basically, when we buy Lilly from Dillard's, we never pay full price. If an item isn't on sale, I usually wait to buy it until that point in time or until I'm given the seasonal wardrobe discount. I will splurge on a pair of Callahans from the Lilly website though, if we don't carry them at my store!

I also buy a lot of Lilly off of Facebook groups like Re-Lilly as well as Instagram pages like lovelillyandcupcakes, thepineapplelilly, lillypulitzerforsale and lillypulitzerresale. 
 

Check out lillypulitzerforsale on Instagram! She's great.

I will on occasion call stores like the Pink Palm, Pink Tangerine, Under the Palm, Lyme of Southern Pines, and Mica and Molly's, just to name a few, both before and after the APS sales to secure items that I don't think I will be able to find when it comes time for the sale. One store I recently discovered, Lady Bird in San Marino, CA is my new favorite. I highly recommend them as well for great deals!

Lady Bird in San Marino, CA is probably my new favorite Lilly Signature Store. Visit their website!

 

While eBay may prominently feature Lilly items that have been marked up considerably (that $500 LCC popover comes to mind), the month or so following the online APS sale tends to be a time when I'm able to find the best deals there. For example, this week alone, I've managed to pick up a pair of Scorpion Bowl and Tickle the Ivories Luxury Capris for $25 each, as well as a white Conley top, the Gypsy necklace, a hot pink Dahlia top, and a pair of Escape Artist Phillipa Palazzo pants for $30, $35 and $60 each.

Very reasonably priced, recent Lilly finds on eBay.

Also, during the APS, major upscale retailers like Saks, Neiman's and Nordstrom tend to have competitive pricing on their Lilly items. This year, in addition to the four items I bought on the Lilly website during the APS (white skinny minis, cameo white Destination quilted jacket, sea foam Brielle, and black travel pants for mom), I was also lucky enough to score two pieces from Saks online that I love- one of them was even on my APS must haves list, but I wasn't able to secure the item on time there. I ended up purchasing the pink tomato Elsa top for a whopping $44 along with the navy Valencia top for $35. The color of the pink tomato Elsa is stunning in person, and the beading detail and cut of the Valencia ascertains that it will become one of my new favorite go-to tops as the weather begins to warm up!

One item I didn't realize I needed in my life was the Lilah reversible jacket in a medium (the small I tried on was too tight across my chest, and by that point, the mediums at Saks online were all sold out!). While I love my cameo white Destination jacket, I could have also been super happy with a Lilah. That being said, I'm ISO one for around APS prices because the one at my store isn't at an agreeable price for me just yet :) Another purchase I wish I had made was the gold metallic Jade dress. It bums me out that it was available til the last second on the website and I didn't choose to buy it, because the sea foam Brielle didn't compliment me the same ways that the pink and navy ottoman striped one did, and the metallics on that dress are just gorgeous! So I'm looking for one of those in a medium as well. 
 

Hopefully I'm able to find some more great items this week at a reduced cost, and that you are, too!

Happy listings and Lilly,

Carol Anne

Lilly APS Live Blogging

6:55 CST: Alarm goes off. I went to sleep about three hours ago, so you know this is going to go over well when the site crashes.

6:58 CST: Hitting refresh incessantly while I mentally screen for what I'll look for first... Praying for the Lulu Cara or Fountain Hopping Delia

6:59 CST: AND WE'RE OFF!

7:02 CST: The Lulu Cara IN MY SIZE was in my cart but due to having to dig through my purse and find my gift card's CSC, I missed out on it. Next I go for the small pink tomato elsa but realize my size isn't there. I consider settling for the magenta but realize that one hasn't gone on sale at my dillard's yet.

7:05: Having all sorts of issues with the site not loading. I have a pair of resort white skinny minis for $49 that I would love to have for spring/summer in my size, but I'm not sure I'll get them. I spot the white Dahlia in my size but again, page issues, and once it loads, it's sold out in size small.

7:10: Still waiting to be able to access my cart

7:11: Site is down

7:13: Contemplating my choices- do I need more Becketts? I'll run through accessories for belts and that Gypsy necklace I saw online last night that I had somehow never seen before.

7:20: FINALLY able to check out my pants.

7:30: Things are running much more smoothly now. Debating between the Not Too Catty Lilah reversible jacket and the cameo white getaway jacket. Can't decide.

7:35: I decided on the cameo white jacket. I think I will get more wear out of that one. Now I need to decide between the sea foam green brielle and the gold striped one. I've bought a lot of gold pieces lately so I think I'll go with the sea foam brielle.

7:37: All checked out, I'll run through the site to see if I missed something but I'm pretty sure I'll be all good after my few purchases.

8:55: Mom tells me she wants black travel pants so after that, I'm done.

9:22: I've bought only four items today and frankly didn't feel like I missed out on too much. I would have liked to see more solid color elsas on sale for less that what I could get them for at Dillard's but the prices are obviously low enough to be selling out items left and right. I'm only disappointed about a few things, namely the lackluster items that remained available, as well as the fact that in spite of being a larger sale, the summer sale seemed to have gone much more smoothly. I am sad I got basically nothing on my wishlist aside from the skinny minis, but I do know where the Catch the Stripe Rogan is available on sale if I decide that I want it and I know where to buy the rest at full price or on eBay.

On the other hand I scored a couple of great pieces in less than two hours. So maybe this sale wasn't so bad! I also stayed within my budget with about $40 left to spend so maybe I'll pick up a necklace from a specialty store or something! YAY me!

APS SALE

Sale FAQ from LillyPulitzer.com here!

 

IT'S STILL THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR... Because the Lilly biannual sale goes live tomorrow at 8am EST! Get your lists ready and be prepared for some MAJOR steals on clothes, accessories, and more!

 

Click on the Sale FAQ above, especially if this is your first time shopping the online sale. This will be my fourth go-around and so I'm well versed in the process, but I don't want anyone to miss out on any of the pieces they love, so I've included this in this post so as to help out the newbies as a seasoned Lilly sale veteran!

 

Though I don't really NEED any more Lilly, there are a few pieces that I'm hoping will make it through from my cart to my front door within the coming month. I'm on a very tight budget so I will be shopping carefully and minimizing my purchases, however, my list is pretty extensive since I'm not sure if all of these pieces will be available or if I'll be able to secure them!

 

*FINGERS CROSSED* that I am able to grab this Tara Fringe Kimono during the APS sale!!!

 

Here are a few of the pieces I'm hoping to buy!

1) Critter Cuff

2) Resort White Worth Skinny Mini, size 2 or 4

3) Catch the Stripe Rogan top, size small

4) Fountain Hopping Delia, size 6

5) Catch the Stripe Tara Fringe Kimono, size small

6) Pink Tomato Elsa, size small

 

 

Best of luck to everyone, I hope you're all able to cap off this wonderful holiday season with some fabulous Lilly finds! Don't forget that many of the Lilly signature stores also participate in the APS event. Stores like Mica & Molly's, Ocean Palm, Boutique MariMac, Pink Tangerine, C. Orrico and Lyme of Southern Pines all participate and I've found some spectacular deals at these stores during Lilly sales! If you have any questions drop me a line, I'll be happy to help you out!

 

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Print Mix & Match

Melanie and I have decided to try mixing and matching prints more often. Here are a few of our findings so far. Hope this helps some of y'all get some ideas as to how to wear your Lilly. This mostly applies to wearing scarves- that's by far the easiest way to mix and match prints, so we hope we see even more of this trend following this post!

 

1) Use a "buffer" color inbetween prints.

2) Use one small print and one larger print.

3) Let the larger print and smaller print have at least two colors in common.

4) Let one color that lives in the smaller print act as your buffer color.

 

Generally, I think these rules work pretty well in theory.

 

Here are some examples.

Riley infinity scarf in Let Minnow ($78); Puffer vest in Brewster Blue ($198); Etta top in Shorely Blue Don't Be Shellfish ($148).

 

 

Murfee scarf in Multi Tusk in Sun (orig. $118, Lilly Pulitzer); Briella dress in Pink & Navy Ottoman Stripe (orig. $188, Lilly Pulitzer); Navy cardigan ($25, Target).

 

 

 

And we're back...!

Hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday and rung in 2015 with lots of bubbly and Lilly! We apologize for the lack of updates. More coming your way soon!

I rung in New Years this year wearing a dress that looks very similar to the gold and cameo white Elsa from Resort 2013, my late grandmother's fur vest, David Yurman cuff, pearl clip on earrings, pearl tennis bracelet, a large gold and pink Betsey Johnson ring, and the Lilly Pulitzer On the Rocks necklace! Hope everyone had as much fun as I did!

Dillard's has a sale every New Years Day. There wasn't a whole lot that I needed to buy but I did buy the Jade Green Corsica top (paid about $45, retail price is $138) and the Almond Packin' Heat Betty dress (paid $78, retail price is $228) in addition to a few Betsey Johnson and Josie pieces from the lingerie department!

Be sure to tune into the Lilly site at 8am on the 5th for the fall/winter After Party Sale!!! 

Tomorrow's post will include some helpful hints and tips for smooth sailing during the sale!