More than just the woman who created the fashion empire that bears her name, Lilly Pulitzer exemplifies an attitude, a casual sort of elegance, a style called "affluence at ease." Lilly and her clothing wholeheartedly embrace color -- she made famous the pink and green combination -- and her love of vibrant hues and bold prints led the New York Times to recently call her "a major force in prep resort wear for forty years."

But Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau is also almost as well-known for her entertaining as she is for her fashions. A tribute to her insouciant lifestyle, Essentially Lilly is lavishly illustrated and peppered with anecdotal memories of a life filled with color. Joined by her family and close friends, Lilly recalls the parties, the decorating, the food, and the fashion that have been part of her life in Palm Beach since she arrived there in the 1950s.

With sections devoted to each part of the day, Essentially Lilly captures a variety of social events -- from a sunrise sail to a beach supper under the stars -- and imbues each with singular "Lilly style":

Mellow Yellow Mornings -- start the day off easy with a walk on the beach or a luxuriously lazy breakfast in bed. Take some friends out for an early morning sail or a country club brunch. Round off the morning hunting for a one-of-a-kind treasure at a local flea market.

Think Pink Afternoons -- rev up the middle of the day with a bridesmaids' lunch, a birthday cookout, or a charity tea. Perhaps you'd rather relax with a fruity pool party or a "just-looking" stroll down Palm Beach's fabled Worth Avenue.True Blue Evenings -- gather your friends together for a festive cocktail party or a romantic beach dinner under a full moon. Maybe it's a deep woods campfire that appeals to you, or watching a movie out under the stars, or just a simple pizza party for your family.

Essentially Lilly presents memories and menus, beautiful photographs and dazzling illustrations as well as dozens of recipes and entertaining suggestions to make your own get-togethers as successful as one of Lilly's famed parties. Best of all, Lilly offers her spirited advice throughout: "Just relax and have fun -- and be an individual," she says. "It's better that you enjoy yourself than it is to get it right." Good rules to live by.

"LILLY PULITZER trademarks and logos are the property of Sugartown Worldwide, Inc. The book, including the design on the cover, are Copyright © 2004 Sugartown Worldwide, Inc."

Amazon.com Review
For more than 40 years, designer Lilly Pulitzer has lead the charge in pretty, preppy chic--a resort look long-worshipped by prim teens and stylish ladies alike. While the signature pink-and-lime-green floral frocks are what she's famous for, Pulitzer has also become known over the decades as the consummate hostess, now celebrated in her book Essentially Lilly: A Guide to Colorful Entertaining. Like most people with great style who aren't shy about showing it, Pulitzer put her personal stamp of informal elegance on all her gatherings, turning her home in Palm Beach back in the sixties (and beyond) into a "famously unstuffy" stomping ground for the resort town's movers and shakers. Unlike other entertaining tomes, Essentially Lilly doesn't go the route of practical party planning. Instead, Pulitzer's book unfolds like a diary of sorts, a scrapbook of her life chronicling inspirations, favorite moments, and events. Chapters are broken down into three sections reflective of the designer's lively aesthetic ("Mellow Yellow Mornings," "Think Pink Afternoons," "True Blue Evenings"), and ideas come by way of Pulitzer's Palm Beach passions--sunrise sails to the Bahamas, golf and tennis, weddings in her jungle slat house, and treasure hunting, among other things. In lieu of countless recipes (though there are a few good ones), Pulitzer extends a broader one--a more personal formula for a fun life, and in this, Essentially Lilly is dynamic and sincere. --Christene Barberich