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Lilly Pulitzer exhibition opens in Palos Verdes

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Los Angeles Times Fashion Critic

Lilly Pulitzer, the Palm Beach queen of pink and green who died in April at 81, is the subject of a fashion exhibition open through Sept. 29 at the Palos Verdes Art Center.

“Loving Lilly: Lilly Pulitzer From the Keni Valenti Collection” is a tribute to the socialite and fashion icon, whose whimsical printed shift dresses are American classics.

The retrospective includes 150 items culled from the collection of Miami-based vintage clothing collector Keni Valenti, who collects Lilly alongside Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Halston and the other greats.

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There’s everything from original 1950s Lilly shifts to groovy 1970s pantsuits, menswear, a bridal gown, a Lilly Pulitzer Monopoly game and even a wild, sequined and feathered costume the designer wore to her son’s birthday party.

Pulitzer came to fashion in an unlikely way. A young wife living in Palm Beach, Fla., in the late 1950s, she kept herself busy by running a juice stand using the fruits of her husband’s citrus groves. To hide the stains that would inevitably appear on her clothing by day’s end, she created a simple, colorful patterned shift dress. And voila, a legend was born.

Her designs appealed to a wealthy client base that included Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts and the Whitneys. The dresses originally sold for $22 and still sell now, along with a complete line of resort wear, at LillyPulitzer.com.

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booth.moore@latimes.com

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