New Year Cheer

As most of you know, I love anything and everything Lilly Pulitzer. My friend Tamus said it best when she said it is more than just clothes - it is a lifestyle. A Lilly girl is fun-loving, considerate, generous, AND stylish. It is hard to not be happy in such bright and colorful clothes! I have been addicted ever since my first purchase - a pale pink Lilly dress with gold embroidery. Every year, they have two sales - The After Party Sale in August and The New Year Cheer Sale in January. This is serious business for Lilly Lovers everywhere. I'll explain...

Lilly announced via Instagram that the sale would be on Monday January 4th starting at 8:00AM. Sunday night my mom, sister, and I spent the evening preparing for the next morning when the sale would go live. We logged into our accounts, updated card information, and browsed the clothes making "wish lists." You might think this is crazy or a little excessive, but we are experienced veterans when it comes to shopping the Lilly sale. Nine times out of ten, the site crashes - oh shift - and you're left with the scraps by the time you can get access to the site again.  

Monday morning my alarm went off at 7:30AM. I made a cup of coffee, ate a quick breakfast, and woke my sister up for the sale. The two of us crawled into my bed with our laptops and cell phones logged onto the Lilly website/app. We patiently waited for it to go live and kept hitting the refresh button. I must have refreshed my computer as soon as it went live because my computer played a cute little song and a screen popped up saying I had 900ish people ahead of me in the virtual line. I was ecstatic. IT WAS LIVE! My excitement dwindled when I saw the small print that said your wait time is over an hour. My disappointment was quickly replaced with gratitude when my sister refreshed the website on her computer, and she had 6,000ish people ahead of her in the virtual line. Whew! 

We yelled for my mom to hurry and log onto the website before it was too late (not naming names, but a certain Lilly Lover prefers sleep over a good deal LOL). Mom grabbed her computer and phone and headed up to my room. We rearranged ourselves, and all three of us sat in my little bed waiting for me to get access to the website. We figured the best strategy would be to place one big order from my account and everyone pick out what they want at the same time. As soon as I gained access to the sale, it was like a game of supermarket sweep - only better because it was Lilly! 

Kelly, knowing the urgency of the situation, would quickly notify me when she saw something she wanted and shout out the size she needed. I would add it to the shopping cart and move on. Putting an item in your cart does not reserve it, so you have to check out quickly or you could lose the items you selected. This sale is so big that within minutes the most coveted items are sold out. My mom, unfortunately, didn't quite comprehend the need to be quick about selecting her merchandise. This was my mom during the sale: "Wait, go back up to that shirt." "Let me see that in the other color." "Do I already have that?!" "That isn't a very good deal!" "Click on it again so I can make sure." "Hmmm, nah I don't want it." 

She was driving us crazy! LOL The whole time she was so indecisive! We would be yelling, "DO YOU WANT IT OR NOT?" Then a countdown would begin... "5, 4, 3, 2, 1.. Mom, we have to move on!" After ten minutes of intense shopping, we checked out. Shew.. we did it! After the order was complete, we scrolled through our items to see everything each of us picked out. My poor mom only got one white v-neck shirt. WHITE. Not even a Lilly pattern. LOL We felt so bad for her! By this time, Kelly had moved up in the virtual line, and her computer was next in line to gain access to the website for round two. We had to make sure my mom got a few cute things! She was having a rough time with the sale. Remember when I mentioned I had 900 ahead of me and Kelly had 6,000 ahead of her? My mom had 20,000ish ahead of her! She didn't stand a chance! After you check out you are put back at the end of the line. After we completed our first order from my account, I went to the end of the virtual line and had 45,000 ahead of me. I told y'all this is serious business LOL Girls go crazy for this sale! 

My mom ended up being able to leisurely shop from Kelly's account after we completed our first order from my account. After we finished shopping, I got on Instagram to see what other Lilly Lovers scored from the sale. I saw where Lilly posted a picture saying "DON'T THINK - JUST SHOP." I told my mom this is what Kelly and I had been trying to tell her all along. We just couldn't find the words to describe it. You don't have time to ponder on each item. If you like it and it is in your size, it goes in the cart! LOL I feel we had a very successful haul from the New Year Cheer sale. I received confirmation that the order will be here TOMORROW! I can't wait to try everything on! 

Here are the items I got from the sale:

I have these pants in white, solid navy, and the Lucky Charms print. I love them! They have a great fit, they're comfortable, and they last forever! I've worn the same three pairs of pants for YEARS!

Recently I developed an obsession with palazzo pants. They are so comfortable, but you still look put together when you wear them. I love the colors in this print!

I got this top because I can wear it with ANYTHING!

I love the print Blue Lagoon, so I made sure to snag a couple items in the print while they were on sale!

These racer tanks are so comfy and light in the summertime!

After the rush from the sale wore off, I decided to get back on the computer and browse a few online Lilly boutiques to see if they offered anything at a discounted price that wasn't on the Lilly website. Y'all, I struck gold. I have been wanting the Lilly one piece bathing suit since it first came out, but I could not bring myself to pay $128.00 for a bathing suit. I just couldn't do it. Of course, the bathing suit eventually sold out, and I couldn't find it anywhere. I tried all the major department stores that carry Lilly, Amazon, Ebay.. I looked everywhere. It was gone. Forever. LOL Okay, I'm being a little dramatic, but I was really sad that I had no hope of getting that bathing suit someday. To my surprise, when I logged on to The Pink Pelican's website, there was that bathing suit on the first page of items. I just about had a heart attack! My dad bought it for me after I explained to him how rare this item is and just how much I wanted it. Truly, I think he just liked the idea of a one piece instead of a bikini for his daughter LOL I cannot wait to wear it this summer!

To those that have never shopped a Lilly sale, it is unlike anything you've ever experienced before. Lilly clothes are stand out pieces that last a lifetime. People still collect vintage patterns from the 70s to this day. I look at purchasing Lilly as an investment. These clothes are going to look great for years! They are expensive, which is why I stock up during the sales. I rarely pay full price for something from Lilly. When these items are on sale, the prices are comparable to prices of brands people buy every day; however, the quality is so much greater. I always have and always will love Lilly Pulitzer! If you did shop the sale, I would LOVE to know what items you got! Until next time.. Take care y'all!