How to Buy Lilly Pulitzer on a Budget + Lilly Pulitzer ReSale Glossary!
How to Buy Lilly Pulitzer on a Budget + Lilly Pulitzer ReSale Glossary!
Confession time: I have never bought something from Lilly Pulitzer that was full price. In fact, the only Lilly Pulitzer item that I've ever even gotten that was full price was the dress I wore for our first engagement pictures. (PS: you can read all of my advice on engagement pictures here and here). Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Lilly Pulitzer but there is no way between wedding planning and paying rent that I could buy Lilly Pulitzer at full price.
So if you're new to Lilly Pulitzer and you're thinking, "well, does Lilly Pulitzer go on sale?" I'm here to burst your bubble a little. While Lilly Pulitzer does go on sale, it only goes on sale typical twice a year! I don't know any other retailer that can pull something like that off, do you? So, how do you buy Lilly Pulitzer on a budget without regular sales?
That's what you clicked on this post to find out and I am so excited to share with you how I buy Lilly Pulitzer on a budget. Not only am I going to be sharing with you the best places to buy Lilly Pulitzer cheap, but I'm also going to share with you a Lilly Pulitzer resale glossary and a few pro-tips here and there. Get your wallets ready because you'll be buying Lilly Pulitzer on a budget in no time!
Does Lilly Pulitzer Go on Sale?
As I mentioned, Lilly Pulitzer rarely goes on sale. The Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale happens typically in August and January. I wrote an entire post on shopping the After Party Sale so make sure to check that out as well. I plan on writing an updated version for the next 2018 After Party Sale so I'll keep this to a minimum. But basically, the After Party Sale (APS) features steep discounts on new Lilly Pulitzer items, typically from the previous seasons. It's important to note, however, that not everything on the Lilly Pulitzer website will be on sale during this time.
If you're lucky enough to live near a Lilly Pulitzer store, make sure to check their sale rack! In-store is actually the only place (besides authorized retailers) where you can purchase Lilly Pulitzer on sale directly from Lilly. While the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale only happens twice a year, there are still some other great places to get good discounts on Lilly Pulitzer items that are new!
Department Stores
Department stores such as Dillards and Nordstrom both carry Lilly Pulitzer and often include them in their own sales. While I've never bought Lilly Pulitzer at either of these places, members of the Facebook groups I'm a part of (which we'll talk about in a bit) rave about Dillards for home goods purchases while Nordstrom is a great place to find discounted, current run Lilly Pulitzer items. Nordstrom often marks down their Lilly Pulitzer items when there isn't a lot left in stock so this is also a great place to shop if you're on the smaller or larger end of the Lilly Pulitzer sizing.
Amazon
Believe it or not, Amazon also features a great selection of Lilly Pulitzer items. While most of the Lilly Pulitzer on Amazon will be full price, you can often get good discounts on certain pieces, especially during the After Party Sale if you don't want to deal with all the drama of getting on to the Lilly Pulitzer website. I actually have purchased two of my Lilly Pulitzer dresses from Amazon in the past.
6 pm
6 pm is another really great place to get new Lilly Pulitzer at a discount. Their sizes and selection are usually completely random, however, so just keep that in mind if there is something specific you're looking for.
Various Boutique Websites
As I mentioned, boutiques that are authorized Lilly Pulitzer retailers often mark down items when allowed to be corporate Lilly Pulitzer. My number one tip for shopping these boutiques is to join a Lilly Pulitzer Facebook group because they often provide lists of items on sale and then allow you to call the store to place an order. Which leads me to my holy grail of buying Lilly Pulitzer on a budget...
Facebook Groups
I didn't really start buying Lilly Pulitzer until I found the following Lilly Pulitzer Facebook Groups. Each Lilly Pulitzer Facebook group is different but there are a few that I really recommend. One of which, isn't a resale group but is still a great group to be a part of.
Re-Lilly Group
Re-Lilly is probably one of the oldest Lilly Pulitzer "groups" out there. It's really just a Facebook page but you can shop by size specific albums which makes buying Lilly at a reduced price super simple. It's also a little easier to purchase things without being as cutthroat as you have to be in some of the other groups.
Lilly Pulitzer: Dressed to Impress
Lilly Pulitzer: Dressed to Impress is a group that was recommended to me by comments on the sister YouTube video to this blog post. It is one of my favorite places to shop for Lilly Pulitzer on a budget. Every member of the group can post "purges" which is basically where they just post everything they are selling in one thread. I've gotten some key Lilly Pulitzer pieces from this group and the admins are all incredible!
Styling My Lilly
Styling My Lilly gets an honorable mention here because it's a great place to find inspiration on how to wear your Lilly Pulitzer.
Misc. Websites and Apps
eBay, Poshmark, Mercari
Places such as eBay, Poshmark, and Mercari are also great places to find great deals on Lilly Pulitzer. You can search for specific items here too which makes it great if you're looking for hard to find pieces. I've never used Mercari but I've religiously used eBay and Poshmark to purchase Lilly Pulitzer on a budget. Prices on these sites can become super inflated so be careful about that when you're purchasing from this site.
Consignment websites such as ThredUp and TheRealReal are also good places to find discounted Lilly Pulitzer.
Lilly Pulitzer ReSale Glossary
Holy Grail - A Lilly Pulitzer Holy Grail item is a print that has achieved the ultimate popularity status. An item that becomes a Holy Grail is pretty much just something that is sold out but that everyone in the Lilly Pulitzer community wants. These Lilly Pulitzer pieces can go for prices up to 5x their original purchase price! Holy Grail items can also be personal, something that not everyone else wants but that you're dying to have!
NWT - New with Tags Attached
NWOT - New without Tags
EEUC - Excellent, Excellent Used Condition (practically brand new)
EUC - Excellent Used Condition (probably been worn once or twice)
GUC - Good Used Condition (minor signs of wear)