Lilly Con! The Pink Retreat was a Lilly themed weekend in Palm Beach Florida, founded by Tosha Davis Williams in 2018. I was lucky enough to secure a spot for the 2019 event. Let me tell you tickets sold out like hotcakes. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the event was canceled for 2020 but I am already registered for 2021. It can’t come soon enough. I thought I would share some of the fun from the 2019 event. I went only knowing one person and left with so many new Lilly loving friends from around the country.
The home base for the event was The Colony Hotel, a stunning boutique hotel. The Colony is what you think of when you think of old Palm Beach. It was stunning. The staff was amazing and anything you needed they were happy to help. Turn down service, chocolate, and little gifts every night made you feel special. The hotel has pink bikes available to ride around the island and car service as well. The pink golf cart was certainly a hit. Beach chairs and supplies are also available and will be set up for you at the beach. Beautiful gardens and pool area just invite you to sit, relax, and enjoy a cocktail. They do think of everything. I highly recommend The Colony to anyone wanting to experience the old fashioned Palm Beach charm. Coming in a day early gave me time to settle in, explore, and do a little shopping before the events started.
The entire weekend was a whirlwind of activities. Friday morning started with check-in and shopping at Lilly on Worth Avenue. Their juice bar and adorable shift cookies were certainly a hit with all of us. Everyone was so welcoming and it was so fun finally meeting people that I had connected with on Facebook. We headed to The Breakers for lunch. Wow, the hotel is breathtaking. We walked around the grounds and explored. The Colony hosted a Happy Hour that night by the pool and it was just a sea of Lilly dresses. Michelle Kelly, CEO of Lilly Pulitzer joined us and she was so sweet to chat with us all. Lilly’s granddaughter also stopped by. It was a fabulous evening.
Saturday started with sunrise yoga and mimosas. I can’t think of a better way to start the day. I signed up for the Worth Avenue tour with Rick Rose and he is a wealth of information on the history of Palm Beach. We saw Lilly’s original store as well. Walking through Via Mizner made you feel like you were stepping back in time. The shops are made to look like an old Italian market with crooked windows and pieced together. Lunch at the historic Ta-boo was delicious. Our next adventure took us to Palm Beach Gardens Mall for a little shopping. Paint night was next and we created a Lilly inspired painting to take home. It was fun seeing everyone’s different styles. GNO rounded out our evening at The Colony. We were having so much fun that we decided to head to The Breakers for cocktails to finish out the evening. We really didn’t want the evening to end.
Sunday was a farewell brunch and print tour. The print tour with Lilly artist Melissa was so interesting. She showed us some of the local places where she finds inspiration for her prints. What would be a trip to Palm Beach if we didn’t see Lilly’s house? We stopped there and took a photo. I decided to stay until Monday and see more of Palm Beach. Quite a few other ladies did as well and we enjoyed a quiet evening in the lounge at The Colony after the busy weekend.
One of the highlights of my weekend was custom designing my very own Lilly shift dress. This is only available at the Worth Avenue store. I chose the Palm Beach toile print exclusive to this store. My dress is beautiful and it was so much fun picking out the fabric and lace and designing it. The girls at the store were so helpful and work with you every step of the way. When my dress arrived it was in a beautiful bag and my name is sewn on the inside of it. A once in a lifetime personal experience.
Honestly, the very best part of The Pink Retreat was making new friends. I have kept in touch with many of the ladies and have taken some vacations with friends I never would have met if not for TPR. We all keep up with each other on Facebook as well. I have enjoyed catching up with fellow Lilly girls on some of my other travels as well. I can’t wait until 2021. We all share a love of Lilly and to all be together was so special. Lilly would have been proud to see how her legacy lives on. After all, it all started with a juice stand.
Carrie Kelly is an Independent Consultant with Initial Outfitters. She is available to assist you in creating a beautiful, personalized, and welcoming home, bridal planning, personalized jewelry, and accessories for yourself and to help you select the perfect gift for every occasion. She is also the author of Pineapples and Sweet Tea, a Lifestyle Blog.
Find her at: https://www.initialoutfitters.net/CKELLY/
https://pineapplesandsweettea.com/
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