My grandmother made me this quilt in Lilly Pulitzer Low Rider fabric!

Over the nearly 10 years, HerKentucky readers have shown me that they love the Kentucky Derby and Lilly Pulitzer more than just about anything else. A 2013 post about how young socialite Lillian McKim (a few years before her marriage to publishing scion Peter Pulitzer) volunteered as a horseback courier in Eastern Kentucky is one of this site’s all-time most popular articles, as is the story of Lilly’s family connections to the Kentucky Derby.

Lilly herself said in a 2004 interview "I don't race, but everyone in the family has had horses in the Derby. And no one has ever won." That streak was broken in 2013 by Orb, owned by Lilly’s half-brother Denny Phipps. Unfortunately, she wasn't here to see the victory; she passed away the prior month. Over the years, the Lilly Pulitzer brand has paid homage to their founder’s love of horses and her family’s ties to horse racing by releasing several equestrian and Derby-themed prints. Recently, one of my instagram followers shot me a message asking if I had a list of all of the Lilly equestrian print names. I knew several of the prints, just from having worn and collected Lilly Pulitzer for over twenty years. But, I wasn’t sure I knew them all. I reached out to Lilly Pulitzer Customer Service to see if they could help, but was met with a courteous note that let me know that they don’t employ a brand historian. (I’d be happy to send them a resume if they ever open that gig!)

So, I found myself with the research project of my dreams. I’m pretty sure my list is fairly exhaustive, but I’d love to hear of any prints I’ve missed!

Lilly Top and a stack of my Lilly Derby prints, from top: Giddy Up, Derby Days, Low Riders, Kentucky Eyelet, and Carson’s Grandstand Patch

The research I did led me to several patterns over the past 20 years or so. The first few prints I’ve identified are from the early 2000s; I have linked images to as many as possible. (Please note that I do not own the rights to any of the linked images; due to the age of the content, many are from now-defunct websites and exist solely in an archived state on Google and /or Pinterest.)

Fillies for Lillies (c. early 2000s) This is a muted mint green, light yellow, and light pink Oaks-themed print featuring pink fillies and Stargazer Lilies. View here
Derby Days (c. early 2000s) A muted mint green background with horses, horseshoes, the Belle of Louisville, and fireworks. View here
Low Riders (c. early 2000s) A muted mint green background with periwinkle, yellow, and white horses and Churchill Downs Spires). View here

Spring 2006 featured an entire collection of Derby-themed pieces. You can view swatches of the entire collection here.

Indigo Minty Denim with mint julep embroidery.
Indigo Up Up & Away Denim with yellow and pink hot air balloon embroidery
Indigo Horse of a Different Color Denim with multicolor racehorse embroidery
Millionaires Row Pink with yellow and green giraffes
Kentucky Eyelet Eyelet lace with an underlay, available in Phipps Pink or Trot Yellow
Fronds Green Derby Argyle Green and pink argyle
Kentucky Plaid Pink and green windowpane check on white background
Derby Patch Patchwork of several prints in this line.
Phipps Pink Festival Stripe Pink and green stripe on white background
Fireworks Multicolor daisy print on yellow background
First Call Pink tulips on green background
Grandstand Blue Hidden Garden Periwinkle butterflies and green flowers on a blue background

Spring 2010 brought us some gorgeous pieces in the Lilly Originals line. Longtime horseman and fashion icon Carson Kressley helped design the Carson’s Grandstand Patch print. Fun fact: Mr. Kressley was in attendance at the Lexington Junior League Horse Show that summer. His signature print was a very popular fashion choice among those of us who volunteered at or attended the Horse Show!

Giddy Up A multicolored array of spectators in the Derby Grandstand. View here
Carson’s Grandstand Patch A patchwork of equestrian-themed prints including Giddy Up. View here.

I’m wearing my Carson’s Grandstand Patch shift in this 2013 photo with my cousin Laci!

In the “pink label” Lilly era (past ten years or so), we’ve seen some generally equestrian prints as well as an iconic mint julep print.

Hot to Trot (Spring 2012) Green and white horses on a hot pink background view here
Starfruit Yellow Horse Show Embroidery (c. 2012?) Yellow seersucker with pink horseshoe embroidery
Just Add Mint (Spring 2013) Green and pink mint juleps on a white background. View here

Do you pull out your Lilly dresses for Derby week? Or do you have a print I missed? Let me know!