About Lily Tracy

 

My Brand Story

Welcome, friends. I'm beyond excited to be sharing my latest Resort Collection with you. Akin to my previous collection of fun yet relaxed loungewear pieces, I have poured my heart and soul into this new line, and I'm so happy that I can finally share it with you. It's already getting some great feedback since debuting on Instagram, which makes my heart sing! Take a look at some key things I wanted to achieve with my new collection, as well as the Lily Tracy brand as a whole…

Why Fashion?

What made me suddenly branch out into fashion? It all started on a flight back from New Zealand. For the first time in nearly 8 years, I wasn’t pregnant or caring for newborns. And on that 14-hour journey, it hit me: It was finally time to create a sustainable fashion line. As a child, I was into acting. As a teenager who was 5’10, acting naturally evolved into modeling. Though I never happened to grace the catwalks of Milan or Paris, getting a peek into the world of fashion awakened something in me: Clothes could tell a story. My story.

 My husband and I had always discussed our long-term goals together, and creating a family always fell first on that list. Sure, I’d created sketches of clothing designs, but I’d never had an outlet to make it real. But it’s time to prove that I can be a strong, successful female entrepreneur while raising a large family. 

After spending days searching for fashionable loungewear with great design elements, I wasn’t finding anything that spoke to me. That’s why my first line focused on loungewear. From versatile, foldable cuff and hem lengths to unique color pairings, I created jogging pants and matching raglan sweatshirts for all fashion personalities. They’re perfect for chasing after the little ones, popping to the grocery store, or even lounging with a glass of wine once the kids are in bed. And since sustainability is an incredibly important part of my lifestyle, our US-based production team used sustainable fabrics like Lyocell and Modal (Tencel®) More on this down below… 

 

 

Versatility

I wanted to make sure every single piece in my new Resort Collection was special both in terms of where and how it was made, but also how it looks. Although I have my own signature aesthetic, which anyone who reads my blog or browses my Instagram will know is usually a combination of relaxed, neutral-toned, hard-working pieces, I wanted to make sure it was versatile enough to fit into other people's closets too.

I have created versatile pieces that can hopefully be mixed and matched with existing pieces in your own wardrobes as well as other pieces from my collections, and worn season after season; either on their own or with other layers. Anyone who knows me knows that I love layering!

Sustainability

I wanted to make this collection (and all my collections!) sustainable as I am a huge advocate of slow fashion and sustainability, which is something I have believed in my whole life. It’s all about those hard-working pieces that can be worn all year round and adapted to suit different weather and different occasions.

Here's something you might not know about me. My parents always shopped at the goodwill when I was growing up; and some of my happiest memories were going there and shopping for hours on end. No department was off-limits! I remember scoring some incredible plaid flares from the men’s section once upon a time – yes, really – and I would often come home with my new pieces and then cut and resew and even sometimes embellish them to make them unique to me. I guess you can say that I've always loved making my own fashion rules and adapting my pieces to suit my own personal style!

None of us are lacking quantity of items in our wardrobe, but it’s the pieces that really resonate with us that get worn the most. And hopefully that's what my new collection and my brand as a whole will achieve. When you put on clothes that you love, you become the best side of you – more confident, strong, playful, the list goes on… and I want every single piece in my collections to inspire the women who wear them.

 

Express Yourself!

I believe fashion is individual and a great way for us to express ourselves without saying anything. I love the idea of taking something that has been pre-loved by someone else, something that has already lived its own life before coming to me, and then giving it a brand new life and a brand new story. Story-telling is really important to me when it comes to fashion, and that's something I want to be the forefront of all of my collections.

This creative side of me has always lived in me. When my hubby turned to me on our flight back from New Zealand with our 5 kids and asked me what I wanted to do for the next chapter (we weren’t having any more babies, that's for sure!) I felt like I could dream big. I knew if I was ever going to create a clothing line this was my time to try!

 

 

Going The Extra Mile

I knew I wanted to create unique pieces that were not only sustainably made but could capture the owner's love for years to come. And what better way to accomplish this than to create pieces that were made with luxurious fabric, beautiful stitching, and those small special details that make a piece of clothing shine?! You know that feeling when you put on your favorite blazer… you stand a little straighter, radiate a little brighter. This is what I wanted my clothes to do for all the women that own them.

I believe in going the extra mile, so most of my pieces have been created with special and sometimes even unique details to set them apart from other fast fashion equivalents. See below for some of the special details I’ve added to clothes in my previous collection, which so many you have told me you love…

I created a custom floral pattern – watercolor meets florals – to represent my aesthetic in my previous collection, and I will always try to add my own personal touch whenever and wherever I can. The Grommets and rivets on the lounge pants from my previous collection are another great example of me wanting to go the extra mile, as they have received a lot of compliments. I'm so glad I persevered with this detail as it almost didn’t happen. I got turned away by 3 manufacturers here in the US because of this hardware, as it adds that extra work that they often don’t want to bother with; but I was determined to add them. And I'm so happy I kept hunting for a manufacturer that was willing to put in the extra time because it’s those little elements that made the joggers unique. And I love how that little detail hasn’t gone unnoticed among those looking at and even purchasing the pieces!  

Another detail that was important for me was making each piece accessible for all different body types. As a taller person, I have sometimes struggled with getting the right fit in shirts, pants, skirts, and dresses, so this was something that was very important to me when creating my first collection. I added extra long cuffs for varying body heights, without the need to go for designated petite or tall variations. If you’re short, medium or tall, the shirt and pants can fit your frame.

Stay tuned for more info on upcoming collections – and be sure to check out my blog to discover more about my style (including how I am styling the pieces from my collections as I go about my day) and which designers inspire me!