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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Suzie Zuzek for Lilly Pulitzer: The Prints that Made the Fashion Brand

June 10, 2021 – Jan 2, 2022
2 E 91st St, New York, NY 10128, United States

Without taking anything away from Lilly Pulitzer and Laura Clark, the two Palm Beach wives who masterminded the iconic shift dress that took the Wasp world by storm in the 1960s—it was called the “Lilly”—the wit was supplied by Suzie Zuzek. She’s the one who designed the fabrics that made the simple shape special. As colorful as Pucci but not as abstract, a vision of flora and fauna partying with Op Art, Zuzek’s textiles were a big part of the fun. This exhibition features more than 35 original watercolor and gouache design drawings by Zuzek, alongside finished screen-printed textiles and some of the fashions that made them famous. —L.J.

Suzie Zuzek, “Drawing, Puffins,” 1981 © January 22, 1981. Photo: Matt Flynn © The Original I.P. LLC.