Kendra Scott and ARH Foundation Give Back to Eastern Kentucky
Shop Kendra Scott to benefit Appalachian Flood Relief!
Hey y’all.
As I’m sure you all know, my hometown and many of the nearby towns and hollers were impacted by severe flooding earlier this month. I legitimately don’t know how to describe the feeling of seeing my hometown — the place where my family and friends live and work and go to church, where my grandfather taught school, and where my parents met — on The Weather Channel as being only a few miles from the epicenter of flooding activity. I’m so thankful that my family is safe and sound, but a lot of our friends back home were impacted pretty extensively. Homes and lives were lost, schools were destroyed, and people have been trapped in remote areas when their roads quite simply washed away.
It’s been devastating to see such extensive loss, but it’s also been amazing to see how communities have come together. In my home county, volunteers are providing meals and necessities to those who are in need. I’ve heard so many amazing stories of how friends and neighbors are helping one another recover and thrive. It’s going to take time, hard work, and a lot of assistance to get our tiny Appalachian towns back up and running.
My friends at Kendra Scott recently reached out to me about a very easy way to help benefit Appalachian communities, including my own home county. Through Saturday, August 27th, you can shop Kendra Scott jewelry online or in the Lexington or Louisville Kendra Scott stores and 20% of your purchase price will be donated to the ARH Foundation fund, which benefits Appalachian flood relief. Just mention ARH at checkout if you’re in one of the Kentucky stores, or use code GIVEBACK-CKNGN in the coupon box if you’re shopping online.
Any Kendra Scott purchase can count toward this fundraiser, but I particularly adore the Official ARH Collection, which is comprised of three beautiful pieces of Platinum Drusy set in silver tone. This stone is believed to be associated with peace, tranquillity, patience, intuition, and unconditional love. I’m wearing the necklace and earrings from this collection in the photos accompanying this blog post; the collection includes a bracelet as well. These pieces can be worn with nearly everything in my closet, and I love feeling a little closer to my community when I wear it!
Thanks so much to my friends at Kendra Scott for this wonderful opportunity to help Appalachian communities in need!
2022 Vineyard Vines Kentucky Derby Collection
Vineyard Vines celebrates the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby.
The 2022 Kentucky Derby Collection from Vineyard Vines is here. I love collecting these pieces to wear throughout Derby Season. The folks at Vineyard Vines always find the most adorable ways to celebrate Derby, and this year’s designs are so fun!
Women’s Tees
Check out the Women’s Rose Whale Long-Sleeved Tee and Women’s Whale Horseshoe Short-Sleeved Tee.
Men’s Tees
Y’all, I absolutely love the cut of a VV men’s tee. I wear the long-sleeved tees year-round, and this year’s Derby styles are fabulous. My favorites are the Men’s Derby Whale Horseshoe Long-Sleeved Tee, Men’s Bow Ties, Bourbon & Betting Tee, Men’s Derby Whale Tee, and the Men’s Derby Whale Fill Tee.
Accessories
The Vineyard Vines Derby accessories are always a must-see. My favorites this year are this Derby Tie and this gorgeous Fascinator by Louisville’s Forme Millinery.
Happy Derby Season, y’all!
{This post contains affiliate links. I will receive a small commission from any purchases made using the links in this post, at no cost to you!)
Draper James Shopping Event Benefiting The Well Lexington
Shopping event with Draper James benefits victims of sex trafficking in Lexington KY.
Hey y’all! I’d love to see you tomorrow night, Thursday May 13th, from 5-7 p.m. at the Draper James Lexington store for a shopping event benefiting The Well of Lexington, which provides a holistic program of safe housing for women as well as recovery support, education and healing for women and families exploited by sex trafficking in order to empower them to reach economic independence and live productive lives. The Well does amazing work, and, as always, I am so grateful to Draper James for partnering with community agencies like The Well.
I’m also so excited to shop with y’all tomorrow — the new Draper James x Lands’ End swim pieces are absolutely amazing! I wore DJ x Lands’ End swimsuits all last summer and loved them! They’re so flattering and hold up wonderfully!
The gingham tote bag is a favorite, and I love it in raspberry as well!
I also love the Ditsy Floral print; this dress has been a spring favorite and I’m glad to see the swim collection in the same print!
The Lexington Draper James store is taking every precaution to ensure that the event will be safe. The distanced, masked shopping event will include one hour (6-7 p.m.) after the close of store hours so that shoppers can feel safer! If you’d prefer to order via phone and have your purchased shipped for free, call the Lexington store at 859-618-6785 during the event hours and a percentage of your purchase will be donated to The Well. I hope to see y’all there!
Lilly Pulitzer Kentucky Derby Prints
A list of the iconic Lilly Pulitzer Kentucky Derby prints.
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!
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!
Vineyard Vines Kentucky Derby Collection 2021
A new, preppy collection celebrates the Run for the Roses in style!
Every year, I look forward to the Vineyard Vines Kentucky Derby Collection. I love that it includes pieces for any level of celebration, from dresses, fascinators and bowties, to t-shirts and baseball caps.
Vineyard Vines makes the absolute cutest ties and pocket squares for Derby Week! I especially love this pocket square and this bourbon and betting themed tie, which would be perfect for Thurby!
I also always love the annual Vineyard Vines fascinator, which is created by Louisville-based milliner Jenny Pfanenstiel (click here to read my interview with Jenny!) as well as the Derby-themed scarf (click here to read about a VV Derby scarf that held a very special meaning for me!)
Whether you’re headed to the track for Derby this year or watching at home, Vineyard Vines has some fun pieces to help you celebrate in style!
Draper James 25% Off Sale
Don’t miss these great prices on spring staples!
Hey y’all. Draper James is having a fantastic sale through midnight Monday, 3/22. Everything online and in-store is 25% off. This is a great time to stock up on spring favorites. I absolutely love this dress and its long-sleeved counterpart. I also love this navy t-shirt dress; so versatile for spring!!
I love how, during the past year, Draper James has made the transition to stocking more of what I like to think of as “fancy sweats.” You know exactly what I mean — those clothes that are comfortably cut, made from a French Terry fabric, and plenty pulled together enough for a Zoom call. I especially love the Natalie sweatshirt dress — I have it in the magnolia print and the raspberry gingham, and am seriously considering the navy gingham as well. It’s cute and comfortable and versatile!
I’m also a huge fan of the sweatshirts. I wore the Natalie in navy gingham and raspberry gingham and pink magnolia all winter, and am absolutely in love with the Kelsea stripes for spring!
Lilly Pulitzer Let's Get Together Print
This special print celebrates diversity, unity and inclusion!
Today is International Women’s Day, and I love the way Lilly Pulitzer is celebrating the event! The latest Lilly print, Let’s Get Together, is the first Lilly print to feature women of color. I absolutely love the idea that Black women and white women are depicted together, enjoying a traditional Lilly beach scene! It’s a great step toward representation and inclusion, and I’m so excited to wear this print. Here’s to unity, y’all!
