Hello Darling!!! I am so happy you are here ;) My name is Caitlin Stolley. I dreamed up the name Lily Guilder before I went to Bali in 2007 to create my first one of a kind clothing collection.
The name means a lot to me. At Burning Man 2006 my love interest at the time told me that every outfit I put on was just “gilding the lily.” It was a gestalt moment that made me think deeply about the clothing I was making for myself.
To “gild the lily” is to take that which is already perfect (like a lily flower) and schmear some sparkle on it.
Every person I make clothing for is already perfect- beautiful and strong and powerful in their own ways. But most people forget this true nature that is part of us all. And I noticed that every time someone put on something I made they literally would stand taller and smile and feel that superhero-like beautiful part of themselves. I realized that it was my superpower-
I AM THE LILY GUILDER!!!
Also, my Granma Lillie taught me to sew when I was a kid. Granma Lillie was a spitfire lady born in 1914 who grew up on a farm in Keokuk, Iowa. She lived through the Depression and very much within the maxim “Waste not, want not.” She did not waste anything. For example, when we made cookies with her we would get in trouble if we did not swipe out the eggs before we threw the shells away. She also saved anything that could used a second time. And she believed you buy quality clothing or should make it yourself. I loved playing dress up in her clothing and eventually a lot of her epic vintage pieces became mine. I still wear some of those pieces and figured out my first patterns from them. My “Boss Pant” style is based on her high waisted wide leg pants from the 70s and my “Sailor Pants” are versions of the pants my Granpa Norman wore in the Navy during WWII.
Granma Lillie’s ways seemed extreme to us growing up but I now understand her wisdom. We throw too much away in this current era. Clothing is cheap and does not last. Lily Guilder style is timeless and is made to last like my Granma’s clothing was. People who purchased something from me at a festival in 2004 still have the piece in their closets! I think of Lillie while I create and I apply her “waste not, want not” maxim to my brand by saving every single fabric “off- cut” (aka scraps) and finding creative ways to use every little piece. (More about this in “Mother Earth SOS- Save Our Scraps” blog).
I spell it GUILD-er because I also noticed something else. A guild is a group of people working toward a common cause. Over the course of my life I have moved many times and made clothing everywhere I go (Chicago, NYC, LA, SF, Tahoe, Colorado, Belize, Bali, Nashville….) and this amazing thing happens. People who do not know each other see each other’s amazing outfits and start talking. They realize they are both wearing Lily Guilder and share their stories.
So, welcome to The Guild! I am so excited to help you dazzle when you wear your very own Lily Guilder piece.