The Mad Men Barbie Collection, “Future Prep”

Hello-Hello, happy rainy day! Yes, we are so gaga over the warmer weather we are happy about the rain, it is so much nicer than the snow!

We start with absolutely delightful news: the folks at Mattel have made our favorite Mad Men characters into Barbie dolls. As the Guardian put it:

“It is a move that would have the male denizens of Sterling Cooper reaching for their whiskey and cigarettes. Don Draper, a symbol of pre-sexual revolution male values from the hit TV show Mad Men, is to be made into a Barbie doll.”

Courtesy Photo via NYTimes.com

We think Joan Holloway and Betty Draper look simply smashing, their hair and makeup are captured perfectly, although Joan is nowhere near as curvaceous as on the show.

Unfortunately Don Draper and Roger Sterling aren’t as easy to depict, especially their clothing, an element key to the show’s success and cult following. Their suits just don’t translate well, they are not as well-tailored. Here is a comparison:

But then, these are merely 11-inch dolls, oui?

More on the wardrobe selections from amc’s Mad Men blog:

“Don Draper wears his classic, polished red-lined suit and comes accessorized with a hat, overcoat and brief case; Betty Draper’s classic look is captured with unparalleled detail, from her faux pearl necklace to her pumps; Joan Holloway looks chic in a purple skirt suit and perfectly styled coif with her staple accessory – a pen necklace; and Roger Sterling is looking dapper in his monogrammed shirt.”

Stuart Elliott’s column in today’s Times is excellent, loaded with interesting background on the Mattel deal and addressing almost every question that sprang to mind, including these:

“The dolls come with period accessories like hats, overcoats, pearls and padded undergarments, but no cigarettes, ashtrays, martini glasses or cocktail shakers.”

The dolls launch in July at a retail of $74.95, they will be available at the Barbie Collector site. (We apologize to our Facebook and Twitter friends for repeating this item, as we did Tweet and put the photo up on the Princess FB fan page as soon as we heard about the dolls, we simply couldn’t wait.)

We’re thinking a few bloggy friends may contemplate bringing Don home. So to speak. (You know who you are.)

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We have a few quick SOTTs (Signs of the Times) to share:

• It’s official, American Eagle is closing all 28 of its poorly performing Martin and Osa stores.
• Stationery and gift retailer Swoozie’s has filed bankruptcy but hopes to keep most stores operational. In looking for recent updates we noticed the last time Swoozie’s Twitter account was active was Feb. 3, the company’s Facebook page is more current.  We wish them the best, we always enjoyed a trip to Swoozie’s.

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We are intrigued by a line from across the pond, Polistas.

Courtesy Polistas

Described by Luxist as “… the first true polo lifestyle brand made for polo players by polo players…”, the company is now launching a Polo Dress.

Courtesy Polistas via Luxist

We enjoyed bouncing about the Polistas website.

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We close with a few more looks from Paris Fashion Week, beginning with the Balenciaga fall collection, characterized by at least one trade magazine as “future prep”.

We are guessing the crewneck sweaters from designer Nicolas Ghesquiere contributed significantly to this appellation.

While there was some lovely pink and green in the collection we wouldn’t exactly refer to it as preppish. But doesn’t it look pretty, like candy, or Easter eggs?

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We close with a bit of retail bliss:

Jason Squires/Getty Images for Sperry

Remember when we chatted about Sperry opening retail stores in select locations?  The Kansas City store celebrated its grand opening on Saturday and the liquid refreshments look dreamy.

Jason Squires/Getty Images for Sperry

The clothes are also easy on the eyes, as is the footwear.

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If interested in the company’s 75th Anniversary CVOs seen above right, they are now available online.  We initially stumbled on the party pix while gathering the info for today’s Pretty in Pink, the Seasonal Bahama.

Sperry Top-sider

We shall pray to the retail Pooh-bahs for a Sperry store in our corner of the globe someday.

Until next time dollfaces, grins and giggles!

ADDITIONAL PHOTO CREDITS:

• Balenciaga: Giovanni Giannoni/WWD

Prohibition Preppy, Quirky Preppy, An Olympic Adventure in Argyle

Hello-Hello and welcome to a Tuesday!

Loads of news tidbits today, beginning with word that J. Crew is opening another standalone Mens store in the city, on Madison, right across from the Womens store.

Also J. Crew related, the Alexa Chung for Madewell collection was shown yesterday at Fashion Week.

Elizabeth Holmes/The Wall Street Journal

In her review of the collection Elizabeth Holmes at the Journal writes:

“… the fledgling brand’s buzz factor rose considerably Monday evening with the début of Madewell’s partnership with Alexa Chung , the model turned television personality who is a fixture on the social scene’s best dressed list.”

As the photos indicate, this was more of a presentation than the standard runway shows we frequently show.  The pieces were very appealing, especially for those a little younger than TP.

Refinery29.com

More from Ms. Holmes’ review:

“The clothes were inspired by the 1960s, Ms. Chung said, which was evident in the short shorts and tea dresses. The colors were fairly soft, in tans and blues and grays, with the occasional pop of bright red or black velvet.”

InStyle UK

The line holds lots of promise. There is no word on Ms. Chung designing any future collections beyond this initial group.

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We were fascinated by a headline for a post on The Thread, a WNBC fashion blog: “Preppy Prohibition with lots of bling“.

Robert Mitra/WWD

The headline was for the review of next fall’s Lorick collection. More specifically, the review reads this way:

“The collection evoked a highly styled, Miss Havisham-in-prep-school glamour and a fun-loving elegance that seemed pulled out from a fantasy dress-up trunk.  These are the sugar plum fairies about which J. Crew dreamed.”

This is so far over our head we aren’t attempting any explanation about the fairies or the preppy prohibition.

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In a post last week we mentioned our interest in a new line, Callula Lillibelle. The line officially debuted this weekend.

In our post we originally showed the sketch on the left; now we believe the dress on the right syncs up with the sketch. (Yes? No?)

We very much like several styles shown by the new label.

Sweetheart necklines and three-quarter sleeves on a swing coat will snag our attention (and affection) almost every time.

We think these two also match up.

This is what WWD (Women’s Wear Daily, subscription req’d.) wrote about the fashions:

“Calling it a “desk to dinner” label, designer William Calvert and his partner, Melanie Fraser Hart, presented a début contemporary collection of just that — well-cut coats, stretch suiting and ladylike day and evening dresses, all of which will retail under $400.”

Earlier in the week WWD asked designers what inspired their vision for this fall’s collections; here is the response from Callula Lillibelle’s founders:

“It’s that buttoned-up decadence that speaks to us all. It’s a wardrobe for January Jones, our modern-day Tippi Hedren.” —

Courtesy AMC-TV via WWD

No wonder we found the collection so appealing!

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We discovered another new label, Wendi Reed.

From WWD’s review:

“Known for knits, designer Wendi Reed made a strong first step into wovens with a quirky preppy collection of tweaked schoolgirl dresses and separates like a navy riding jacket decorated with a stack of men’s bow ties.”

There are delightful touches in many of the designs, we are eager to see how this label fares going forward.

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For today’s Olympic Moment, we have a stellar Adventure in Argyle:

Robert F. Bukaty/AP

That is the Norwegian curling team at practice in Vancouver.  According to this report the team had nary a clue they would be sporting such distinctive styles:

“Team Second Christoffer Svae ordered the argyle golf pants for his team over the Internet before they headed to Vancouver. The team had no idea they’d be wearing anything other than the standard black trousers until they opened the uniform box.. and beheld the gray, red, white, and blue pants that look somewhat… harlequin-like.

Here is the team in another, but similar, style.

Robert F. Bukaty/AP

The pants are definitely creating buzz, being referred to as “shagadelic” and “rockin” in many stories and blog posts.  The headline for this Canadian Press story isn’t as lighthearted:

“Norwegian curling pants worthy of a fashion violation more than an Olympic medal”

Now that seems a bit harsh, there’s no need to get one’s whiskers in a wad.

Some readers may have already guessed what brand the curlers are wearing: Loudmouth Golf, sponsor of the always-colorful John Daly. We show the pants as seen on Loudmouth’s site, on the left the Dixie-Y model, and on the right the Red & Gray-Y.

Perhaps the writer should be grateful the teams isn’t wearing the Cherry Bombs (L) or the Pole Position pair from Loudmouth.

Mr. Svae shows his good nature in the CP story:

“Curling officials confirm there is nothing to prevent the Norwegians from wearing the eye-popping pants during Olympic competition as long as they are team colours.

“There’s actually no rules against (the) pants but it probably will be after this,” admitted Svae.

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And one quick reminder…

… tonight the new champion will be crowned at Westminster!

PHOTO CREDITS:

• Giovanni Giannoni/WWD: Callula Lillibelle
• Kyle Ericksen/WWD: Wendi Reed

Party Frocks, or When Bad Dresses Happen to Good People

Hello-Hello and welcome to a Monday. Most. Assuredly. A. Monday.

However, it could be worse, so we moved ourself to the NWZ (No Whine Zone).  How about we chat about party frocks instead of weather, shall we? (Of course you know right where this is going, no surprises here.)

Of course – last night’s Golden Globes!  But first and foremost, we do have something for our Help Us Understand category: can someone, anyone, help us understand how event planners responsible for the Red Carpet portion of last night’s festivities did not order a tarp? No one at the Hilton thought it a good idea to have a Plan B? Perhaps a tent? Anything? Below, Jessica Lange arrives amid a sea of umbrellas.

Danny Moloshok

We understand the sun was out most of the day, but as Women’s Wear Daily put it:

“…stars running for cover and publicists unfurling umbrellas as they tried to salvage the red carpet photo opportunities. (Although rain was predicted for over a week, producers decided not to tent the hundred foot long red carpet at the Beverly Hilton hotel.)

Danny Moloshok/Reuters

Look what it did to Gabourey Sidibe’s lush green gown by Kevan Hall:

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

As George Clooney said:

“We’re idiots standing in the rain out here.”

Of course we were delighted to see our beloved Mad Men take home an award for best Drama.

Mark J. Terrill/AP

Some were surprised to see Don Draper Jon Hamm sporting a look considered ‘bohemian’ and probably not allowed at any ad agency in the early sixities.

Danny Moloshok/Reuters

Mr. Hamm is seen with his wife, Jennifer Westfeldt.

Regular readers know how highly we think of Mad Men’s Joan Holloway Christina Hendricks, but we were not fond of the garment created for her by Christian Siriano.

But Ms. Hendricks’ hair and makeup were nothing short of spectacular.

Danny Moloshok /Reuters

As The Consort said, “She looks like porcelain, doesn’t she?”

We are on the fence about the Lanvin dress Betty Draper January Jones chose for the evening:

Tyler Boye for WWD

There’s no waffling on where we are with that headband — it did not work with the dress (too much going on) and detracted from Ms. Jones’ stunning looks.  We thought it was sweet her father was her escort for the evening, he looked just happy as a clam.

Jason Merritt/Getty

In our “was this really necessary?” category, Jennifer Anniston:

Much as we adore Valentino, it seems the actress could do with a “less is more” refresher class.

We were also happy to see another favorite win, Julianna Margulies took home the Best Actress in a Television Drama award for her starring role in The Good Wife. More good news for the show, CBS has ordered a second season of episodes for the hit Tuesday night series.

Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

This is going to sound awful, but as soon as we saw darling Jayma Mays in this gown we thought about spider webs.

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

The folks at PopWrap make the point well that in this case, it wasn’t Pretty in Pink:

WireImage via PopWrap

From their post on Globes fashion:

“The night’s least flattering shade turned a duo of dresses, and the divine women wearing them, into prom night casualties. We’ve come to expect much better from both Diane Kruger and Lauren Graham!”

And is there any point in us commenting on this young heartthrob’s spiky do?

Katy Winn/AP

For those keeping score, Mr. Lautner was in Calvin Klein Collection. Also in attendance and presenting an award, Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford.

Frazer Harrison/Getty

Ummm… he looks rather dashing, no?

Victoria Beckham’s growing emphasis on elegant lines is evident in the dress selected by Courteney Cox-Arquette:

We believe it is dress #48 in the current collection.

This is a very busy time for folks in the entertainment industry with the Critics’ Choice awards on Friday. Below we see Marion Cotillard wearing Christian Dior at last night (L), the French actress also wore Dior at Friday’s gala (R).

A few questionable designs made their way to last night’s after-party, beginning with Ashley Olsen, in a dress from Erdem.

Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

Regular readers can guess what The Consort said as soon as he saw Malin Akerman: “oh, she got it at the drive-through car wash!”

Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

Generally Vanessa Hudgens looks lovely, but not last night in this Alberta Ferretti. 

Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

Another not-quite-right look from Valentino on Amanda Seyfried:

Phil McCarten/Reuters

There you have it.

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We leave you with a little something to brighten a rather dull and dreary day:

Leather Prince at etsy

This is the Umi Whale key fob from the Leather Prince on etsy.  Wouldn’t it be fun to have him swimming around your palace?

Until next time dollfaces, g’bye!

It’s Charming, That Snuggie Suit, & Sally Draper’s Dress

Hello-Hello and Happy Thursday!

The crush of business forces us to post only briefly today (and not at all yesterday, eek), so we jump right in chatting about a brand we like, Links of London.  Our fondness for the company might seem a touch odd if one is taking the company’s name literally, we really only haul out our cufflinks 10-12 times a year. And when we do sport french cuffs we do vintage linkage, circa the 1930s through the 1970s.

But L2 does offer items other than what the name implies, including some darling charms.  We like the Scooter charm (now only $32 on sale!) and adore the little Welly boot ($48), both in sterling silver and both very nice bargains at those prices.

One of the smartest things the company does online? They offer a ‘create your own charm bracelet‘ application and we only have one word for it: addictive.  You can imagine how much we love the Hot Pink Heart charm, today’s Pretty in Pink.

Links of London

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Many readers may already know this, but for those not yet aware, the M·A·C cosmetics collaboration with Lilly Pulitzer is now available in stores and online.

Courtesy MAC Cosmetics

As described on the MAC website:

“A collaboration that feels like the best tongue-in-chic resort retort delivers that joyously bright and refined Key West bloom: new floral patterned Pearlmatte Eye Shadow and Face Powder, plus all the retro-modern colour combinations that Lilly is famous for.”

Below we show the Lipgelées palette; from the left: Preppy, Lush & Bright, and Shift to Pink.

We did not show the Resort Life color in the swatches above, described as an “off-white with pink pearl,” but it is seen on the far left in the four-shot of the gelées:

MAC Cosmetics

These run $14, and like almost all items in the collection, they are limited editions. Neither the Pearlmatte Eyeshadow (L, $19.50) or Face Powder (R, $27) are for us, but they do look fun.

There are loads of other goodies in the collection, be sure take a peek if only for the eye candy factor.

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Because we are completely delusional like to stay on top of all things Snuggie, we bring you the latest:

Courtesy JC Penney via Racked

Yes, it is the Snuggie Suit brought to you by JC Penney. Oops! It is the Snuggle Suit with an ‘l’, not an ‘i’.  (We dare not risk the wrath of the Snuggie pooh-bahs.)  Old news for those who follow TP on Twitter, the suit is currently on sale for $24.99, this ah, this item is also available in red and an oh-so-chic black.  For more on the Snuggie phenomenon, including the Snuggie vs. Slanket controversey (gasp!) click here.

(How did this Snuggie ‘coverage’ start? What does it have to do with anything remotely related to the Preppy Planet? Has TP gone off her meds, or just off her rocker?)

For those intrigued by “Seen on TV” products, the Times has a great story today about the way Consumer Reports perceives such merchandise.

“Among products the article says are not worth buying are the Snuggie, ShamWow, Debbie Meyer Green Bags for food storage, and the Garry Ultra Light vacuum, which testers said fell short of advertised claims and, even when they had some good attributes, were overpriced.

The only item that passed muster: the PedEgg, a foot file that traps shavings in a compartment and costs about $10.”

There you have it.

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And finally, word about pint-sized red carpet fashions for a Mad Men star.

Courtesy AMC-TV

Kiernan Shipka plays Sally Draper in the show and it seems the Young Miss is in need of a party dress or two for upcoming award shows. Below we see Kiernan with her mother, Betty Draper costar January Jones on the red carpet last August.

Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

One of our favorite bloggers, Robert Janjigian at the Palm Beach Daily Post, shared that Miss Shipka was recently seen shopping at Spring Flowers on Worth. Did the intrepid writer discover a dress choice?  He did.  Miss Shipka selected the Caroline by Fleurisse, in gunmetal gray as shown below.

Spring Flowers

The silk taffeta frock is available in a number of colors. Fleurisse is a private label from the owners of Spring Flowers, long an outstanding shopping spot for the little ones.

The snow is starting to fall here at the Prepatorium, so we leave you with a dose of bright and springy colors: our soon-to-be-available Lilly Pulitzer Luggage Tags.

Lilly Pulitzer at PreppyPrincess.com

Until next time, may everyone stay warm and snuggly!

US Open Tennis Togs: Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike & Fred Perry

Hello-Hello and Happy Friday!

It seems another week has flown by, vanished in a poof of ‘what happened?’ here at the Prepatorium.  If ever we were in need of some Friday Fun, today is the day!

But first we want to keep our word in yesterday’s post (Tiffany, Tennis and Fashion), we said we would peruse some of the new tennis togs slated for for the US Open, always a premier event to debut a new look or collection.

This is especially true for the Open’s official sponsor: Polo Ralph Lauren.

This year offers a number of new styles from the retailer, including an updated Cotton Cricket Sweater:

The sweater is described this way:

“Our iconically preppy sweater is cable-knit from soft Italian cotton with a wide V-neck, perfect for layering with one of our polos or tees for brisk mornings on the court or in the stands.”

Well done, this is very nice. (The Consort had nothing but raves when he saw us working on the post this morning, very unusual for him to be so vocal about a sweater. Hmmm.)

For the gentlemen, the US Open Canvas Sneaker has classic appeal:

To be quite crass and insert the “M topic” into our conversation, at $68, one could almost overcome their LogoPhobia, rationalizing that the emblem is of a commemorative nature.

There are also new uniforms for the ball boys and girls:

Courtesy Polo Ralph Lauren

The diagonal stripe is eye-catching, and the shirt is done in a mesh knit for comfort.

Courtesy Polo Ralph Lauren

Clearly the Logo-Gnomes have slipped that poor pony some performance- enhancing chemicals.  Ahem.

This year’s Open Canvas Tote has understated lines in classic colors:

If seeking Polo Ralph Lauren tennis apparel/accessories with fiscally-friendly price points, sale pieces offer styles that may appeal as well, like the Silk Tie Trimmed Blazer.

Originally $298, the blazer is now only $99, even better is the wide availability of sizes still available as of this writing.

There are loads of tennis pieces in stock across a broad selection of styles and price points, including pieces for the Young Master or Miss in the house. All of the US Open styles may be purchased online, at the Ralph Lauren shop at Arthur Ashe stadium, or at the interactive kiosks located elsewhere at the stadium.

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Also debuting new looks this week, Nike. We start with a look at ” The Preppy and ‘The Pirate’.  First, ‘The Preppy,’ Roger Federer.

PHOTO: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

Next, ‘The Pirate’ aka Rafael Nadal, still overcoming an injury in his effort to garner the only major title he has yet to win.

PHOTO: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

If interested in Rafa’s Nike styles, once can now purchase many of them directly from his website.

For today’s Pretty in Pink we share the Nike look sported by Serena Williams.

PHOTO: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

This month’s issue of Hamptons (magazine) features Ms. Williams on the cover.

PHOTO: Robert Ascroft/Hamptons

An interesting Q&A style story accompanies the cover shoot.

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Nike and Polo Ralph Lauren are not the only labels debuting collections at the Open.  Fred Perry’s roots in in the sport are deep, and yesterday Andy Murray showed the brand’s US Open line.

PHOTO: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Fred Perry

The “Scottish blue” is a stunning color, we just love it. Below, the Classic Fred Perry Polo Shirt for women in “Original styling with trademark twin tipping detail,” things we like.

There are several pieces in this group we are fond of, particularly the Pleated Tennis Dress.

Basic, fundamental tennis apparel. Yes, we are showing our age.  Basic tennis whites are what we were raised on and what we prefer.  Frankly, we like this collection so much it might help assuage the angst expressed Wednesday in this post about the hideous Fred Perry Preppy Pin Set.

Play gets underway Monday.

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Well dollfaces, we are absolutely out of time. That means we will have to leave Lacoste, as well as the line James Blake is launching with Fila (and other lines as well), for another post, we apologize.

But we simply must include this very quick note about Lacoste: another online ‘by invitation only’ sale boutique is offering Lacoste Men’s and Women’s watches at significant discounts. Beyond the Rack is doing the sale; it runs until 1pm August 29th (Saturday).

The Ladies Tiebreak Calfskin wristwatch seen above is selling at $199; the original selling price was $450.  If you would like an invitation to Beyond the Rack, simply email thePreppyPrincess@mac.com

And to ensure we continue our Friday Fun, we share a few Mad Men avatars (remember our posts about making your own?), but not of friends or family. No, these are avatars celebrating people a little better known, like POTUS.

Also, Keith Olbermann.

To glance at additional celebrities who  have been “Mad Manned,” just click here.

We hope that brings a smile to your face – may your weekend be filled with them!