Shagadelic at St. Andrews & “Twisted Preppy” at Hilfiger?

Hello-Hello, it is a bright and beautiful day here at the Prepatorium, we hope it is equally gorgeous at your palace.

Today we have a bit of Friday fun, we find ourselves quite incapable of resisting the urge to post this image.

AP

It shrieks “caption contest” doesn’t it? The picture features several attendee at this week’s Champions Dinner preceding the British Open.  John Daly’s choice of attire for the function has generated some conversation. (Mr. Daly is the individual in the center of the back row between last year’s winner, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington and Tiger Woods.) The look on Mr. Woods’ face is priceless.

Mr. Daly is wearing a brand that we have chatted about previously here at the Princess, Loudmouth Golf. (Our most in-depth treatment of the topic is probably contained in the When Argyle Goes Wrong post.) Below we see the golfer at St. Andrews in today’s print, a pink and green paisley; yesterday he sported a purple, lavender and chartreuse combination.

A better look at today’s print. Quintessential Daly, taking the Go to Hell pant to an entirely new level.

While grazing on the Loudmouth site we located the jacket Mr. Daly wore to the Champions dinner; behold the Shagadelic, described as one of the company’s new “Apres Golf Drinking Jackets”. If that seems a trifle overbearing, how about the Hamptons sport coat?

Not distinctive enough for  your MOTH (Man of the House)? You were thinking of something more in the argyle or plaid family?

Ladies, if seeking your own Loudmouth look, fear not. Here are some of the choices available, including such style staples as houndstooth and argyle. (Ahem.)

Here is the Shagadelic for women in both a black pant and a white Skort.

We rather fancy a few of the Loudmouth skort styles, they are not all that removed from many currently seen on the course. Many others however, require the Nancy Reagan response: Just Say No.

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Our other item of note today, the unveiling of the Hilfiger family.

Courtesy Tommy HIlfiger via StyleList

Above we show one of several print ads from this fall’s Tommy Hilfiger ad campaign; the fictional Hilfiger family is the focus of a new creative direction.  As described in this WWD story:

“There’s a father and mother (often with a Bloody Mary in hand); several children, including a son who was kicked out of boarding school, a daughter who doesn’t speak and a Portuguese foreign exchange student who never left; two basset hounds, and a station wagon.”

The campaign is supposed to be highly interactive.

Courtesy Image via WWD

Several ‘family members’ will have Facebook and Twitter pages, and one can ‘meet the family’ online at tommy.com. Hopefully this Tommy Hilfiger Facebook post is not indicative of the firm’s skillset on that site.

The post links to the same WWD story we reference above, unfortunately it is only viewable to those who subscribe to Women’s Wear Daily; perhaps a previous arrangement allowing the story to be shared with fans in some other form might have been prudent.

At any rate, in many ways the creative direction makes sense, imbuing a touch of whimsy that has previously been lacking for the company. We have long felt that Mr. Hilfiger took the brand too seriously; this dose of lightheartedness may be a wise strategy.  Here is a quote from Mr. Hilfiger about the upcoming ads:

““This is the first campaign to truly capture the brand’s 25-year heritage of twisted, preppy American sportswear.””

As for that direction and tone, here is part of Styleite’s story on the campaign:

“Words we would used to describe Hilfiger , as a brand: All-American. Classic. Sporty. Preppy. Words we wouldn’t: Twisted.

“We’re not sure how interestingly dysfunctional the family is, so much as it suffers from a particular brand of rich quirkiness that can get tiresome if not handled lightly enough. Think NYC Prep versus Gossip Girl.”

Two more images from the upcoming campaign.

There will also be special “Ultimate Preppy Tailgating” Pandora (online radio) stations and other supporting elements. We do like the way the family’s matriarch, Lea Hilfiger, is described:

““Met [husband] Bernard on a trip to France after Wellesley. Always well-hydrated, yet somehow usually exhausted. Quarterly Canyon Ranch jaunts are a must.”

Courtesy Image via WWD

You won’t be able to miss the ads in the fall fashion magazines, there are 10-page inserts for Vogue, GQ and many others.

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Finally, a quick look at today’s VSL(Very Short List), indispensable for anyone needing to sending a ransom note.

Click here to visit RansomSytes.org and create your own note.

ADDITIONAL PHOTO CREDITS:

• Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
• Jon Super/AP