Those Vineyard Vines Hotel Suites

Hello-Hello, welcome to an almost-weekend here in the Corner Condo at the Prepatorium.

Today we are engaging in some much-needed Friday Fun, starting with news that Vineyard Vines is decorating hotel suites. From Women’s Wear Daily:

Talk about living the Vineyard Vines lifestyle.

The nautical-inspired brand has partnered with Lark Hotels, a boutique hotel group with properties throughout coastal New England, to create two guest suites.

Below, a suite at the Captain Fairfield Inn in Kennebunkport.

Captain Fairfield Inn

Back to the WWD.com story:

The suites mix the brand’s coastal preppy chic touches with the modern influences for which Lark Hotels is known. Pillows and bed bolsters are made from boardshorts material, and the edging on the window shades is from Vineyard Vines belts.

Another part of the suite.

Captain Fairfield Inn

The Captain Fairfield Inn is the first Lark property to have suites with VV decor.

Captain Fairfield Inn

Next to have the Vines treatment: 76 Main on Nantucket. That property’s grand opening is June 9.

This isn’t the first interaction between the two brands, Lark employees are outfitted by Vineyard Vines. More from the Lark blog.

From managers to housekeepers (and even friends and family!), you’ll see the crew at our hotels decked out in stylish vineyard vines dresses, khakis, polo shirts, tunics and capris.

Lark Hotels Blog

Lark’s other properties include the Attwater in Newport and the historic Danforth in Portland (Maine).

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Our other tidbit involves Friday Fun of the Four-Legged kind, we wanted to share more preppish duds for your pooch.

ParsonsDesignGrad on etsy

The madras coat is by ParsonsDesignGrad on etsy. The shop owner and design whiz got in touch last week about her creations and I just fell in love with them.  One of the niftiest things about the coat is that it is reversible, the flip side of the oh-so-snappy madras is a lovely repp tie stripe.

ParsonsDesignGrad on etsy

The coats are made from re-purposed and upcycled vintage linens, there are some wonderful patterns available.

ParsonsDesignGrad on etsy

If interested in visiting the ParsonsDesignGrad etsy shop, just click here.

We also stumbled across some new styles while endlessly grazing studiously reading some of today’s offerings at Fab.com.

Preppie Pup at Fab.com

These are by Preppie Pup, available at Fab, there are definitely some ‘fashionable’ looks.

Seeing these dapper styles reminded me of the posts we’ve done showcasing The Rover Boutique. Below, some of the images we have previously shared.

Rover Boutique

There are new styles at the Boutique, including the Fieldwork Raincoat.

The Rover Boutique

This one has a bit of the Barbour touch, don’t you think? Just in time for spring, the Boutique also has some cute new bowtie collars, like this seersucker style, definitely today’s Pretty in Pink.

The Rover Boutique on etsy

On that cheery note, g’bye until next time!

Ralph Lauren Olympic Uniforms Unveiled, Adventures in Argyle

We are more than ready for a day’s dose of Friday Fun, we thought we would start with the Team USA Olympic uniforms unveiled this week.

Ralph Lauren Courtesy Photos

We have already seen what Olympic and Paralympic team members will wear in the Olympic Village, but these are for the dressier closing ceremonies, not quite as formal as the Opening Ceremonies, but a notch above the Village uniforms. Here is how the Ralph Lauren designs are described at BlackBook:

…the American fashion designer opted for crisp monochromatic white in breezy silhouettes that would work just as well in the Hamptons.

For women, the look features a white button-down with both the team and classic RL Big Pony logos on the chest, paired with a flowing midi skirt cinched with a striped belt. Men will wear a cotton shirt emblazoned with the aforementioned logos, along with white pleated slacks fastened by a striped silk belt. Dapper.

Dapper is a good descriptor.

Jeff Zelevansky for USOC via Inside the Biz

Above you see more of the Ralph Lauren styles on Team USA athletes, the group was on the Today show yesterday as part of the Road to London celebration, the closing ceremony uniforms can be seen on the far right.

Below, a better look at the just-unveiled styles. The term “Gatsbyesque” also comes to mind.

Peter Kramer/NBC Today Show via Selectism

Here is how Vanity Fair described the look:

Wonderful news for sports fans, sartorial enthusiasts, and those elegant and careful enough for white clothing: Ralph Lauren, official outfitter of the 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic team attire, unveiled sketches of this summer’s closing ceremony ensembles for the London Games.

They’re comprised of “luxe white cotton sport shirts” and a skirt/pleated white trousers, each held up with a necktie-silk “sporty repp-stripe” belt in red, white, and blue, and paired with matching scarf (unseen) tied at the neck, according to the fashion house.

As a refresher, here is what athletes, coaches and other Team members will wear in the Olympic Village.

Polo Ralph Lauren Courtesy Images

Some may remember the 2008 uniforms for both the opening and closing ceremonies, we showcased them in this post.

Via Guest of a Guest

Coincidentally (cough-cough), Ralph Lauren launched its direct-to-consumer marketing of the Olympic merchandise yesterday  As much as yours truly engages in whineathons of epic proportions on the topic of Mr. Lauren’s logo occasionally chides the company, we must admit some of the styles are wonderful. In particular, this one is sure to peak the Cute-o-Meter in the red zone.

Polo Ralph Lauren Infant Tank Dress

That is the Olympic Tank Dress for Infants, and it couldn’t be any more darling. How precious is that hat? (Sadly, it does not come with the dress.)

There are official Team USA items in almost every merchandise category, we will take a more in-depth look at the offerings at some point in the future. We’ll leave the topic for now with the Polo Ralph Lauren limited edition pins.

Polo Ralph Lauren

All three pin styles are available now, they are $10. There is a nifty 1-minute video on the Polo Ralph Lauren site as well, if feeling a little blasé about the upcoming events, this will get your blood moving.

Polo Ralph Lauren Website

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We share another sports-themed tidbit, this one involving golf apparel.

Loudmouth Golf

If guessing Loudmouth Golf, you are correct. We hadn’t shared any of their looks lately (speaking of Olympics, remember these Loudmouth pants on the Norwegian men?!), and thought these would definitely qualify as an Adventure in Argyle.

Some may remember the brand hurtling into the limelight when worn by golfer John Daly, the line has certainly expanded since Mr. Daly was first spotted in the company’s blinding vivid apparel.

Loudmouth Golf

Below we see Mr. Daly and other Loudmouth fans in Augusta at the Masters just a few weeks ago. (To see an amazing story about seven Swiss golfers who love Loudmouth *and* the Masters, click here to visit the Augusta Chronicle’s story on the Flying Swiss Golfers’ Club.)

Via Loudmouth Golf Facebook Page

In fact, Loudmouth actually has an Olympic presence, below we see Team USA athlete Steven “SteveO” VanderWerp at yesterday’s Road to London event, he is in a Loudmouth hoodie.

Loudmouth Golf Facebook Page

It has been such a long time since we visited the Loudmouth site, we didn’t realize they were now making Kids’ clothing for the course.

Loudmouth Golf

There are Boys and Girls choices for those interested in a… well, let’s just say those interested in making a vibrant style statement.

Loudmouth Golf

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Finally today, we leave you with something near and dear to our iceberg of a heart.

The Prepatorium

That is Silly Tilly on the left and Tiny Tilly (there’s a word we’ve never used in relationship to Tilly before) on the right, an amazing gift from a dear friend.  The remarkable likeness was created by gifted artisan and sculptor David Lynn of Nova Blue Studio Arts, LLC (or here on Facebook).

Nova Blue Studio Arts, LLC

Mr. Lynn outdid himself on the details, they are perfect, right down to Tilly’s pink and green harness. (He worked from photos our friend provided him.)

Tilly’s Mini Me

While this has nary a link to anything preppish, it does put a smile on our face, we thought it fit under the Friday Fun umbrella. (And we thought it might make you smile too.)

Have a splendid weekend!

Brooks Brothers Spring 2012

Hello-Hello, happy middle of the week.

It’s the time of year where one holds fast to the knowledge that even if we see more snow, spring isn’t *that* far away. Naturally yours truly begins to think about spring fashions at this point,we thought it would be fun to take a peek at some of the offerings this season.

Brooks Brothers continues to offer its updated take on classic pieces.

Brooks Brothers

A number of styles were very attractive.

Brooks Brothers

Although the shorter, more cropped fit on sweaters has yet to resonate here at the Prepatorium, other items hold promise.

Brooks Brothers

The retailer’s Black Fleece collection features a number of pieces we liked.

Brooks Brothers Black Fleece

And some bright colors. Very. bright. colors.

Brooks Brothers Black Fleece

There are also enticing styles for the Young Miss at your palace.

Brooks Brothers

There seems to be a lot of green in fashion palettes this spring.

Brooks Brothers

The offerings in the Boy’s department look solid.

Brooks Brothers

These argyle sweaters will certainly work for the growing number of women who buy Boy’s XL sweaters.

Brooks Brothers

Accessories include new bags as well, some evocative of a man’s repp tie.

Brooks Brothers

There are also new totes, including madras and Liberty of London prints, the Liberty bags are reversible.

Brooks Brothers

The Liberty prints can also be found on women’s espadrilles.

Brooks Brothers

Over at Milly the patterns are equally fresh and vibrant, especially for the spring Girl’s collection.

Milly

The turquoise, navy and salmon is an appealing color combination.

Milly

The spring Sperry Top-siders that Michelle Smith designed are in stock, the navy Links print is probably my favorite.

Milly

These are available for both big and little misses.

It’s nice we have bright and bouncy images like these, here is the forecast for tomorrow night:

NOAA

(You will hear no complaints from these quarters, it has been an exceptionally mild winter.)

“Tiny, Preppy Frankensteins” or, When Pink & Green Is Not Preppy

Hello-Hello, and Happy Wednesday.

Today we are brief, focusing primarily on a topic we have chatted about before, it’s something that rolls around every 6 months or so. It has to do with Fashion Week and it’s more-than-silly. Any ideas yet? Could it be a certain menswear designer? Who also does the Black Fleece line for Brooks Brothers? Does this help?

Jacques Brinon/AP via Washington Post

Yes indeedy, it is time once again for the Princess to pounce, Thom Browne’s runway show closed out men’s fashion week in Paris.

Not everyone thought highly of the presentation, as seen in this story by Jeffrey Felner:

There comes a point when a designer pushes the envelope too far and sends out a collection that is so absurd and so outrageous that it might be called an insult to the intelligence of those in the audience and maybe even just a colossal waste of time.  Mr. Browne who has never been known for anything other than shock for shock value may have outdone himself this time.

Perhaps the nautical styles will be more appealing.

Thom Browne Facebook Page

Or not.

More from Mr. Felner’s story.

…this is not theater, this is not pushing the envelope, this is completely and patently absurd and which would have qualified for a circus side-show rather than a runway presentation.

Here is a different perspective from Maura Judkis in the Washington Post Style blog:

Browne, who is known for playing with the proportion on men’s suits, sent models lurching down the runway like tiny, preppy Frankensteins in oversized, shoulder-padded suits. The show called to mind several influences, among them Herman Munster, “Beetlejuice,” varsity football, WASPs, S&M and golf.

“Tiny, preppy Frankensteins.” Somehow that phrase is troubling.

Maybe if we take a look at some of the pink and green in the collection we’ll see something to like.

Thom Browne Facebook Page

Maybe not.

The WaPo blog points out that “preppy patterns adorned Browne’s oversized suits.”

Thom Browne FB Page/Jacques Brinon/AP via The Washington Post

Technically, there are some motifs one might find at actual prep retailers. Here is what really had me howling, a caption from one of the photos accompanying the Washington Post blog:

Browne was also inspired by S&M culture. Here, a model walks the runway in a preppy-patterned studded bondage hood.

Seeing the words “preppy-patterned studded bondage hood” made my eyes bleed, while I was simultaneously reaching for the whiskey bottle for a quick nip to kill the pain antacids.

The Times review of mens’ fashion week included this about the show.

Everybody had a laugh at Thom Browne’s “Jocks and Punks” show, with mounds and mounds of shoulder padding that nearly ate the models’ heads.

We do love a little argyle every now and again, perhaps a spot of that will diminish our critical reaction.

Jacques Brinon/AP via The Washington Post

Then again, it might not.

Back to Mr. Felner’s story in the Examiner:

As far as I am concerned, this is a collection that should be mocked and held up as an example of what is wrong with fashion today.  20 and 30 something editors and fashion victims who declare this as fabulous deserve to be fired and magazines that show this as editorial deserve to be boycotted by the fashion cognoscenti.”

Delphine Achard/Women's Wear Daily

I doubt “silly” was meant in a complimentary or lighthearted way in WWD‘s review:

In yet another silly show, the American fashion prankster paraded two breeds of tough guy: the S&M punk and the bulked-up American sportsman.

To be fair, yours truly is absolutely the last person on the planet Mr. Browne would target as a potential customer, we’re not at all the person he is designing for, nor is The Consort, far from it. But this one was just so ridiculously overdone I couldn’t resist sharing it with our treasured readers, after all, we have suffered through more than one collection by Mr. Browne together.

There is a related story that is very funny, a reporter for The Mirror (UK) decided to do his own version of the look for a story on how appealing the styles would be in London.

Purely in the interest of scientific research, I created my own monstrous version of the outfits seen at Thom Browne’s Paris Fashion Week show– all oversized shoulder pads like something from 60s TV show The Munsters.

The Mirror UK

He looks very chic, no?

The Mirror UK

You can read Steve Myall’s story and see more photos by clicking here.

One other quick note: in our preview of new and cool things coming to the Princess we shared a new bracelet Kiel James Patrick designed exclusively for the Preppy Princess. It is from Kiel’s just-launched Triton Collection.

Kiel James Patrick Exclusive Preppy Princess Bracelet

We promised to let people know the price and availability; they bracelets are $38, we expect to start shipping them around the 8th of February. You can pre-order yours by clicking here.

G’bye until next time!

When Duct Tape is Preppy

Hello-Hello, and Happy New Year!

Today we look at something that is more mainstream than I thought, duct tape. Yes, duct tape. Your faithful scribe knew it was kind of cool, for lack of a better term, but didn’t fully realize the scope of its popularity until reading this story in the Times:

Indeed, duct tape fashion skews toward a younger demographic….customers in the duct tape “fashion market” (as opposed to the “repair market”) are predominantly teenage girls — including Teresa Scanlan, 18, the reigning Miss America, who lists making things out of duct tape as one of her interests. “I’ve made a duct tape skirt, shorts, a couple shirts and a dress is my next project,” Ms. Scanlan said. “You know how they ask you what three things you’d want on a desert island? I’d only want one thing: duct tape. It’s all you need.”

Hmmm, under these terms the Prepatorium would be be a house divided, we’re definitely the ‘fashion market’ while The Consort would be the ‘repair market’.  Today’s Pretty in Pink has to be the boots, however uncomfortable they may be.

NY Times

While wasting time researching the post we discovered all manner of duct tape.

Tape Brothers

We even discovered tote bags made of the stuff, including pink and green, as well as a monogrammed bag.

CraftsbyBev on etsy

Kate Murphy’s story also references those duct tape proms you may have heard about:

Lindsay Ashby, 19, a University of Louisville freshman, won last year’s Stuck at Prom contest by using 57 rolls of duct tape to completely cover and embellish a dress she bought at Goodwill.

Yes, there are pink and green duct tape prom dresses.

Via OddityCentral.com

There’s no shortage of options in pink, including argyle and paisley.

Via TapeBrothers.com

But it’s not all about the pink and green, a quick tour of etsy reveals just how broad the appeal is; take a look at this Tory Burch inspired handbag.

ElevenPeacocks on etsy

There are damask-like offerings, including a wallet from Junior Duck.

JuniorDuck on etsy

You can also buy officially licensed tape in your college colors. I’m sure the reason I couldn’t find any tape for Big Ten schools is because of a glitch or oversight on my part. Here is a sampling of what’s available.

DuctTapeFashion.com

Fortunately the folks at Tape Brothers stock a broad selection of schools. (Translation: TQM’s alma mater, along with ancestral outposts.)

One can even find duct tape jewelry on etsy.

QuietMischief on etsy.com

Who knew?

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The ring shown above allows us to segue right into another jewelry topic, we want to publicly congratulate Wendy Brandes, a friend and amazing jewelry designer/creator.  Wendy has been named as a finalist for the FGI Rising Star awards, a *very* big deal. She is gifted at both design and execution, here are a few of Wendy’s pieces.

Wendy Brandes Jewelry

Wendy also does a lot of custom work, including bridal jewelry.

Via Wendy Brandes Facebook page

How many ways can you say gorgeous?! The Awards are January 26, we’re crossing fingers and toes for Wendy.

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A reminder for anyone still in need of a 2012 Calendar, we do have some snappy options in the shoppe, including Susan Wallace Barnes, Lilly Pulitzer and our very own Desktop Calendar, done with the ever-so-talented Preppy Ladybug.

PreppyPrincess.com

The Ladybug also designed coordinating personalized address labels and stationery using her themes from the Calendar, they start at just $4.50 for address the labels.

On those fun images we say g’bye until next time!