Tory Burch & Marc Jacobs Coming to Your Targét…?

Hello-Hello, we thought it might be a good week for some Friday Fun.

We begin with news about an upcoming collaborative effort announced this week: Target and Neiman Marcus are teaming up for a joint collection. Women’s Wear Daily has more:

The Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection will be sold beginning Dec. 1 at all 1,763 Target stores and the 42 Neiman Marcus stores, as well as online at target.com and neimanmarcus.com.

Among the designers included in the line: Oscar de la Renta, Tory Burch, Carolina Herrera, Diane von Furstenberg and Marc Jacobs.  Merchandise will be priced from 7.99 to $499.99, WWD says that most items will cost less than $60.  Below, the logo that you will be seeing when it comes time for promotion of the limited edition goods.

Courtesy Photo via WWD

Each of the 24 designers has created 1 to 3 items for the collection, back to the WWD story for what is in the line:

“…gifts in men’s, women’s, children’s apparel and accessories, as well as other categories that some of the designers are getting into for the first time, such as sporting goods, home decor, pet accessories and accessories for electronics.”

Here is the other designers participating:  Alice + Olivia, Altuzarra, Band of Outsiders, Brian Atwood, Eddie Borgo, Derek Lam, Judith Leiber, Lela Rose, Marchesa, Philip Crangi, Prabal Gurung, Proenza Schouler, Rag & Bone, Robert Rodriguez, Rodarte, Skaist-Taylor, Thom Browne, Tracy Reese, and Jason Wu.

As with so many of these partnerships, executives believe things will sell out quickly. (At the risk of sounding cynical, can you say ‘eBay’?)

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That is not the only news about a high-end retailer teaming up with a lower-priced chain: Nordstrom and Topshop have announced a partnership as well. This September the upscale company will start offering Topshop merchandise in 14 of its stores, some of the pieces will be exclusive to Nordstrom.

Business Week offers this:

To get women excited about shaking up their wardrobes again, Peter E. “Pete” Nordstrom, 50, the president of merchandising, has cut a deal to sell clothes from Topshop, a London-based retailer known for mid-priced trendy styles — punk-inspired pinafores and ladylike tweed — that defy easy characterization. It’s the sort of fashion people don’t expect to find at Nordstrom. And it could draw in new customers — or turn off existing ones.

And why we are seeing so much of this now? Back to Business Week:

At a time when wary U.S. consumers obsessively comparison-shop online and open their wallets only for must-have products, retailers are falling over themselves to lock up merchandise shoppers can’t find anyplace else.

Hmmm. Thoughts on either or both of these? Will it cheapen the brand for either Neimans or Nordstrom, or is it a savvy move for the discounters?  Too soon to tell?

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Two final tidbits today, the first one of those “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” kind of items. Behold, the Sock Sandals.

Via Geek Alert

Thank heaven Geek Alert was all over this:

Meet the Silly Sock Sandals. No need to rub your eyes, seeing is believing. Now for the first time socks and sandals have joined forces and have melded into one. Imagine the smiles you’ll receive as you sport the silliest socks known to mankind. Furthermore, you’ll save valuable time getting ready for the day.

The time-saving benefits are something we somehow overlooked. Heh-heh-heh.

Our final morsel comes via the Times, it was too cute to overlook, a story about posh dog houses.

Drew Kelly for the New York Times

The article looks at a number of different styles, including this one that model Rachel Hunter commissioned.

La Petite Maison via The New York Times

Evidently it was intended to look like a miniature version of her Mediterranean-style home.

Then there is this one, intended to look like the Grant Humphreys Mansion in Denver.

La Petite Maison via The New York Times

Having lived a block from the house for years and years, I was surprised the replica didn’t resemble the real deal a little more.

Via About.com

Regardless, they are all fun to look at, there are even abodes for other pets. Oh my.

Stacy Sodolak for The New York Times

To enjoy the slide show in its entirety, click here.  Jennifer Kingson’s story is not only a great read, it offers some great resources for those interested in upgrading quarters for the four-legged family members.

We want to thank everyone for the lovely comments and email the past few days. They mean more than you might realize, we can’t tell how much we both appreciate them.

May everyone enjoy a wonderful weekend!

That Ivy Look, & Other Monday Musings

Hello-Hello, and Happy New Week to everyone!

We begin with a look at one of the WSJ stories we enjoyed reading in Saturday’s paper, “The Return of the Ivy Look“. In the story Darrell Hartman looks at the style’s recent rise in popularity among those generally attracted to more mainstream fashions.

“Didn’t go to an Ivy League school? Never played a team sport in your life? No problem! Jock-inspired styles cribbed from the golden age of collegiate athletics will win big for spring”

F. Martin Ramin for The Wall Street Journal,

In explaining the actual look, the piece quotes a longtime J. Press associate as well as our friend Christian Chensvold from Ivy Style:

“Ivy League style was something that just was, as opposed to something intended to create an effect,” said David Wilder…

At least it was for anyone who was the real deal—in other words, “old-money guys who’d all gone to prep school, had that natural nonchalance, and looked like they’d been living in their clothes since the day they were born,” Mr. Chensvold said.”

Mr. Hartman discusses the resurgence in popularity for what many call ‘heritage brands,’ those mentioned above as well as others, like Brooks Brothers, while also considering some of those new to the genre, including Polo Ralph Lauren and Band of Outsiders.  Below, two pieces from Band of Outsiders.

One of our favorite books is also referenced:

“That species is the revered subject of “Take Ivy,” an influential study of elite Northeastern campuses published in 1965 by a team of fashion-savvy Japanese writers and photographers. For years a cult item among fashion insiders, the book was finally released in U.S. stores (including the ever-trendy J. Crew) this summer, flooding the menswear world with images of wholesome-looking ’60s undergrads bent over books in libraries, strolling across leafy quads and—perhaps most importantly—demonstrating a robust enthusiasm for sports.

Via The Fox is Black

There’s much more info and insight in the WSJ story, we happily recommend this one, it is a good read.

The book cited above, Take Ivy, was discussed at length in many articles, The Daily Mail offered The Ultimate Guide to Ivy League Chic Straight from Japan last fall.

“Written around a collection of photographs by Teruyoshi Hayashida, Take Ivy proves how little the look has changed over the past 50 years.

The book deconstructs the ‘casual, yet neat’ style favoured by students at the eight Ivy League universities, such as the shirt-and-Bermuda-shorts look, and varsity colours.”

Via The Daily Mail

BTW, if interested in Take Ivy, we still have a limited number of copies, the book may be found here.

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Next, we wanted to share a few styles from the upcoming collaboration between designer Sophie Theallet and Nine West.

Courtesy Images via StyleList

Many of the styles are definitely Pretty in Pink, these pieces are made with a silk repp stripe.

Courtesy Images via StyleList

We are very impressed with the ballet flats, the styles will be available in more than just the pink color palette.

Courtesy Images via StyleList

The collection is slated for a May launch.

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Frequent readers know we have a fondness for Kate Spade, the styles are attractive and the company’s whimsical approach to marketing is a breath of fresh air.  Another reason we like the company?

Kate Spade

It’s open approach to online sharing. Above, an illustration for one of many free cyber Valentines that may be sent to anyone you choose; below, a look at how a full card appears.

Kate Spade

We show the artwork from two more cards below, but be assured there *are* many designs offered that are not pink, click here to peruse the pretty options.

Our thanks to the one and only College Prepster, Miss Carly, for the original tip on this!

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A quick note of the social sort for those near our nation’s capitol next week, Vineyard Vines is throwing a party to launch its spring collection.

Vineyard Vines via Sky Blue Events

V2 has partnered with our friends at Sky Blue Events for next Wednesday’s do at the retailer’s new Tyson’s store; the fun begins at 5pm, click here for more info.

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We leave you with two quick hits, the first involves this weekend’s bright and sunny Lilly fashion show at the Ringling Museum of Art.  The show was a fundraiser for the Museum, and the always delightful She Blogs Couture by the Sea was in attendance and shared *outstanding* images of the event on her blog.

The second comes to us via a gracious reader. Last week we showed the Sperry Top-Sider keychain in a post, but sadly, it sold out very quickly.

Sperry Top-Sider

That generous reader told us about these Rainbow Sandals Keychains.

We want to thank our kindly commenter for the link.

And with that, we say goodbye until next time.

Fashion Week: Kate Spade, Lacoste & More

Hello-Hello, we hope everyone enjoyed a splendid weekend.

As we previously mentioned, Fashion Week is well underway, and today we start with one of the original prep lines, Lacoste.  This is the final collection for creative director Christopher Lemaire, the designer is off to Hermès.

Talaya Centeno/WWD

We continue to appreciate the clean lines and lack of frou-frou from this brand.

PHOTOS: Talaya Centeno/WWD

Not all of the strongly geometric pieces felt right, either the proportions or fit or design just didn’t seem right.

PHOTOS: Talaya Centeno/WWD

We do enjoy a bold graphic approach, and particularly the top in the center photo above. It is interesting to see the higher waist enjoy a continued return to prominence, for both men and women.

PHOTOS: Talaya Centeno/WWD

From the Telegraph (UK):

“Pink and orange striped knits injected the sizzle factor…”

PHOTOS: Talaya Centeno/WWD

Both looks seen above, and the styles shown below have solid elements.

PHOTOS: Talaya Centeno/WWD

Overall the collection showed a lot of promise and we liked seeing models that were actually smiling on the runway, what a nice change. We are intrigued to see how Mr. Lemaire fares at Hermès.

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Also shown this weekend, Band of Outsiders, a line we have chatted about on several occasions.  The presentation included a look at the new “Girl” line from designer Scott Sternberg, offering far more feminine looks than his “Boy by Band of Outsiders” collection.

PHOTOS: Nick Wolf & Piera Gelardi via Refinery29

Below, a better look at two of those styles from the new line.

Photos via LaraPixie

And a few of the men’s styles.

Photos via LaraPixie

Back to the “Boy” collection.

Photos via LaraPixie

One more ensemble:

Photos via LaraPixie

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We move on, taking a look at the Kate Spade show, held Friday morning.  We liked many of the looks captured by WWD (Women’s Wear Daily) for their brief review.

PHOTOS: John Aquino/WWD

We adore both of the dresses show above, they definitely have a 1950’s and/or 1980’s vibe.  More from the WWD story:

“… all the looks were worn with complementing socks and kitten-heeled sandals. In accessories, she layered beaded necklaces and bangles and added playful belts with brooch closures, new this season. Standouts were the oversize, square bead-encrusted neon clutches.”

PHOTOS: John Aquino/WWD

Again, both looks have many appealing elements; the two final ensembles.

PHOTOS: John Aquino/WWD

Below we share a closer look at accessories, the pictures are via this post at Bloginity.

Via Bloginity

We love the whimsical iPhone covers seen above, and both of the items seen next, they also definitely have a retro flair.

Via Bloginity

And two more bags via Bloginity.

A quick Sales & Savings reminder for Kate Spade fans:

Kate Spade

The promotion offering an additional 25% off sale priced merchandise ends tonight at midnight.

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Many readers are fond of Gossip Girl (or the fashions shown on the program), making its reappearance tonight.  It was a busy weekend for many of the stars, with several attending Fashion Week functions. Below left, Ed Westwick at the Tommy Hilfiger show, and on the right, Chace Crawford is seen with Naomi Campbell at the Fashion’s Night Out event held at Dolce & Gabbana.

Another star, Blake Lively, was at the Toronto Film Festival for the première of her upcoming movie, ‘The Town’. Left, Ms. Lively at a news conference and on the right, at the screening.

Ms. Lively’s Gossip Girl costar and real-life paramour, Penn Badgley was also at the Festival, but not at “The Town” showing; the screening of his upcoming film “Easy A,” was at the same time. Here he is seen with costar Emma Stone.  Another star of “The Town” on hand, Jon Hamm, seen with longtime partner Jennifer Westfeldt. (One almost needs a diagram to keep up with this group.)

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A few quick True Prep notes, starting with authors Lisa Birnbach and Chip Kidd signing books at the Bloomingdale’s FNO event (there are loads of photos on the True Prep FB page).

Also, Brooks Brothers is devoting a new section of its website to the recently released book.

Brooks Brothers

The special edition True Prep tie from Vineyard Vines is now available online.

We do think Henry (from the crest on the book’s cover) looks rather distinguished in silk.  Sadly, there are grumblings from some quarters; evidently others here at the Prepatorium think they should be showcased in silk.

Silly Tilly in silk? We think not.

Doubtful; somehow her blue blankie diminishes the dignity factor.

On that goofy look, we say g’bye until next time!

ADDITIONAL PHOTO CREDITS:

• Steve Eichner/Women’s Wear Daily
• Jason Merritt/Getty Images
• Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Dolce & Gabbana

Deeper & Differing Looks at Preppy Style & Mad Men Cookies

Hello-Hello, we hope everyone is enjoying a splendid start to the week.

Many readers may have already seen the story we reference below, but with apologies to our Facebook fans, today we look at yesterday’s Fashion Diary column in the Times “Prep, Forward and Back“.  In his story, Guy Trebay looks at the return to heritage brands and styles:

“Ray-Bans were suddenly on a list of Old School must-haves and so were wool vests from the Filson, and Red Wing boots and Alden loafers and Gitman oxford cloth shirts and Sperry Top-Siders and Quoddy moccasins. Designers as varied as Thom Browne, Scott Sternberg of Band of Outsiders, Billy Reid and Frank Muytjens of J. Crew all made hay with the conservative classics. The style became so ubiquitous that, the designer Michael Bastian said, “The whole preppy machine requires a recalibration.”

If Mr. Trebay’s name sounds familiar, it is because we just featured the writer and his column on the needlepoint belt phenomenon, actually declaring him our hero for his comment about “…the sartorial horrors visited on us lately under the guise of a preppy revival,”. (Click here for that post.)

Back to the story in Sunday’s Times, “Studying the Preppy Look and its Reference Points“. Much of the piece looks at Take Ivy, the literary cult favorite we most recently chatted about here.

powerHouse Books

From Mr. Trebay’s story:

“Time, it develops, has done little to dim the allure of “Take Ivy,” with its guileless snapshots of handsome, fit and presumably bright young lugs disporting themselves in dining halls, on the College Green at Dartmouth, along Nassau Street in Princeton and in Harvard Yard.”

Teruyoshi Hayashida/powerHouse Books

The piece references another soon-to-be-released volume, True Prep.

““The reality is the people in that book at that time went to schools and belonged to clubs that most ordinary people couldn’t get into,” said Lisa Birnbach, an author of “The Official Preppy Handbook” and “True Prep.” ‘“Take Ivy,” Ms. Birnbach said, is a ruling class “look book,” a template for any budding Jay Gatsby.”

A slideshow accompanies the story, both are excellent reads.

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In a similar vein, The Gloss carried a post last week, Fashion 101: The New Preppy; the author approaches the topic from an entirely different perspective.

“I have never been preppy. When I was growing up, being labeled a ‘prep’ was almost as bad as being referred to as a ‘poser’, i.e. the uncoolest thing that could happen to you.  I avoided being preppy at all costs.”

“However, as we grow up and enter the business world, perhaps we have something to gain from tapping into the inner preppy.”

In her piece, Brooke Moreland visits the Puritan store on the Cape, long a staple in Chatham (and several other communities).

Brooke Moreland/The Gloss

The store’s manager, Michelle Wilson Blaze shared her perceptions on customers:

“Blaze explained to me that the men wear Polo. The old men wear the small horses and the youngs wear the big horses. They all wear khakis and if they are over 50, well, then it’s time to bust out the Tommy Bahama.

As well as impressions of those visiting the Cape: .

“Brands like Tory Burch and Burberry pop up in the store, adding a contemporary preppy twist on the classics. Ginghams, tunics and embroidered tops peer out from among the plaid and Bermuda shorts.”

And while most preps don’t pay attention to what is “in” or “out” at any given time, here is one last tidbit from Ms. Moreland’s story:

“The ‘it’ preppy shoe happens to coincide with the ‘it’ shoe of the rest of the world at the moment: the Sperry Top-Sider.”

To see Ms. Moreland’s entire story and learn her ultimate verdict on the merits of the style, click here.

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Our final item of note today deals with last night’s Mad Men season 4 premiere.

Michael Yarish/AMC-TV

It was divine.

Don’s still smoking, Pete remains sycophantic and clients don’t always concur with Don’s vision.

Michael Yarish/AMC-TV

There is continued recognition of the way women were treated in the early 1960’s.

AMC-TV

Betty seemed particularly petulant last night, and we remain concerned about little Sally Draper.  We love this shot of Betty, it seems to perfectly capture her simmering rage while also betraying her vulnerable and forlorn side.

Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC-TV

A quick rundown of stories fans might enjoy:

• An excellent review with a change of heart for one critic in the Baltimore Sun
• Alessandra Stanley’s look at the show in the Times
• The reaction to the episode in the Journal’s Speakeasy Blog
• “Why I Love Pete Campbell” (The Gloss)
• The LA Times’ review

How popular is the show? Enough that star Jon Hamm will be in an upcoming episode of the Simpsons, portraying an FBI agent.  The Toronto Sun has details.

We leave you with pictures of these amazing cookies created by our friend Pink Martini & Pearls, part of her Mad Men Quiz Giveaway post!

Courtesy Pink Martini & Pearls

Look at Joan and Betty’s dress cookies!

One of our favorites? The snappy argyle socks, surely not anything Don would wear, perhaps Harry?

Courtesy Pink Martini & Pearls

Until tomorrow!

A Brit Goes Prep on the Upper East Side & West Coast Preppies

Hello-Hello, and Happy Tuesday!

Today we ponder: is it time to create a new post category, something along the lines of “Preppy is Back“? Perhaps so, especially in light of this fall’s release of True Prep, the sequel to TOPH (The Original Preppy Handbook), an event adding to the topic’s popularity. (For more on the September release of True Prep click here or here; to learn about the fashion and accessories brands making an appearance in the upcoming book, click here.)

We begin with a little something from the far side of the pond in today’s London Times: “Slacks and the City: Trying out the Preppy Lifestyle“. Here is the subhead:

“As a new handbook marks a resurgence of the preppy lifestyle, our man in New York tries adopting the clean-cut collegiate look”

Tim Teeman’s story offers his British audience this description of male and female preppies:

“A truly preppy male works in finance or the law, wears polo shirts, nautical clothing, seersucker suits and Croakies (fashionable straps to keep your sunglasses on) and hangs out in frat-style drinking houses that preppies call “Irish bars”. The female works in or adjacent to charities, design, fashion or the arts, also wears nautical clothing, dons fitted pale pink rugby shirts with neat jacket, jeans and pumps, and holds Charlotte from Sex and the City as her icon.”

The writer undergoes a preppish style transformation. Two photos accompany the piece, along the lines of “before prep” and “after prep”.

As far as what Mr. Teeman dons to acquire his new look, we’ll only say it involves J. Press and J. Crew; we recommend reading the story in full for all of the wardrobe details. We did love the way he described reactions to his new look:

“New Yorkers are not fazed by challenging fashion but the glances on the subway are definitely pitying, at worst hostile. Once I’m on the Upper East Side things should improve but they don’t, because my preppiness is already fraying.”

We very much enjoyed this one.

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Another preppy feature in a mainstream media outlet comes via Sunday’s Los Angeles Times.

Mark Boster & Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times

The paper featured a delightful piece by Adam Tschorn, one of TP’s favorite writers. “A field guide to L.A. preppies” is a wonderful read, here is a snippet:

“When “The Official Preppy Handbook” was published in 1980, it didn’t just give the West Coast the short end of the lacrosse stick, it practically smacked the City of Angels upside the head with the milky white sole of a Sperry Top-Sider.”

There’s a visual for you – Muffy Martini’s ancestors raging through the streets brandishing their lax sticks and headbands at the offenders. The horror.

Mr. Tschorn’s story mentions several lesser-known brands discussed in this space, including Band of Outsiders (although we have been more prone to chatting up the Boy by Band of Outsiders line, the women’s arm of the company), and Trovata, along with more well-known lines like Polo Ralph Lauren and Brooks Brothers.

Per usual, Mr. Tschorn does another stellar job with his topic, the link is well worth a visit.

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We want to say ‘thank you’ to our friend Skip over at the Alexander Grant blog; as part of a series of posts he asked us to come up with style ideas for his real life Preppy Princess.

We were only too happy to waste take a little time to endlessly graze oodles of fun websites to studiously dedicate ourselves to this cause. Indeed.

With that, goodbye until next time!