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

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!

Sperry Top-sider Rolling out Retail Stores

Hello-Hello. Happy-Happy Wednesday!

Please forgive our brevity, we are coping once again with Apple/iMac software issues. As in our first struggle, we are dealing with this.

If not easily remedied, the corner condo here at Princess InterGalactic HQ may need a sign like this:

That is all.

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We share good news for Sperry Top-sider fans: the brand’s first three retail stores open soon in Tampa, Orlando and Boca Raton, according to this story in Women’s Wear Daily.

Courtesy Photo via WWD.com

The next communities to have Sperry stores, Dallas and Kansas City. The company plans to continue its expansion into apparel and accessories. Below left, a women’s Polo Shirt; on the right the Full Sail bag.

Options for the MOTH (Man Of The House) at your castle include the Mako Short and the Pilot Performance Vest.

The retail stores will have a nautical feel, as one would expect with this brand.

Courtesy Photo via GQ

Some readers may recall that Sperry has collaborated on a line with Band of Outsiders. Above, a look at this spring’s group via GQ.

This partnership provides the perfect segue into our next newsbrief.

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The Boy by Band of Outsiders show at Fashion Week.

Nothing really knocked our socks off, in part because we simply aren’t in a frame of mind to ponder anything remotely related to winter, other than the obvious reminders outside.

We adore the nautically inspired coat, but the rust plaid pants are eerily reminiscent of the late 1970’s.  This is a frightening prospect.

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We have a brief update to to our continuing coverage of Team USA’s Olympic uniforms; Polo Ralph Lauren exec and PR pooh-bah David Lauren went to Vancouver to see the uniforms firsthand.

Courtesy photo via WWD.com

He wrote a brief column for WWD on his trip and reaction to seeing his company’s designs in action:

“The opening ceremony on Friday was incredible. Watching Team USA take to the stage in their Ralph Lauren uniforms was a proud moment for us. And it was great to see the diverse fashion for each country’s team.”

One more update on Team USA opening ceremony uniforms: anyone looking for the oh-so-popular Fair Isle Knit Hat is likely to be disappointed by news that the company doesn’t plan to manufacture more.

Polo Ralph Lauren

We did spot one on eBay, as of this writing the bidding was approximately $350.

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Finally, while probably not news to most readers (it did happen 18 hours ago) we thought it appropriate to update the Westminster story with the news that a Scottie won Best in Show last evening. Congratulations to Roundtown Mercedes Of Maryscot, or Sadie as she is more commonly called.

AP

It is never easy coping with the media.

Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Did anyone else watching howl at this sight in one of the commercials running in the show?

Courtesy Pedigree.com

These images are from the new advertising campaign Pedigree is using to promote a doggy dental product.

Pedigree.com

“Denture Your Dog” promotes Dentastix, allowing anyone to upload a photo of the family pet, and give them an amazing smile. Pet owners can select from denture styles dubbed “Bling Bling” to “Dogula”. We selected “The Biggin'” smile for Silly Tilly.

Click here to see her new and improved smile.  (She even raps.)

Until next time, may your day be filled with grins and giggles.

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

“The Preppiest Brand”? “Sly Twist on Preppy Style”? Do Tell.

Hello-Hello and welcome to a soggy Tuesday; one that we hope brings some flooding relief to our friends in the Southeast.

We start by sharing the delightful  a “Thank You” to the ever-so-generous Miss a. from the Coterie Blog. We were lucky enough to win her fabulous giveaway of this stunning scarf from the folks at Chick Downtown.

ChickDowntown.com

This is most definitely today’s Pretty in Pink, we just love the name of this particular color, ‘ confetti’. This treasure is a wonderful linen blend, fun and floaty. Thank you Miss Coterie, for doing such a fun giveaway!

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Next, a look at Fashion Week topic yet to be covered, a company referred to as the ‘preppiest brand’ going by the Times, although that is not a title we would confer upon Band Of Outsiders. Below, a photo from their presentation at Fashion Week.

Courtesy

We adore the little boat floating in the water. The women’s line is named “Boy”.

Thomas Iannaccone/WWD

We have mentioned the company’s work before, including their ongoing collaboration with Sperry Top-Siders. Below, this fall’s acclaimed Grey Flannel Boat Shoe:

All of their Sperry shoes may be seen here.

Back to their Spring 2010 collection: In their story, the WSJ’s On the Runway wrote:

“… its aesthetic seem inspired by how the cool kids in prep school wore their clothes, preppy attired a little more affected than the straight arrows.”

The Village Voice review talked about the company’s founder, former talent agent Scott Sternberg:

“..is beloved by a young, stylish set not just for his sly twist on preppy style, but also for his smart, elaborate movie-set presentations.”

The LA Times review also references prep fashion:

“The women’s collection had touches of nautical/outdoorsy whimsy too, with a drawstring tank dress in a Liberty sailboat print, skirts in a ropes and knots print.”

Some may be surprised to learn TP is a fan of the line; while we do not own any pieces, we like the clean, tailored lines and lack of fussiness. But the preppiest brand going? We think not.

However, we don’t see the need to bestow that kind of superlative on any one designer or company, it simply isn’t necessary. We merely enjoy reading the different takes on the ‘preppy aesthetic’, they are always entertaining, if inaccurate. Nor should this be perceived as a negative for the brand, as everyone’s take on the style is unique, influenced by many factors. It is a line we most assuredly would recommend to a younger friend or family member looking to move beyond the offerings from Brooks Brothers, Talbots and the like.

Before leaving this topic, we must share from another collaborative effort Band of Outsiders participates in, with none other than Manolo Blahnik.

These are available by special order through Manolo Blahnik.

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One more quick note, The Luxury Institute released a survey recently about luxury brands; there are some intriguing factoids included in the results, although none are surprising. Here are a few details from a WWD story:

“… 48 percent said luxury products are too accessible and are no longer exclusive; 40 percent believed luxury brands are becoming a commodity, and 52 percent said luxury brands that also sell products for mass consumers are no longer luxury brands.”

Hhhhmmm, thoughts to ponder.  How do you feel ladies, do you care one way or another if others are carrying your handbag? Or perhaps you bump into an acquaintance at the club wearing your shoes? As always, we’re simply *dying* to know.

NOTE: Band of Outsiders apparel photos by Thomas Iannaccone/WWD