More Lilly Pulitzer Furniture Pix, Priscilla & Marchesa’s New Bridal Line,

Hello-Hello, welcome to a Wednesday Thursday.

There are things happening all over the Preppy Planet today, and with apologies, we have a hodge-podge of bits & bytes. We begin with an update on that much-discussed Lilly Pulitzer Furniture collection.

Sophie Pyle Style blog

The company marketing the new line, HFI Brands, shared more from the collection at the spring furniture market in High Point.

Via Sophie Pyle Style

You can see some of the new Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa fabric line in the photos. Below, the Lauren chair.

Via Sophie Pyle Style blog

Lee Jofa now says the fabrics should be in showrooms in June. (A reminder that the fabric will only be available to the interior design trade.)

Via Sophie Pyle Style blog

Our thanks to the always-generous Sophie Pyle for sharing her wonderful photos.

Via Sophie Pyle Style blog

The images show a broader color palette than what was seen at the fall market, we like the additional color schemes.

Via Sophie Pyle Style blog

To see all of Sophie’s images from spring market, click here. Or, visit the HFI Brands Facebook page and look at their album of photos.

The folks at Real Simple have discovered the line, they are fans of that Lilly shoe storage ottoman we have previously shared.

Via Christina Lee Design

The magazine’s May issue features a look at the ottoman, it will be priced at $599 once the line launches.

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Next, more news from Bridal Week, Women’s Wear Daily reports that Priscilla of Boston is partnering with Marchesa on a lower price-point collection. The new group launches in the 19 Priscilla stores this September, with prices beginning at $1,500.

Additionally, the Vera Wang collection at David’s Bridal is expanding to include bridesmaid dresses.

Courtesy Image via WWD.com

We promised to share a more styles from Bridal Week, below we have three stunners from Reem Acra.

PHOTOS: Jason Riffe/FashionWirePress.com

Oh gosh, look, they all have sleeves. Two more gowns from Reem Acra.

PHOTOS: Jason Riffe/FashionWirePress.com

Very pretty, all of them.

We also have a brief update on that “exclusive report” about Kate Middleton’s wedding gown being designed (we mention it here) by Sophie Cranston of Libélula, WWD shares the label’s response to the rumors.

“Libelula has a company policy of not commenting on any of the work they do for private clients, however due to the unprecedented media attention they would like to make the following statement: We are not designing Kate Middleton’s wedding dress. We, like everyone else, can’t wait to find out who is!”

Because The Consort is so concerned about the issue (cough-cough), he felt the need to set the record straight:

The Consort Responds

There you have it.

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Careening on to our next topic, a look at some of the new goodies from this spring’s Social Primer for Brooks Brothers reversible bowtie collection. Below, some of the ties as seen in the catalog.

Social Primer for Brooks Brothers

In addition to the fresh crop of ties, now there are key fobs in the line as well.

Social Primer

Those in (or near) Charleston can see the line’s designer, K. Cooper Ray, at the Charleston Billy Reid next Wednesday. Click here for more information on that event.

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We have a very quick mention on behalf of a friend, the Fresh Air Fund is looking for host families in the thirteen states the organization serves.

Fresh Air Fund

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We leave you with today’s “What Were They Thinking?”  Below, an image with a piece of fleece that Jo-Ann stores was selling at the top, and an authentic Coach handbag on the bottom.

Via The Cut

The two items are together illustrating a story about Coach suing Jo-Ann for trademark infringement, among other things, because of the similarity to the Coach logo in the fleece fabric design. In this instance we concur with Coach, the elongated O in the design is way-too-similar to the company’s distinctive logo. We wouldn’t want the image on fleece either, it makes visions of a Coach Snuggie painfully easy to imagine.

Friday Fun of The Mostly Nautical Kind

Hello everyone, and welcome to a Friday; we hope everyone’s weekend looks promising, may there be no colossal weather events besetting any of our cherished readers.

Today we focus on springlike things in an effort to remind ourselves that the warmer temps and the next season are really just six weeks away (revisionist math it appears), we start with a darling item from the folks at Sperry:

Sperry Top-sider

That is one of the cutest key chains we have ever seen, the Original Boat Shoe Key Chain is available online for only $10; this one clearly peaks the Cute-o-Meter in the red zone.

Keeping our focus on a kinder, gentler Mother Nature, we bring you a few images shot for Nautica’s spring advertising campaign, we love the madras.

The nautical influences Nautica built its brand upon are evident throughout the collection.

Nautica’s spring collection is now online, below we show the Anchors Aweigh Polo for girls and the Anchors Onesie for infants.

Images from Nautica’s spring campaign may be viewed at the company’s flickr photo stream.

Nautica

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In keeping with the seaside theme we want to show off some of our newest goodies here at The Prepatorium, our line of Sailor Bags. Made out of real sailcloth, the bags are almost indestructible and come with a lifetime guarantee. First, the classic Duffel Bags.

PreppyPrincess.com

Made from double-layered sailcloth, these have a waterproof liner and are loaded with pockets on the inside, plus a quick access pocket on the outside.

There is also a smaller, personal-size ‘Duffel Purse‘.

PreppyPrincess.com

The Insulated Cooler Bags are outstanding.

PreppyPrincess.com

Available in 8-pack to 24-pack size, the Coolers run $37 to $64. We like the outside pockets on these, as well as the velcro handle wrap.

PreppyPrincess.com

All of our Sailor Bag merchandise may be personalized for an additional $12 charge.

No one will be surprised to hear that yours truly is interested in many items from this collection, including the Tote Bags.

Of particular note for those carrying lunch and other edibles to and from the office or school, the Lunch Bags ($29) offer a wider mouth to handle some of those take-out and plastic containers we all use now and again. The lining also pulls completely out for easier cleaning, and the handy outer pocket is ideal for silverware, condiments, and other necessities.

PreppyPrincess.com

There is also a Lunch Sack ($20) for those not requiring quite as much room.

PreppyPrincess.com

There are loads of other goodies on the site now (the poor Consort, he has been madly typing his little fingers to the bone getting these online) with more on the way, we do love this line.

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While sailcloth bags are ideal any time of the year, we move back to springtime goods from Coach, promoting new its new pieces, such as the Alexis Tattersall Trench.

Coach

Frequent readers are aware of our incessant whining distaste for the heavily logoed merchandise Coach has pushed the last decade, but there are some solid possibilities for the younger set in the spring group. The Poppy Spring Blazer is rather interesting.

Coach

Also appealing, the Emma Blazer in black and fuchsia, if one can overlook the insignia on the pocket.

The classic lines accented by the lapel, pocket & cuff trim evokes a prep-school style.  The Tyler Flat is promising in two new colorways.

We remain fond of the Poppy Enamel Bow Bangle, here is the newest version.

Coach

On that fun and whimsical image, we say g’bye until next time!

Lisa Birnbach Wishes She Was Betty Draper Sometimes

Hello-Hello, what a delightful Tuesday it has turned out to be, we hope yours is the same, filled with sunshine and lots of laughter.

It seems like a good time for an update on True Prep, there have been oodles of articles on the book, as well as loads of parties and book signing events, like this one at the Sperry Top-sider store in Kansas City.

Tim Umphrey/Getty Images

And this one at the Lilly Mother Ship store in King of Prussia.

Michael S. Wirtz/Philadelphia Inquirer

There has also been a significant amount of news coverage for many of the goings-on as well. We adore the way this Palm Beach Daily News story begins:

“In the beginning, there was pink and there was green. They mixed, quietly, beyond the fray of fashion magazines and designer mandates.”

Fortunately, the always-gracious Lisa Birnbach us fit into her more-than-busy schedule, we were able to catch up for a chat about the book’s progress and reader reactions.  We started out discussing the book’s popularity, something the author calls “humbling,” sharing that she has been “… surprised at how many people show up at things!”

She has also been taken aback by the intense affection people still have for The Official Preppy Handbook, saying she didn’t realize how much it meant to people, let alone the impact some readers say it had on their lives.

“The number of ‘you’ve changed my life’ stories people are telling me is amazing, I never expected that.”

Reading about the antics of preps getting together in other parts of the country is always fun, below we see two of our faves, Hopsy (aka Monograms & Manicures/Kappa Prep) as well as Miss Tickled Pink & Green at the Dallas event in October.

Photo via Kappa Prep

Discussion about the “commercialization of prep” as it relates to the book prompted us to ask Ms. Birnbach about products and brands heavily showcased in the new book and/or at events on the book tour.

“Is there some sort of quid pro quo with Brooks Brothers? Absolutely not. Not at all, there’s no cash exchanged for events being held at their stores, no. It’s very simple how this all happened, we were very late calling merchants to provide things to photograph for the book, and when I called Brooks brothers they decided they really wanted to get involved.”

The conversation digressed (at length) with chatter about some of the natty Brooks apparel Ms. Birnbach has been sporting at B2 book functions.  Your trusty correspondent has been a little gaga about several dresses worn by the author, especially the one seen below left in Adam Tschorn’s photo.  We think it is the Black Fleece Silk Button Back Dress shown below right. (For more on the Brooks Brothers launch party, click here.)

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Back to that nasty and oh-so-not-done conversation about True Prep and merchandising, there are products being marketed for which Ms. Birnbach does receive some compensation. The licensing agreement with Vineyard Vines is a good example of such an arrangement.

Vineyard Vines

The collection includes a True Prep Polo, a tie and Beach Bag.

We then moved on to the next topic, asking Ms. Birnbach about reader reactions to the book.

“Some people want more rules, there are people who are really not happy about the inclusiveness, this is the area that seems to provide the most controversy.  I don’t think it’s nice, it’s not appropriate.”

As an FYI, the harshest criticism the author can level at someone or something is that it “isn’t nice.”  And when discussing the “too inclusive” crowd, she is understandably emphatic.

“They are old school and they don’t like the way the world is shaping up, and the worst thing is, they spew and use new media and its anonymity to post their rage online, where they can say anything and be safe from other points of view. We have to draw a line in the sand.”

It is at this point where both Ms. Birnbach and TP commiserate about “how things used to be”.

“Life was much more pleasant, I did have to dress up to fly, I miss the soft-spoken courtesy in the world I grew up in. Now my kids know more about plastic surgery and violence and other things that I never knew about at that age.”

“But then, we didn’t have access to so many things that we do now as far as careers and other things go… am I grateful for the opportunities I have had because of the way the world has changed? Of course I am, there is a part of me that is very pro First Amendment, and very independent as a woman, but there is a part of me that wishes for that world where we were polite, and people were admired for actually accomplishing something… sometimes it all makes me wish I was Betty Draper.”

Makeover by The Consort

Amen to that sentiment.

One nice thing about the book parties has to be the food, where else would one see Sperry cupcakes? (Thank you for the photo Miss Wendy!)

Wendy's Picture

And since we are talking about cupcakes we simply had to share these darling pink whales from the big party celebrating Vineyard Vines’ grand opening of its new store in Palm Beach Gardens.

Vineyard Vines Blog

We’ll have a look at some of the reviews for True Prep later this week.

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A quick note geared more toward the MOTH (Man of the House) in your life, the first involving a Princess fave, Bill’s Khakis.  In honor of its twentieth year in business, Bill’s is launching a special pair of khakis, the Camerton Twills.

Bill’s Khakis

A portion of proceeds will benefit the USO, another reason we adore Bill’s.  Our thanks to The Trad for the tip.

On that note we say g’bye until next time!

“Here Comes the Prepster”???

Hello-Hello, is everyone recovered from the weekend’s festivities?

We begin with an interesting story from AOL’s Daily Finance, “Trucker Hat Meet Boat Shoe: Here Comes the Prepster“.

“An amalgamation of two seemingly irreconcilable looks, preppie and hipster, the new style seems poised to take hipsters to a new sartorial level while it brings preppies to the forefront of fashion.”

Us? At the forefront of fashion? Bruce Watson’s story references names familiar to readers:

“…the classic preppy brands, a collection of companies that have never really achieved fashion superstardom, but have managed to maintain a robust cultural presence for decades — or, in the case of Brooks Brothers, over a century. From LL Bean to J Press, Murray’s Toggery Shop to Paul Stuart, these brands are the opposite of faddish: steadily profitable, they have generated loyal, if relatively small, followings.”

The author makes a strong argument for the blending of the two styles.

“While popular retailers like the aforementioned Zara, H&M and Uniqlo have latched on to a stylish office look that borders on preppy, some of the classic preppy brands have also sought to capture the hipster market. LL Bean, for example, launched LL Bean Signature, a more slim-cut, tailored version of the company’s classic garments. Priced a little bit higher than most of the brand’s offerings, Signature’s clothes were designed by popular designer Alex Carleton, and are skewed to a younger audience. Similarly, Brooks Brothers’ Black Fleece and Paul Stuart’s Phineas Cole lines also pander to a more body-conscious audience.

To read Mr. Watson’s ultimate conclusion, and also see a video on the topic, click here. (NOTE: If the author sounds familiar, we recently posted about his story “Fashionistas, Recessionistas and Prepsters: Is Preppy Dead?“)

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Next on the hit parade (and perhaps evidence of the validity of Mr. Watson’s theory), a story from men’s fashion site District Cut, “Coach Gets Preppy“.

The photos used in the post are from über-hip Japanese style magazine Popeye.

“Riding on the sudden resurgence of prep and collegiate style, the editorial entitled “Take Preppy” mixes and matches bags and other accessories, giving Coach a relevance that’s sure been missed.”

The story also provides some welcome information, if true:

“Come spring, nary a monogram print in sight…”

Sadly, any expectation that spring will bring merchandise sans the logo goes in the “we’ll believe it when we see it” category. While there are some lovely Coach pieces available now…

Fully half of the apparel and accessories items carry a Coach logo, be it the otherwise appealing Morgan Blazer…

… or a basic hat.

We shall effort optimism on this front.  Regardless, we are clearly in the minority with logophobia issues, the company just reported another extraordinarily profitable quarter.

For something irresistible and logo-free, look at these darling Coach Enamel Bow Bangles.

Cute, cute, cute.

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We have a different sort of Pretty in Pink (and green) to share today, related to our obsession fondness for textiles, we enjoy hoarding a staggering amount the little collection we have acquired over the years.  So when visiting the always delightful Diary of a Southern Belle and seeing her post about fabric, we realized we had to share one of the treasures she posted. Knowing our fondness for all things nautical, here are two swatches from the “Urban Zoologie” collection by Ann Kelle.

Not included in the Belle’s post but meriting a peek, two wonderful Adventures in Argyle and sweet hearts from the ‘Remix’ Collection by the same designer.

Our other Pretty in Pink comes via Erin at the Pink and Green Scene.

The letters are from Bliss Living, and available in a variety of colors and patterns.

With those fun photos we say goodbye until next time!

Say Goodbye to Talbot’s Red Doors & Kitsuné’s Ivy League

Hello and happy top-o-the-week. We hope everyone enjoyed some relaxation and recuperation this weekend.

Here at the Prepatorium things seem to be spinning completely out of control are a tad busy, the photo below probably better illustrates the situation.

PP Intergalactic HQ

That is merely a portion of the Lilly Pulitzer and Jonathan Adler iPhone covers we are shipping out today. Thank heaven for the Consort the minions, even with the drawbridge malfunctioning, they managed to make it over the moat and into the dungeon office today.  (Heh, heh, heh.)

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We begin with news about Talbots, via this story in Women’s Wear Daily.

“Those signature red doors at Talbots are coming off their hinges.”

We were intrigued by the statement; it comes from Trudy F. Sullivan, the company’s president and CEO.  Her reasoning?

““They’ve become a bit of a hindrance for attracting new customers. They see the red door — they think it’s their grandmother’s store,”

That is the top to David Moin’s story updating the retailer’s progress.  Talbots may want to consider updating their investor relations page, with the reference to its “…welcoming red doors.”

The Talbots Inc.

For those attuned to the firm’s Sales & Clearance schedule, a change may already have been noticed:

“… the two big annual clearances were dropped in favor of taking less dramatic markdowns monthly to keep inventories cleaner and to sustain a steadier flow of merchandise.”

Below, this month’s catalog showing two new styles for fall.

Talbots.com

Frequent readers may recall previous blather discussion about changes in direction for Talbots, we liked many of the new styles and fabrics and applauded the move to use Linda Evangelista for this fall’s advertising campaign. This look? A bit intense for our taste, likely to draw attention to the model, not the apparel.

Courtesy Image via WWD.com

The philosophy behind the strategic moves makes sense, more from the WWD story:

““Don’t you think most significant brands go through moments of profound change?” Sullivan suggested. “Look at Coach. Look at Burberry. Look at Ralph [Lauren]. This is Talbots’ moment of profound change. We are not reinventing Talbots. We are trying to reconnect to the DNA.”

Here are two more images featuring Ms. Evangelista, better showcasing the clothes.

Below, a look at pieces from Talbots’ Holiday line.

Robert Mitra/WWD

(We’ll just might need a pair of those peachy-pink ballet flats.)

While we presume the marketing department had loads of research done to determine how people feel about those red doors, and the data may well show they are a challenge for the retailer’s desired demographic, we wonder if the baby needs to go out with the bathwater….?

Sigh.

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Next, we share a look at pieces from the soon-to-debut “Ivy League” collection by Kitsuné.

Some may recall our brief feature on the company’s “Golf Club” collection; we also shared a few looks from this line.

For those wondering about the company’s name, it is actually the Japanese word for fox.

Many of the men’s styles are also appealing.

Lots to like with this collection, IOHO.

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A few quick Bits & Bytes:

• Brooks Brothers is launching its Campus Collection.

Brooks Brothers

• J. Crew is doing their Final Sale, with an additional 30% off sale prices. Use promo code SHOPNOW to receive the discount; the promotion is online only and runs through the 19th.

J. Crew

• Garnet Hill is taking 20% off all of their Lilly Pulitzer Home collection; Pretty in Pink items at a special price are always nice.

Garnet Hill

We leave you with another quick Pretty in Pink treasure, this one from our friends at the Pink and Green Scene:

Pink and Green Scene

The Juicie Fruit Pet Bed is awfully cute, and it is also on sale!

G’bye until next time!