The Birds, Bugs, Fish & Fowl on Your Chest + Jason Wu Targét Update

Hello-Hello, and happy middle of the week.

Today we share a story from last fall about logos on polo shirts, obviously it is a topic we have nattered on about relentlessly occasionally mentioned in this space. More from Charleston’s Gazette-Mail:

“Polo shirt” has become a standard name — like “T-shirt” or “khakis” — to describe a knit shirt.

But after recent visits to my college-age children in Alabama and Virginia, I’ve learned there’s a zoo full of animals adorning the chests of students on campuses throughout the South.

Part of the article examines the broad (growing ever-broader) variety of logos now adorning the ubiquitous shirts. The story is illustrated with this graphic, showing just some of the many icons now besmirching seen on the shirts. (In reality, some of the icons are pretty darn cute. I still prefer mine sans logo, but that fish is darling.)

W. Virginia Gazette-Mail

For those not familiar with each and every logo shown in the illustration, here is a quick rundown, beginning with Psycho Bunny (a Consort fave)…

Psycho Bunny

Southern Proper…

Southern Proper

Brooks Brothers…

Brooks Brothers

Vineyard Vines…

Vineyard Vines

Southern Point…

Southern Point

Southern Tide…

Southern Tide

Polo Ralph Lauren…

Polo Ralph Lauren

Southern Marsh…

Southern Marsh

And Eddie Bauer.

Eddie Bauer

The writer, Sara Busse, brings up a little family history in the article.

My dad, far from preppy and not a golfer or a tennis player, wore the little penguin shirts (by Munsingwear) around the house on Saturdays. Now Brad Pitt wears them. Dad was cool. Go figure.

Here is a 1970s era shirt like the one Ms. Busse describes.

Vendetta Vintage

But back to the present.

Look for Southern Proper’s Labrador retriever, or Southern Point’s German shorthaired pointer. These will set you back $75 or so. If you like bigger dogs, Southern Dignity is set to launch a Great Dane-embroidered shirt just in time for Christmas.

We did not see a Great Dane on Southern Dignity’s site, perhaps we overlooked it. (Who knew so many brands started with the word Southern?!)

A brand that certainly would have fit on the list would be Loggerhead Apparel.

Loggerhead Apparel

For a more in-depth look at the history of the shirt itself, Ivy Style offers ‘Le Crocodile: How Lacoste Became the Preppy Polo of Choice and Kyoto Maiko has a post on the topic as well.

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We were familiar with most of the brands discussed in that graphic up above, but always enjoy learning about new companies.  Here is a name that was new to us, Mahi Gold, offering styles ideal for wearing “from the boat to the beach to the deck to the bar.” Below, the Seaview Shift in both aqua and pink, the Claire dress, and on the far right, the Coastline Dress.

Mahi Gold

The company was started by brother and sister Michael and Becky Gorman, we like knowing the collection is Made in the USA. Another plus – everything is crafted of soft (but durable) organic cotton with a touch of Lycra for stretch (and comfort). They even have dresses available for your little one, below we show the Seaview Shift Dress for Girls and Toddlers.

Mahi Gold

To see a list of stores where you can buy Mahi Gold products, click here.

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Our other item today, a reminder about Sunday’s launch of the Jason Wu for Target collection.

Jason Wu for Target

Because the much-buzzed-about collection is only being carried in ‘select stores,’ Targét has even created a a Facebook page listing stores by zip code that will carry the line.

Jason Wu for Target

Target’s online photos are delightful.

Jason Wu for Target

Last week the company celebrated with a big do, below we see Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively and Chloe Moretz in pieces from the line.

Getty Images for Target via The Daily Mail

There are reports pieces from the collection are already on eBay. We aren’t even going to look, and hope to find a little something when the line is for sale this Sunday.  (For a peek at our post showing most of the collection, click here.)

A quick reminder about our Jack Rogers Giveaway, if you haven’t already entered, scoot on over and do just that, entries close at midnight on Friday.

Goodbye until next time!

Critters on Clothing, Can Eddie Bauer Come Back? And That Big Soap Opera Shocker

Hello-hello, welcome to another crazy day at The Prepatorium.

Business commitments mandate brevity today (it is turning into “one of those weeks”), so we jump right in with a story about something near and dear to many prep hearts, embroidered critters on everything from clothing to key fobs.

“Not all critters are created equal: Dogs and waterfowl are popular, but cats barely make it onto the radar — at least when it comes to creatures featured on the preppy clothes and accessories that seem synonymous with spring.

Below, ties from LL Bean, the blue is decorated with a deer and the moss green is adorned with a trout.

The story is by Samantha Critchell, it has run in a number of papers already; here is a link to the piece in the Fall River Herald News.

“You also can’t go wrong with a whale or crab; girls love their ponies and butterflies; and boys have a thing for sharks.”

LL Bean design director Jim Hauptman shares his expertise in the article:

“Brown and black bears, however, which would seem natural for an outdoorsy brand, are tough because the embroidery can only get down to a certain level of detail. “Bears end up looking like blobs,” Hauptman said. A panda is the exception to the bear rule because of its definitive coloring, he adds.”

Below, our custom Key Fobs showcase some of the themes discussed in the story. (Still one of life’s all-time great bargains at only $6.)

PreppyPrincess.com

Shep Murray from Vineyard Vines is also quoted in the story:

“Color can’t be underestimated, said Shep Murray. Brights draw in critter fans, while traditional colors, such as navy, khaki and white, suit those less adventurous.“We find if we put a fish — on khaki shorts with the simple outline of a navy fish — most guys will wear it. You can get those people a little less likely to wear a critter to wear it if you don’t color it so brightly,” he said, “but the guy who is a ‘total prep’ wants it pink and green.”

A pair of men’s Embroidered Whales Club shorts offered at VV.

Mr. Murry talks about the company’s new Kentucky Derby collection in the story, explaining customers will be seeing a lot of horses this spring. Below, a belt from that collection.

Brooks Brothers is also offering whales this spring in the Clark pants, the Seersucker Capris are available for the ladies, embroidered with lemons.

Four-legged family members demand equal-opportunity when it comes to personal adornment:

Courtesy Tilly T. Bulldog

Tilly enjoys stepping out in her harness from the Princess; Scooter-the-Wonder-Cat was happy when we read her this next part of the story, sharing Mr. Murray’s opinion :

“He said he’s going to revisit cats at some point since he personally is a cat person, but, again, it’s the issue of shape and color.

We’re proud that our vendor for critter ribbon belts, key fobs and pet collar/leashes does an outstanding job. Below, just a few of the offerings demonstrating the attention to detail in the designs:

Can you tell a book by its critters, so to speak?

“Regionally, New Englanders are partial to golden retrievers, boats and bluefish, while Floridians prefer flamingoes, marlins, sailfish and palm trees, Ian Murray said. Midwesterners like anything that reminds them of a vacation, he added, so the beach motifs do well there.”

The article is very well done, to read it in its entirety, click here. We are curious, do you wear embroidered clothing or accessories? What’s your favorite critter?

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Next, a very quick update on what some refer to as a heritage brand, Eddie Bauer.  In today’s Women’s Wear Daily there is an interesting story about the company:

“Eddie Bauer invented the down-filled jacket, outfitted the first American ascent of Mount Everest and even patented the badminton shuttlecock — and the 91-year-old company that bears his name wants consumers to know that.”

An image from the spring catalog.

Eddie Bauer

Eddie Bauer faces a challenging environment, it is recovering from not just one, but two bankruptcies since 2003. Getting those of us once fond of the brand back into a store will be even more daunting.  For both The Consort and yours truly, this is a case of feeling like the brand left us, we didn’t leave the brand.

Below, a look at one of the newly reformatted stores.

Courtesy Eddie Bauer via WWD.com

Reclaiming lost customers while also growing new fans is a key part of the company’s strategy moving forward.

Courtesy Eddie Bauer via WWD.com

It is unlikely we will go out of our way to shop at Bauer, but knowing how hard the company is working at re-invigorating the brand, we may peek inside a store.

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We leave you with a bombshell.  In fact, a personal admonishment to TQM: please seat thyself before reading further, lest you tip over from the shock.

Are we ready?

ABC cancels ‘All My Children’ and ‘One Life to Live,’ replaces soaps with lifestyle shows

Or, as our neighbor to the north put it

ABC Cancels Soap Operas, Hates Us All

The headline immediately above is from Macleans, here is more from that story:

“Okay, the news that ABC is canceling One Life To Live and All My Children is not a stunning surprise. It’s been a nearly-confirmed rumour for a few weeks. But look what they’re replacing them with:

ABC will debut two new daytime programs this fall and winter: “The Chew,” a program about food news and trends, and “The Revolution,” about health and lifestyle transformations.

That’s just cold.”

From TMZ:

Via TMZ.com

One Life to Live has been on the air 43 years, All My Children for 41 years.

ABC

Good bye Erica. Goodbye Pine Valley.

Sniff.

Those Mad Men Are At It Again, & Yale as the ‘Gay Ivy’?

Happy Friday everyone, this has seemed like a long week, and yet we have a bit of an empty feeling as we ask ourselves, “Ummm, exactly what did you accomplish this week Missy? Hhmmm?” We’re sure we managed to provide some tangible benefits in exchange for the privilege of taking up airspace here on the Preppy Planet, we’re just not able to recall immediately what those benefits were.

Well, that’s more-than-enough of a dreary detour, let’s move on to something with no redeeming values whatsoever, a look at the news.

We start with happy news about our absolute favorite television program:

Courtesy amc-tv

Mad Men has received multiple Emmy nominations: 16 in total.  Once again Jon Hamm (aka Don Draper) draws a nomination as Best Actor in a drama, and costar John Slattery is nominated as Best Supporting Actor; he plays Roger Sterling, one of the founders of 1960’s advertising agency Sterling Cooper.

USA Today had a great Q&A with Mr. Slattery on the eve of last year’s Emmy ceremony, click here. Below, a photo of both men at last year’s Emmy gala; Mr. Slattery is on the left.

PHOTO: Mike Blake/Reuters (9.21.08)

Actress Elisabeth Moss is nominated for her role as Peggy, and the show itself garnered another Best Dramatic series nod; it was the big winner in this category last year. Below we see Ms. Moss between Mr. Slattery and Mr. Hamm. (Oh, to be a sandwich between those two….)

Courtesy mac-tv

Mad Men Season 3 premieres Sunday, August 16 at 10pm EDT.  You know where we’ll be…. how about you?

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Now we display our ignorance for all to see and comment upon. We were well aware Tiffany was carrying handbags…

Courtesy Tiffany & Co., (No Longer Available)

The handbag was referred to here at the Palace as the Tiffany Tote (we chatted about it here and here), yet somehow TP missed the news that Cartier was doing bags as well.

Courtesy Bag That Style

And from the looks of the photo of Gossip Girl star Blake Lively, it would seem this is old (moldy old) news! Are we just hopelessly out of touch?

But we go back to Tiffany for a quick moment: has everyone seen the new Jean Schlumberger enamel bracelet collection?

Courtesy Tiffany

Very, very pretty, IOHO.

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Next we have the growing discussion about Yale’s position as the “Gay Ivy”.  This is not a new phenomenon, but the current conversation is due in part to this month’s issue of the YAM, or Yale Alumni Magazine.

Courtesy Yale Alumni Magazine

Again, not anything really new other than its front page status in the YAM; however, the story by the magazine’s editors’ and accompanying profiles offer insight into the history and veracity of such an appellation.

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In other news that shall have no impact on our life whatsoever that somehow seemed moderately interesting nonetheless, WWD reports popular retailer Forever 21 will soon be adding home and beauty lines to their merchandise mix.

PHOTO: Shanna Ravindra

The company will be rolling out these products in their bigger stores, including the 15 former Mervyn’s store they purchased.

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And a tidbit about a one-time Princess favorite, news that a buyer has been secured for bankrupt retailer Eddie Bauer.  The buyer plans to keep most of the existing 300 stores open, and also says Eddie Bauer gift cards will be honored. That at least, is good news.

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We close with one of the cutest stuffed animals we have ever seen: the Whale Big Mouth Fun from Baby Earth.

BabyEarth.com

With that darling image we say au revoir until next time, may your weekend be surorunded by summer splendor!

Preppish Tidbits, Sneak Peak at Coach Poppy Line

Hello-Hello, Happy Friday!

It is simply fantabulous here at the Prepatorium, although we expect a repeat performance of last night’s raging thunderstorms, they are expected to return this evening.  The booming and crashing always sends Scooter-the-Wonder-Cat straight up in the air and then under the bed, poor thing. It reminds us of when we were a tiny Princess and asked what was going on; at some point we were told the noise was God bowling.  Were you ever told any tall weather tales as a child?

So much happening in the few days we were away! First, a few SOTTs (Signs Of The Times), most of which many readers already know:

• Eddie Bauer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday; yesterday a judge gave permission for the company to continue paying employees and vendors.
• Upscale retailer Ben Sherman announced in May it will no longer carry shoes, last week the announcement came the childrens line will also be discontinued. Below, we’ll use the Sherman women’s Argyle Vest for today’s Adventures in Argyle. (It is quite the bargain, now only $39.99, originally $80.)

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Other newsy tidbits:

• The city selected for Tommy Hilfiger’s second ‘American Stories’ ad campaign is our nation’s capital; below, one of the ads.

PHOTO: Phil Poynter via WWD

• Ralph Lauren’s annual gala celebrating Wimbledon’s start attracted royalty, entertainers, and the fashion crowd last night at Kensington Roof Gardens.  We see Sarah Ferguson with daughters Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice in this photo.

PHOTO: Gareth Cattermole/Getty

• There is a new preppy brand on our radar: Jeremy Argyle, recently opened in Soho, but better yet, available online! The company’s Pink Framed Stripe shirt is seen below:
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One Sales & Savings reminder we feel obligated to share in light of the ‘additional percentage off’ savings:

The Kate Spade online sample sale ends tonight, but if one scoots over there before midnight, there is an additional 20% off merchandise.

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We share a few nautically-inclined items today, starting with the Vans Captain Fin anchor tee.  The design is actually the logo for Captain Fin, known for their surfwear.

Vans Captain Fin Tee

And a line we weren’t familiar with that actually sounds rather unusual, the scented tees by Spiff.

Courtesy Spiff via Nitrolicious

Probably not for TP, but that doesn’t mean others can’t enjoy them. Our thanks to the always on-trend Nitrolicious, where we spotted the photo.

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Some may recall our previous post on the new Coach Poppy line aimed at a younger, more financially conservative demographic.  The Poppy bags aren’t officially due in stores until June 26th, but we can share a couple of the bags.

Courtesy Coach

The line will include everything from bags and shoes….

Courtesy Coach

to jewelry…

Courtesy Coach

and headbands.

Courtesy Coach

According to a wonderful story in Business Week about the company, price points for the line will run approximately 20% less than other Coach merchandise.

“Poppy is supposed to help move the entire company back to … a more comfortable place, which at Coach means an average price of $290 for a handbag.”

The story by Susan Berfield makes for a great read.

There is also a Coach Facebook page for the new collection.

Courtesy Coach

We’ll leave you with a Pretty in Pink borrowed from the new group.

Courtesy Coach

Happy weekend!

Chuck Bass & Don Draper – Need we Say More?

Hello-Hello, and happy day everyone!

We start with a nudge on a must-read story in the Times for fans of the styles seen in Mad Men and/or Gossip Girl.  Friday’s story looks at the costume designs for popular television shows, including interviews with Gossip Girl’s costume designer Eric Daman and Katherine Jane Bryant of Mad Men.

PHOTO: Giovanni Rufino/CW

Mr. Daman’s thought on sartorial selections for Ed Westwick’s character, Chuck Bass?

““He’ll walk around the Hamptons in a beautiful mint-green suit and a bow tie if he feels like it.””

Is there a better representation of Betty & Don Draper doing formal apparel?

We highly recommend the story and accompanying interactive photo piece. Below, some of the Mad Men cast backstage at the Golden Globes earlier this year.

PHOTO: Gavin Bond via INStyle.com

Mad Men aficionados may be intrigued by this story sharing the compromise reached in the ongoing hoo-haa over adding two minutes of commercial time to the hit show when it returns this August. (The 16th of August to be precise, but really, who’s counting?) A wise decision it seems, the two minutes are added but the content is not curtailed; the show will run into the 11pm hour a tad.

And in a final Mad Men note, the show’s style is invoked in this brief review of the new Liz Claiborne Men’s Line.

“The debut collection combines the slim cuts of the Mad Men era with classic preppy pieces–narrow polos and cardigans, bermuda shorts in madras, and two-button jackets.”

This is the first menswear line created under Isaac Mizrahi; it is created by a designer of whom we are fond, the gifted John Bartlett.

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We also have a few SOTTs (Signs of the Times) to share:

• Lots of speculation that Eddie Bauer may be filing for bankruptcy as early as this week; for more info, head for the story in USA Today. This one frustrates us no end, as this was once a great American company; now reduced to a B-school case study in what happens when a brand loses its way.
• Neiman Marcus will cut the hours it is open in some locations to trim expenses; the story in yesterday’s WWD explains that the changes in hours will vary by location. For example, the underperforming Galleria store in Houston will now open at 1pm on Sundays (instead of noon), while another location will close at 8pm Monday-Friday, instead of the more standard 9pm. Hours at premiere sites like Northpark in Dallas and the Beverly Hills store will remain the same. And as we’re speaking of Neimans, don’t forget their sale continues. The new promo code for complimentary shipping with any purchase amount is JUNNM.

In other Sales & Savings news, Lord & Taylor’s Friends and Family sale offers an “Extra 25% Off Almost Everything,” with “10% off Cosmetics and Fragrances.” Use the promo code FRIENDS at checkout.

Online Shoes is doing their Summer Sale:

And J. Crew has decided to throw in Complimentary Shipping with their Extra 20% off promotion.

Yes, they call it Free Shipping, but TP refuses to use that term; it isn’t really ‘free’ by our definition.  It is complimentary, or included, or no charge, but not free. (Ooooh, do we have a reappearance of Crankenstein Princess?!) The promo code remains the same, EXTRA20.

And to continue our tedious whine-athon, we’re curious to know if anyone else finds it almost laughable/borderline offensive when a retailer puts an item “on sale” by taking approximately 13% off the original selling price? The issue came to mind with the Crew Perfect-Fit Short-Sleeve tee:

J Crew

We don’t mean to unfairly pillory J. Crew, and we adore the tee, there are more than we care to think about a few here at the Palace.  Nor is J. Crew the only company pursuing what seems an insane practice, but 13% barely covers the sales tax in some locales these days. Can someone help us understand?

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Okay enough of our insanity, it’s time to perk up with a few Pretty in Pink items, our first from Polo Ralph Lauren, also holding a sizable Sale and Clearance event.

The Fairway Print stretch polo is now $69. While not for us, the shorts hold potential. (This could be attributed to our Logophobia, but it seems a high proportion of the womens items we surfed had the logos-on-steroids issue.)

The second is a discovery by our good friends over at the Pink and Green Scene:

The Company Store

The letters are just too cute, available at The Company Store.

Happy hunting, if that is your task today! Until next time, g’bye.