“The Ivy League”

Hello and happy day to everyone, I hope your afternoons are going swimmingly.

Business pressures mandate brevity today, so we are going to offer another reading suggestion. Like so many topics we end up discussing, this one has been sitting on my desktop (literally) for many weeks.  We’re talking about a book still fairly new to the marketplace, Ivy League, from upscale publisher Assouline.

Assouline Publishing

Here is Assouline’s description of the book:

The Ivy League is so much more than a group of eight universities. Attending one of these prominent schools provides entrée into a world of exclusivity and private clubs—a membership that never expires. Through photos and text, The Ivy League admits readers to the world’s most revered institutions, portraying the character of each school and what sets it apart, from renowned graduates and dominant political stances to athletic rivalries, architectural styles, popular fashion, and more.

The volume is by Harvard alum Daniel Cappello, below we see the author at a signing party hosted by longtime prep stalwart Gant.

Assouline Facebook Page

Mr. Cappello is the fashion director of Quest magazine, a Princess favorite; for those not as familiar with the publication, it describes itself thusly:

Like the scion of a once-great dynasty, Quest is New York’s last magazine devoted to Society with a capital S, covering the socially prominent in New York, Greenwich, The Hamptons and Palm Beach.

The May issue of the magazine:

Quest Magazine

Back to Mr. Cappello, he also worked at George and the New Yorker. The new book looks like a fascinating read, more on the content from Assouline:

Representing the apex of academic achievement, the Ivy League is also a gateway to the socially powerful and elite, making it the wish of all parents for their children. But that’s only the beginning.

The always-wonderful Stacey at the Quintessence blog shares her thoughts on the new book:

Cappello starts with the “big three”- Harvard, Yale and Princeton –  and these schools also have the best and most varied selection of photos. The author has assigned descriptive subtitles for each school that I will leave you to determine if accurate. As a Harvard grad, he sums up his alma mater as “the Ivy’s Ivy.”

The photos alone are worth seeing.

Assouline Publishing via Quintessence

Many of them are classic, offering an eye on style that remains much the same even today (thank heaven).

Assouline Publishing via GQ

From GQ‘s review:

The result is a book that captures the back-stories and notable moments in each school’s history alongside some pretty great archival photos of student life (interested prepsters take note).

Obviously the book holds appeal for an intriguing crowd, here is how The Observer described a book party back in April:

It’s not every book party where you end up in a 5th Avenue estate, listening to a Columbia a capella group sing doo-wop classics.

Photographer and recent documentary subject Bill Cunningham mingled among the Upper East Side revelers which included Allison and Jay Aston, Charles Rockefeller, Punch Hutton and Chris Rovzar from Vanity Fair, Anne Vincent from Vogue, Robert Burke, Kelly Rutherford, and The New Yorker‘s Ben McGrath.

For an in-depth look at the book, Stacey’s post at Quintessence is a must-read.

The book is available at a variety of places, including Assouline, Amazon and your local independent bookstore. This one is tempting for any number of people on one’s gift list.

Greek Ban at an Ivy, Pretty in Pink, Lilly Looks at Her Fabric

Hello-Hello, happy Thursday!

There seems to be an awful lot going on this week, we are going to do a Bits & Bytes style post in order to at least share a bullet point or two.

We begin with the continuing drama regarding Greek life at Princeton: University President Shirly Tilghman has announced a ban on freshman joining sororities and fraternities. Additionally, freshman will not be allowed to participate in rush. Here is a portion of the letter explaining some of the reasoning behind the decision.

In some cases, they place an excessive emphasis on alcohol and engage in activities that encourage excessive and high-risk drinking. A major concern is that they select their members early in freshman year, when students are most vulnerable to pressures from peers to drink, and before they have had a full opportunity to explore a variety of interests and develop a diverse set of friendships.

For those unfamiliar with the situation in Princeton, Greek organizations have never been officially recognized by the University, but they have played a significant role for thousands of student since the 1800s. Forums and meetings and discussions were held to discuss proposed changes to the system, below you see one such gathering in May of this year.

Habin Chung/Princeton Alumni Weekly

Not all students are pleased with the decision, below we share part of a guest editorial by Josh Miller in the Daily Princetonian.

That is the worst part of this whole debacle. President Tilghman’s decision is hurting the members of the Greek community — no, the Princeton community — that are the most innocent. Banning rush will not encourage the reclusive elites to join the greater Princeton community.

But people like me — from urban public high schools that rarely send students to the “Ivies” — who cannot sing, make horrible jokes and do not want to write more than they already do in writing seminar, are left with fewer options when they arrive on campus.

One item of social interaction at this particular Ivy, the school’s eating clubs; students join a specific club and eat there daily, dining is not done in a dorm and the school feels this offers a level of interaction and camaraderie. Here is more on the ban from the Alumni Weekly.

A greater concern, however, is that fraternities and sororities have been associated with dangerous and demeaning hazing rituals and “irresponsible, excessive, dangerous, and in some cases, coerced” alcohol consumption, the report said.

This isn’t the first University to ban Greek activities on campus, far from it, there are hundreds of tales on the topic, our Twitter friend Girl Tuesday shared a link to a 1994 story in the Times about a Greek ban at Middlebury.

We asked a couple of friends who are grads for their perspective. Lisa from Privilege is sensitive to the complexity of the issue, saying that even as an “old hippie alumna” she has mixed feelings.  Offering another perspective, Bumby Scott of The Preppy Chronicles:

” All that I will say as a member of Chi Phi, Shame on Shirley.”

This is not meant to be any kind of definitive take on the topic, but so many of our readers enjoyed sorority and fraternity activities when in school it merited a mention.

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This serves as the perfect segue to our other college life tidbit, word of a new book, Gridiron Belles: A Guide to Saturdays in Dixie. Author Christie Mueller did a lot of legwork in researching material for the book. Here are a few tips via a story from AL.com:

• When it comes to tailgating, Mueller has seen some massive spreads. But fear not, first-timer,  she has plenty of suggestions to keep you from showing up to your tailgate with a disaster dish. She suggests cookies with team-colored icing
• Show up early, bright-eyed and bushy tailed wearing your cutest team-themed sundress, know the basic rules of the game and honey, you’ll do just fine.

The book may be purchased here for $24.99. For those interested in learning more there is a Gridron Belles Facebook page, Twitter feed, Flickr photo pages and more.

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As fall draws closer we thought doing a little Pretty in Pink would be a nice diversion. We start with the good folks at Boden, both the Favorite Cardigan in Painterly Pink ($44) or the Spotted Cardigan in Pink and Plum look snuggly and fun. By the way, the latter is 100% wool ($88). ideal for crisp autumn nights.

Boden USA

The Young Miss at your palace might enjoy the pink and green Ribbed Tights 2-Pack ($24), or the Pink Wallpaper Backpack ($40), also at Boden.

Boden USA

Not for the shy and retiring young lady, DC’s Pure Skate shoe ($35-45 ), the Tsukihoshi Euro Fashion Sneaker ($56) is also very pink, both are at Endless.com.

Endless.com

If thinking of something smaller for the grownup girls, the Trax Shelley watch ($40) at Kohl’s is an option, the Big Dots Lunch Box ($21) works for any age.

Kohl's.com

There is always the Pink Princess phone (49.95) (if only to show the younger set what it was like in the “olden days”), or the more contemporary Digital Camcorder ($129.95), both at Kohl’s.

Kohls.com

If the Pretty in Pink Fairy wanted to sprinkle some pixie dust around the Prepatorium this would be a nice addition.

Kate Spade Malerie Jacket

That is the Malerie jacket ($495) by Kate Spade. Nor would we turn up our nose at the Cherie coat ($695) or the Bardot Sweater Dress ($355). Sigh.

Kate Spade

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We leave you with something fun, although it actually happened a few weeks ago.  Frequent readers have suffered through incessant blathering seen us mention the recently launched Lilly Pulitzer fabric collection for Lee Jofa. (More here.)

Lee Jofa

It really is a marvelous collection of interior design fabrics, filled with the joie de vivre and vibrancy one would associate with a Lilly fabric line.  Who recently popped into her local C. Orrico to see the fabric with her very own eyes?

Via Kravet "Inspired Talk"

That is Lilly with Lee Jofa rep Chris Zitelli, up above. Below we see her with some of the textiles, the C. Orrico staff and Mr. Zitelli.

Via Kravet 'Inspired Talk'

Does Lilly have any favorite fabrics from the collection? It turns out she does,the design  is fond of Heritage Floral in the pink/salmon colorway and In a Twist.

Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa

For those who haven’t seen the look book, click here.

Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa

If interested in viewing the entire collection, click here to visit Lee Jofa online.

Until next time, may the sun be shining on your corner of the globe. 🙂

Those Ivy League Scarves & Talbot’s Next Celebrity Model

Hello-Hello, we are smiling this morning as we are off to visit the Queen Mother for a day of meetings and shopping.

We begin with word of another delightful post over at our pal Christian’s site, Ivy Style.  The latest is another gem from Rebecca Tuite, she also did a piece on Vassar students and the Ivy league look. This recent contribution is entitled Tied Together: Ivy Guys, Vassar Girls, and the College Scarf, giving us a look back at a classic tradition.

““The most fashionable girls had a long wool scarf from a men’s college,” remembers a Vassar graduate from the class of ‘59. “These conveyed to other students that the wearer had a serious boyfriend at one of these prestigious campuses. However, a young woman might actually have bought it for herself.”

Indeed, such a student would never have admitted this fact: With the scarf, she now appeared to be not only effortlessly stylish, but involved with a guy from the Ivy League.”

Perhaps our favorite part of the post is this 1954 image from Vogue.

One of the few places we’re familiar with offering scarves in the vintage tradition is the UK’s Smart Turnout.

 

Smart Turnout

 

Below we see Smart Turnout’s Princeton scarf, crafted in 100% wool and hand pressed at $99. On the right we show the Women’s Scarf sold at the U-store on campus, made of 100% Kashwere and selling at $35. (We suspect Kashwere is not a naturally occurring fiber.)

The tradition of wearing one’s college colors started with British and Irish students, Smart Turnout carries accessories for every major school and regiment in the UK, while Ryder Amies offers scarves for Cambridge’s many colleges.

As in so many cases, there is no shortage of vendors offering merchandise, the trick is finding quality products. And we are sticklers for the unspoken understanding that one doesn’t wear the colors of an institution one did not attend.

Of course, there is always someone who doesn’t play by the rules.

 

Tilly T. Bulldog

 

Tilly admits she’s no Handsome Dan, but says she can’t give up one of her favorite pieces for snuggling when winter rolls around.

 

Does this make me look fat?

 

We’re thinking Handsome Dan might give Tilly a pass.

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One other item of note today, Talbots has announced their next celebrity model.

 

Frederick M. Brown/Getty

 

Actress Julianne Moore is set to start shooting for the retailer’s spring catalog this week. AOL’s StyleList has more on the selection, with this comment from the company’s CEO.

“She will make our brand feel modern, which is what the 40-ish woman is. She’s effortless — an effortless beauty.”

There was substantial buzz this summer about Ms. Moore’s nude ads for Bulgari.

 

Bulgari

 

Most recently the company used Linda Evangelista for its fall catalog and advertising.

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We leave with one quick reminder for anyone who might not have entered our Giveaway for copies of The Official Preppy Handbook and True Prep.

TP is Giving Up One of TOPH Copies!

You can enter until midnight tonight, we’ll announce the winner tomorrow. (There are lots of other goodies included from brands like LL Bean Signature, Vineyard Vines and Cole-Haan, do meander on over if so inclined.)

 

Giveaway Goodies

 

Until next time, g’bye!

 

Fashion Rules from “True Prep” & J. Crew Taken to Task

Hello-Hello! It is turning out to be a slightly wild Wednesday here at the Prepatorium, so we shall dive right into things.

We begin with a sneak peek at True Prep as the book’s September 7 release date inches closer; today Vanity Fair released an excerpt online. (The story is in the September issue of the magazine.)

“Muffy van Winkle, you’ve napped long enough. It’s been 30 years! It doesn’t seem possible, does it? Despite changes and crises, the maid quitting, running out of vodka, your NetJets account being yanked, and the Internet, it’s still nice to be prep.”

Vanity Fair’s story “The Official Preppy Reboot” also includes an illustration we love from artist Jean-Philippe DelHomme.

Illustration by Jean-Philippe DelHomme

Back to more from Lisa Birnbach with Chip Kidd, from their “Fashion Rules” section:

“We know that many of you understand the principles of preppy style. But just to be sure, let’s review them again.

We wear sportswear. This makes it easier to go from sporting events to social events (not that there is much difference) without changing.

Your underwear must not show. Wear a nude-colored strapless bra. Pull up your pants. Wear a belt. Do something. Use a tie!

We do not display our wit through T-shirt slogans.”

A few of the Rules we find appealing:

Nose rings are never preppy.

Neither (shudder) are belly-button piercings.

Nor are (two shudders) tongue studs.

There are also sections on Frugal Do’s and Frugal Dont’s, Prep Travel Commandments, Prep Careers for the New Millennium and our personal fave, a bit about Logos (insert un-Princess-like shriek here).

But don’t be satisfied with our truncated version of Vanity Fair’s excerpt, pop over and read the story in its entirety, and then stop at the shop to pre-order your copy of True Prep for only $13.95. (For $2 shipping use the code TRUEPREP at checkout.) Facebook fans might also enjoy checking out the True Prep page.

The magazine also has a look at “The New Preppy” style, pairing many of the book’s Fashion Rules with contemporary pictures of celebrities.  Below, Alexa Chung. Ummmm… cut up leather shorts?  To quote several of those commenting on yesterday’s post, we’ll be in the “Just Say No” camp when it comes to that look.

PatrickMcMullan.com via Vanity Fair

J. Crew’s mega-star Jenna Lyons is also seen in the slideshow, here is the magazine’s description:

“J. Crew’s Jenna Lyons is the goddess of reasonably priced prepdom. Worship the salmon-colored cutoffs (they look vintage-y even if they are straight off the rack).”

PatrickMcMullan.com via Vanity Fair

Again, we suggest viewing this piece in its entirety at Vanity Fair.

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In related news, Jezebel takes a scathing look at the new J. Crew catalog. (We initially posted about it here.) The issue? Well, the story is titled “Operation Desert Porn: J. Crew’s Wartime Glamour“.

J. Crew August 2010 Catalog

Dodai Stewart’s story not only examines the thematic direction in the apparel, accessories and catalog, it also takes issue with prices. The following remarks refer to the “Jenna’s Picks” section of the catalog.

“J. Crew president and executive creative director Jenna Lyons claims she’s inspired by “pieces that have a utilitarian feel.” (Are they actually functional, or do they just feel that way?) She also writes that “uniform” items, dressed up with “sky-high platforms or a smattering of sequins” are clothes that “quietly command attention.” Of course, you’d better be pulling in the salary of a colonel or general, and not a private — the least inexpensive item on this page is a $58 belt.

J. Crew via Jezebel

Also referenced, the Timex watches currently offered by J. Crew:

J. Crew

“”J. Crew and Timex joined forces to create a “vintage” field watch, which will cost you $150, but you can totally get a Timex field watch for less than fifty bucks, just FYI. Whether you wear it with sequins is up to you.”

Here is the $42 Timex watch the story links to:

Timex

And then there is this:

“A $275 tweed jacket for the ladies who lunch… in the demilitarized zone!”

J. Crew via Jezebel

Ouch.

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On the conspicuous consumption radar, the Hermès Coloring Book.

Courtesy Hermès via DFR

Our thanks to the always-on-top-of-things folks at the Daily Front Row for sharing this.

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We leave you with a spot of recommended reading, this one from Ivy Style, a delightful guest post, “The Vassar Girl and the Ivy League Look,” we found it thoroughly enjoyable reading.

Mademoiselle via Ivy Style

Our thanks to Christian for alerting us to the post.

Until next time, may your skies be sunny!

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!