A Preppy Collaboration

Happy Monday, it was a hectic weekend here at the Prepatorium, the days ahead are destined to be even busier, eek!

We begin with a look at another design partnership, this one between a longtime favorite, Pendleton, and retailer Eddie Bauer. The two companies from the Pacific northwest have collaborated since the 1920s, below we see a page from the 1948 Eddie Bauer catalog, the first year Pendleton products were shown in that catalog.

Pendleton/Eddie Bauer

The new collection is geared for the holidays, Bedding & Home items include classic Pendleton motifs.

The Christmas stockings are $59.95, crafted of pure wool. The jacquard wool tote is $199.95, the wool shirt comes in two colorways and runs $129.95.

There are also items for your MOTH (Man Of The House), including these.

The collection is available now.

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Our other item today involves an update on the much ballyhooed Versace for H&M collection, launching this Thursday in London, on Saturday in the States. We wanted to follow up not because we believe our treasured readers are enormous Versace fans (although there is a plethora of Pretty in Pink), but because of the analogy made in our post between this launch and the Missoni for Target problems.  First, a backgrounder on the “issues” (there’s a euphemism) faced by Le Boutique Targét with the Missoni launch:

“We all know what happened recently with Missoni for Target–that collection disappeared instantly, online shoppers got $25 consolation gift cards instead of cute zigzagged coffee cups, and items showed up on eBay for exorbitant prices.”

That comes via Fashionista. Not mentioned, the issue of Target’s website going down. For hours.

At any rate, it turns out H&M has rules in place to prevent just the kinds of issue outlined above, especially the re-selling of products at online auction sites like ebay.  From The Telegraph here are rules for those shopping in London.

Shoppers will be allowed in stores in groups of 20, with a shopping allowance of just 10 minutes. Customers can only buy one of each item and only in one size to stop customers buying for their friends or bulk-buying popular styles to sell on eBay.

Fashionista also has been been told the guidleines will be similar for US shoppers. Of course, the biggest distinction between this launch and Missoni for Target is the lack of online sales, the giant retailer isn’t expected to offer that until next year.

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We have two quick Sales & Savings Opportunities to pass on, the first comes via the folks at Vineyard Vines, a reminder its Friends & Family promotion offering 25% off everything ends at midnight. Use promo code FAMILY to receive the discount.

Also, J. Crew is offering an additional 30% off sale merchandise, both online and in store.

The promotion is good through Sunday night (the 20th), the promo code is MUSTHAVE, it is *not* applicable at factory stores.

About That Ivy Style, Preppy Sales & Savings

Hello-Hello, happy Monday!

We begin with a look at Vanity Fair‘s photo piece on the “Hallmarks of Preppy Style“.

Is that poly blend? Three raps over the knuckles with a braided belt! Preppy fashion is all about rules—the standard bearers sniff at synthetics, cleavage, sparkles, and a million other don’ts.

Below, a photo we may have shown previously, Deerfield students in 1961.

Via Vanity Fair

More from the preface to the photo piece:

But those dictates source originally from the “windswept and privileged” attire of 1920s college men, the supposed first to co-opt athletic gear as daywear in an unstudied, thrown-together way.

A 1920s print ad.

Via Vanity Fair

Back to the Vanity Fair writeup:

Preppy, released on October 4 from Rizzoli, lays out the evolution of Ivy style in a sleeker, glossier way than all those prep-devoted Tumblrs you’ve probably seen. Here we trace the touchstones of the look, from Jack Kennedy’s flannels to coltish Ralph Lauren models and the original Lacoste croc.

Photofest via Vanity Fair

As mentioned in the Vanity Fair piece, Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style comes out next week. We are very excited about this one, as soon you will be able to purchase it from The Preppy Princess. And guess where you will be able to enter a giveaway for the book at some point in the not-too-distant future?

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The Vanity Fair piece mentioned above also includes a look at legendary adman David Ogilvy, inspiration for the hit television show Mad Men. That is the perfect lead-in to our next topic, the cast and crew of the show are back at work.  (It is about time.)  The Daily Mail has a variety of images of the cast getting back to work in this story we wanted to share with Preppy 101. Below we show Roger and Don John Slattery and Jon Hamm.

Splash/Splash/GSI-Barcroft Media

The show returns in January.

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One other quick item of note, Casa Sugar’s Ivy League Americana photo montage.

Casa Sugar

From the story:

It certainly screams prep, but there’s a definite elegance in the look above. Deep rosewood hues and tartan plaid make me smell the East Coast Autumn air. And despite the fact that Thomas Chippendale was a Brit, his iconic, ornate Chippendale design is also a huge influence in this style. His cabinetry was reserved for the upper echelon of society in colonial America.

Click here to see the entire piece.

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There are also a few Sales and Savings opportunities you may find to be of interest. It is that time of year between back-to-school and Christmas when retailers boost sales through other promotional efforts, there are several Friends and Family offerings.

Lands’ End is doing Friends and Family, 25% off everything, just go to the site and you will see the information.

Lands’ End

Brooks Brothers is also offering 25% off in its Friends and Family promotion.

Brooks Brothers

To receive a 25% discount at Brooks Brothers, use promo code 11FRIEND.

Speaking of Brooks Brothers, flash sale site Rue La La is doing a sale on Brooks’ Handbags starting tomorrow at 11am.

Rue La La

There is also a men’s Brooks Brothers sale at Rue La La tomorrow, along with Sebago, makers of good boat shoes and moccasins.

Rue La La

And finally, J. Crew Factory is 30% off through Wednesday night.

J. Crew Factory

This is online only, use promo code SHOPNOW to receive the discount.

That is it for today, goodbye until next time!

Royal Engagement Photos, Sales & Savings

Hello-Hello, it is wonderful to be back blogging again, this week has been simply insane with work at the Princess and volunteer commitments. We couldn’t be more grateful for the Consort’s ease in stepping up to share his wit and wisdom with all of you. 🙂

We begin with a look at the official engagement photos of Kate Middleton and Prince William, something most readers may well have seen already. There are two pictures, here is the more relaxed setting.

Mario Testino

The Prince is wearing a Turnbull & Asser shirt, and it turns out he actually borrowed the sweater he is wearing from photographer Mario Testino, as the pictures were being shot.  Nor is Miss Middleton’s blouse fresh off the rack, more about that in a moment.  But first, here is the more formal photograph.

Mario Testino/Courtesy Photo by Reiss via NYMag

On the right you see the dress worn by Miss Middleton, it is the “Nannette” style by Reiss, a company we hadn’t previously heard of until this week.  Here is more from the company’s blog:

“The Nannette dress that Kate is wearing comes as part of our core dress offering that we are renowned for. While this particular style is not currently available, there will be a version coming out mid January as part of our SS11 collection.”

Miss Middleton is wearing white topaz earrings by Links of London. If we’re not mistaken, it looks like she chose the Hope Egg Earrings.

Links of London

They make a lovely symbol, representing “hope and new life”.

Perhaps the most charming part of the engagement photo story comes via The Telegraph:

“Middleton insisted on dressing herself for the shoot – despite several assistants being on hand with a selection of designer clothes to style her – and chose a cream, silk blouse from high street chain Whistles for one of the portraits. The £95 blouse is over two years old, having featured in the retailer’s autumn/winter 2008 collection.”

The bride to be also did her own makeup.

When the big day comes next April most discussion will be about The Dress.  As they have done previously when it comes to high profile gowns, Women’s Wear Daily asked designers to come up with sketches showing what they might create if asked by the bride to design her gown.

First, a Gucci design that we found attractive.

Courtesy Photo via WWD

J. Crew’s design offers a scooped back.

Courtesy J. Crew via WWD

Next, a sketch from Elizabeth Emanuel, best known for designing Princess Diana’s frothy wedding gown.

Courtesy Elizabeth Emanuel via WWD

Below left we see a Badgley Mischka gown, and on the right, a Jason Wu design.

The Tommy Hilfiger design is seen below left, and the sketch, below right, Lela Rose.

There are loads more sketches to look at, click here to see them all.  We’re guessing our Royal Correspondent, the Queen Bee herself will have some insight on the dress at some point down the road.

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Another noteworthy engagement we learned about courtesy of Miss Coterie Books, that of Lauren Bush and David Lauren.

Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for UNICEF

Above the couple is seen at the UNICEF Snowflake Ball last month.  Apparently Mr. Lauren proposed to Miss Bush last Friday at the Met, which happens to be where they went on their first date. Of course, Mr. Lauren is designer Ralph Lauren’s son, while Miss Bush is the niece of former President George Walker Bush, granddaughter of President George Bush.

Miss Bush is also known for her philanthropic work via the Project FEED bags, although now there are things other than bags sold to raise funds for those in need. Below left, Plumpy the FEED 5 Bear, and on the right, the FEED USA Lunch Tote.

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We leave you with several Sales & Savings opportunities, this isn’t intended to be a comprehensive look, merely markdowns at a few shops we are aware of; we start with J. Crew.  Generally the retailer’s online factory outlet is open only Friday-Sunday, but it will be open (in a virtual sense) through the 20th.

Additionally Crew is taking 30% off all Factory prices and off ‘regular’ sale merchandise, use promo code MUSTHAVE at checkout to receive the discount.

Tory Burch has started its winter sale, promising savings “up to 50%’.

Neiman Marcus is taking an additional 30% off all regular and sale-priced cashmere through the 18th.

Talbots has taken markdowns on a sizable amount of fall/winter merchandise, and is also doing 40% off all full-priced accessories through midnight tonight.  Use promo code PRESENT to receive the discount.

A number of Lilly stores are offering excellent deals right now, check with your local shop to see what kind of fiscally friendly price points are available.

A final item of note today, the always delightful Preppy Southern Princess is doing a fun little contest; one lucky winner will receive one of our Lilly Pulitzer photo albums.

With that, we say g’bye until next time, we are off to supervise The Consort the elves here at The Prepatorium as they get all of those orders out the door.

 

Does J. Crew ‘Help Preppy Go Euro’?

Hello-Hello, and happy Monday! We hope everyone enjoyed a pleasant and restful weekend.

Today we invoke ‘brevity is a virtue’ as our modus operandi, things are a tad frenzied here in our corner condo at Princess HQ.

We look at a story in yesterday’s Sunday Magazine from the Times. “J. Crew Helps Preppy Go Euro” analyzes the ongoing transformation of J. Crew’s position in the marketplace, starting with a little background on the retailer:

“… with its anodyne clubby name and clothes that ripped off L.L. Bean, Brooks Brothers and J. Press, J. Crew seemed to spoof the preppy style while making it available.”

We loved the photo illustration that accompanied the article.

Kevin Van Aelst/NY Times

Writer Virginia Heffernan deftly examines the company’s move toward a different aesthetic, referencing a specific sailor shirt featured on Crew’s website.

“The shirt is sporty and thus not un-American, while also signifying “Paris,” a new concept jcrew.com has been audaciously colonizing. The site twinkles with references to France and haute couture, and recently it has positioned dissipated and mysterious Euro-type models in the slots that used to be reserved for “J. Crew models” — fresh-faced, wholesome strawberry blondes.

The shirt under discussion:

J. Crew

We hadn’t really noticed a change in models, but then, we spend very little time on the site or looking at the catalog.  Have you noticed a drift toward a more European look in the models?

The story also revisits a topic discussed and whined about ad nauseam occasionally in this space, most recently in an April post we titled “J. Crew’s Disdain for Preppy“.  Back to yesterday’s Times:

“The stateside European, in J. Crew’s imagining, wears all our usual American stuff — shorts, T-shirts, cargo pants, polo shirts — but has no use whatsoever for the simplicity and androgyny that used to be hallmarks of preppy.”

Referencing the impact of design director Jenna Lyons and CEO Mickey Drexler, the story shares this perspective:

“Every outfit seems slightly hacked — cut up and embellished by a home tailor. You don’t envision someone in J. Crew playing lacrosse anymore; they seem more likely to be philosophizing and seducing. “I have a hard time with the word ‘preppy,’ ” Lyons told Style.com not long ago. “It’s very coastal, and it leaves out a lot of Americans who aren’t yachting or going to the beach club.”

This summer, then, what is the new J. Crew ideal? Not the East Hampton WASP, not anymore. Rather, it’s the sultry au pair watching the children. In sequins.”

Our favorite part of the article has to be this segment:

WHEN WASPS BLOG
Those days of preppy names in print only at birth, marriage and death are long over. Now they can’t stop . . .musing. For modest laughs: To the Manner Born, WASP 101, Tickled Pink and Green, Muffy Martini, Pink Washingtoniette, 2PreppyGirls and Summer Is a Verb.

Reading this group of names at the end of the story had us grinning ear to ear. Congratulations to all included! The story is fascinating, click here to read it in its entirety.

A related note of interest, J. Crew is doing their Final Sale promotion again, offering an additional 20% off sale-priced merchandise.

J. Crew

The promotion runs through this Thursday, July 15. Use the code EXTRA20 at checkout to receive the discounted pricing.

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We apologize for the brevity of today’s post; the flood of orders for these….

Lilly Pulitzer Agendas at PreppyPrincess.com

Has prompted the creation of one of these stacks everyday here at the Prepatorium, as the Consort and I our immense staff of Princess Pixies get the Lilly Agendas headed out the door!

Christmas in July?

Heaven only knows what the stack of Lilly iPhone Covers will look like when they are shipped in early August, eeek!

On that note, g’bye until next time!

Talbots New Face, & Is It Joint Custody for a Gossip Guy?

Hello-Hello, welcome to another delightful day at the Prepatorium, where the sun is shining brightly and the grounds are drying out after this weekend’s torrential downpours.

There is so much happening we offer numerous Bits & Bytes we hope you find to be moderately interesting, beginning with news that Talbots has upped the ante when it comes to their marketing plans, hiring 90’s supermodel Linda Evangelista.

Amy Sussman/Getty

Above we show Ms. Evangelista in December of last year. Here’s more from the Page Six story:

“Talbots chief marketing officer Lori Wagner said of Evangelista “She possesses this timeless yet spontaneous glamour that’s irresistible in our minds.”

In a StyleList story Ms. Wagner refers to the model as “perfection,” adding:

“”For our 40-to-45-year-old customer, when you say Linda Evangelista, there’s a reaction.”

Look for promotional and marketing materials featuring Ms. Evangelista sometime in August, as well as in the oversized September issues of fashion magazines.  (With apologies to our Facebook Fans who may have already seen our mention of this.)

In Gossip Girl news, something many readers are likely to have already seen, the Chace Crawford mug shot.

Image Courtesy Plano (TX) Police

Mr. Crawford was arrested on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge in his hometown of Plano, Texas.  The incident took place in the wee hours of Friday morning.

Rafa Nadal won his fifth French Open yesterday, retaining his “King of Clay” honor.

Boris Horvat/AFP/Getty

Mr. Nadal is seen above being congratulated by ball boys and girls after his big win at Roland Garros.

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Last night’s MTV Movie Awards offered many interesting style choices, as always. Perhaps one of the funniest moments involved Tom Cruise performing with Jennifer Lopez.

Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

That really is Tom Cruise; he was reprising his own Len Grossman character from “Tropic Thunder“.

Matt Sayles/AP

Twilight was a big winner; above we see Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner on stage at the Awards. (Nay-nay, TP was not caught watching MTV, we merely trawled this morning’s newsfeeds seeking tidbits for our cherished readers.)

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In other style news, Details magazine offers a look at “Three Quintessentially American Fashion Archetypes“. Can you guess the first style under discussion?

Courtesy Details

Of course, it is ‘prep’.

Another magazine looking at the prep aesthetic, Lucky, in its June issue.

Courtesy Lucky

Happy reading.

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One other literary tidbit of note, not at all newsy to many fashion followers, and something heavily covered by most of the prep or trad men’s blogs, but not a topic we have chatted about here at the Princess:

Powerhouse Books via Amazon

“Take Ivy” is a cult classic, on a par with The Original Preppy Handbook for many trads.

Courtesy Powerhouse Books

The 1965 book hails from Japan, and is essentially a collection of candid photographs shot on Ivy League campuses.  As described on Amazon’s site:

“Madras plaid, Top-Siders, seersucker shorts, highwater trousers, tweed jackets, Brooks Brothers, J. Press, J. Crew. What comes to mind?”

The news part of our conversation is the upcoming English-language version of the book, due out this fall, a much-lauded event for those fond of classic/traditional styles.  J. Crew fans may be pleased to know there will also be a limited edition version of Take Ivy, slated for sale at the company’s Liquor Store location.  The upcoming release may be pre-ordered from the publisher, Powerhouse Books.

For more on Trad style vs. WASP style (aka ‘preppy’), Esquire’s March issue offered some distinguishing characteristics. Or pop over to Ivy Style for an easier read.

(Images courtesy Esquire.)

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We have two more quick Sales & Savings mentions:

J. Crew is promoting an additional 20% off sale merchandise online only; use promo code EXTRA20 to receive the savings. The offer is scheduled to end June 9.

Lord & Taylor’s Friends and Family sale is underway, offering an extra 25% off ‘almost everything,’ with a 10% discount on cosmetics.

Use FRIENDS as the discount code; if shopping person at L&T head over to the site and print out one of those ubiquitous coupons.

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We leave you with a question Tilly asked us to pass along. It seems she’s feeling a trifle insecure, for upon hearing us chat about this weeks Monday Tilly Pic, she asked “Does this picture make me look fat?”

Silly Tilly Hard at Work

So we replied, “Well dear, define that. As in, does a beached baby seal look fat?” She wept Tilly tears and we agreed to go with this angle instead.

Tilly's Better Side

Indeed.

(For those not fond of Twitter, the Monday Tilly Pics are merely a little feature where she tries to show her best side every week and we post the image on Twitpic.)