Lacoste Home Collection, Greek Life at one Ivy League Campus, Gwen Stefani Does Uniforms!

As the Princess and the Princess Consort are heading away from the Palace for an extended weekend, and the household staff doesn’t do posts, this one is a bit of what we used to call an “evergreen’ in the broadcasting industry, meaning it was always ‘green’ or good to go, not dated in anyway.

So we’ll start with a little update on Lacoste’s plans for its Home Collection, which is expanding on its still fairly new collection.  The growth is being driven by Philippe Lacoste, yes, son of company founder René Lacoste.

Some readers may be familiar with the two collections: the Club Collection with a more upscale emphasis and the Casual collection using brighter, more vibrant colors and featuring lower price points.  Above, the Cocoon bedding collection, and below we show the Madras Bedding Collection, both at Belk’s.

Trade journal Home Textiles Today reports Lacoste will start putting things like the single-unit golf and tennis towels in gift packaging and marketing them to golf clubs, spas, pro shops, etc. Additionally the Bath line which initially only included towels and rugs will expand to things like robes and gift items for the beach.

And perhaps most importantly for those of us disinclined to spend oodles of time at the local department store when considering bedding (and even less when traveling, preferring to peruse apparel and accessories if one is shopping), there will be a dedicated Lacoste Home website, a serious need as of this writing.

Moving on, those curious about Greek life in Hanover need only look at the Dartmouth Review for some insight. A couple of different articles talk about sorority/fraternity life on campus, albeit not in an entirely objective fashion. Monday’s “The Greeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Pen-Portraits of College Social Life” is rather entertaining, with fascinating commentary; some will provoke fond feelings of recognition for the traits attributed to specific organizations while other comments may cause irritation if they are not in sync with one’s personal perspective.

The Princess is using the Tri-Delt’s garb only because The Queen Mother was a charter member ‘back in the day’ at a MajorMidwesternUniversity (yes, that is all one word) and this mention will bring a smile to her face. BR as we see it. (Bloggage Perogative.) At any rate, Greek Life: A Freshman Girl’s Take by Katherine J. Murray is also enlightening, although probably not heart-warming for parents curious about Bitsy or Corbin’s first year on campus:

“My fridge was loaded with Jell-O shots and an oversized bottle of Malibu Rum. Wearing our very deadliest outfits, my new floor-mates and I assembled in my room to pre-game to the tune of “I Kissed a Girl.”’

Let’s all remain calm, it is merely one person’s experience, correct? Indeed.

How is this for a closing note? Word that pop star turned designer Gwen Stefani will be designing the uniforms you will see female bartenders wearing when you are having a cocktail at W Hotel’s upscale Gerber bars. The bars’ name comes from Rande Gerber, described as a ‘nightlife entrepreneur” on the Gerber Group’s website. Here is a glance at a sketch for the uniforms.

They will be made in a knit jersey, and they are black, not really evident in the sketches, probably because that color would not have shown the seam detailing on the dresses. Ms. Stefani, founder of the L.A.M.B. label says she wanted to uniforms to be “…sexy and comfortable…” no small feat for any creation. We don’t know your reaction, but we are holding our breath in anticipation of the men’s uniforms.

Until we next meet…

Lacoste ‘Summertime Prep’ Now on Sale & Dust-up over Bridgehampton Polo Matches

If there is one line from Lacoste The Princess has absolutely adored since first viewing, it is the Summertime Prep collection, very light and fun while still incorporating some argyle! Better yet, some pieces in the collection are even marked down to a more favorable price point.

Below we show the Cotton Argyle Vest in a color palette that we love, and the Flat Front Seersucker Short.

Also very high on our favorites list, the Madras Plaid Cotton Short happens to be on sale (originally $120, now $71.99), and it comes in two colorways, the pair shown below left and a darker navy plaid. And then a wonderful piece that tells a little secret about TP: we actually purchase these men’s sweaters for ourselves as they are lush, plush, and ever-so-snuggly against your skin! We’re fawning over the Supima V-Neck Cotton Sweater, available in a delightful array of colors including a soft and gentle pink; this color against your skin is faboo – flattering any face it frames. (This item is also on sale, originally $140 and now $84.99!)

Of course, we suggest you toddle on over to the Lacoste site and take a glance at the goodies yourself, as the selection on the men’s side is quite good, not to mention all of the women’s pieces, especially those on sale.

On a different note, there seems to be quite the dust-up brewing over the real dust created by the ponies in this weekend’s polo matches in Bridgehampton. Two homeowners with property adjacent to the Bridgehampton Polo Club complained at a recent hearing regarding the Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge Cup, starting this weekend. They weren’t quite as neighborly as one might hope, complaining about the noise, traffic and dust levels created during the matches at a hearing July 8 before the Southampton Town Board. The Challenge Cup begins this Saturday (the 19th) and runs every Saturday through August 23rd.

During last year’s matches there were no noise or traffic complaints. Alex Rodan, president of the Club said “We will be good neighbors,” while speaking at the hearing, promising to dampen the ground in an effort to control the dust. A final vote on the issue is scheduled for this Friday.

If you would like to attend in a somewhat posh setting as these things go, why not bid on a pair of tickets to the VIP tent? The auction for the tickets benefits charity and you’re sure to be safe from most of the elements. Of course no one is 100% safe from the much-discussed dust kicked up by the ponies; to borrow a popular phrase and mangle it, “Dust Happens” at these events.