JK Rowling’s Latest & Aerin Lauder’s Shoe Line

Hello and happy Thursday, today we begin with a literary note.

I would hazard a guess that many of our treasured readers have read J. K. Rowling’s work, the Harry Potter books. (Once again yours truly shows how tragically unhip she is, acknowledging that nary a word by the author has been read here at The Prepatorium.) At any rate, today a new work by the author was released.

JK Rowling

The Casual Vacancy is the first book by Ms. Rowling targeted at an adult audience. The book is already at #1 on almost every bestseller list, its publication has prompted an amazingly high level of press for the book and its author. More about Ms. Rowling and her stature from the Guardian:

In the 15 years since she published her first Harry Potter, Rowling has become both universally known and almost unrecognisable. The scruffy redhead who used to write in the cafes of Leith has slowly transformed into a glossy couture blonde, unknowable behind an impregnable sheen of wealth and control. Once a penniless single mother, she became the first person on earth to make $1bn by writing books, but her rare public appearances suggested a faint ice maiden quality

The author is extremely popular with readers, her Facebook page has almost 400,000 fans.

JK Rowling Facebook Page

Why might Princess readers enjoy this one? Back to the Guardian’s story.

Like so many British novels, The Casual Vacancy is inescapably about class. “We’re a phenomenally snobby society,” Rowling nods, “and it’s such a rich seam. The middle class is so funny, it’s the class I know best, and it’s the class where you find the most pretension, so that’s what makes the middle classes so funny.”

Most reviewers caution this is not another Harry Potter book, far from it.

The book might surprise some readers expecting another Potter novel.

Press materials have described the tome as “blackly comic,” while The New Yorker called the description of one family “ostentatiously unremitting: drugs, prostitution, the stink of diapers.” In addition, many of the characters (teens especially) are troubled, and one mother is a heroin addict.

From the Associated Press review:

So look, here’s the thing: This. Is. Not. A. Children’s. Book. If you’re looking for what made Harry Potter magical – Wizards! Spells! Flying Broomsticks! — you’re not going to find it. If you’re looking for what makes J.K. Rowling magical — emotion, heart — you will.

Not everyone is praising the book, below a portion of the NY Daily News review:

“The Casual Vacancy, which one bookseller breathlessly predicted would be the biggest novel of the year, isn’t dreadful. It’s just dull. …

Hmmmm. This is one I have been fascinated by. Thoughts ladies? Does anyone have it on their “must read” list?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Today’s other tidbit involves the new collections from Aerin Lauder, the granddaughter of Estée Lauder.

Aerin Beauty via EsteeLauder.com

Many of us have admired Ms. Lauder’s understated style and easy elegance over the years, now her initial range of cosmetics has launched on the site bearing the family’s nameplate, Estee Lauder.  The limited lines have color palettes titled Weekday and Weekend, although some items have already sold out.

Aerin Beauty via EsteeLauder.com

The young entrepreneur will continue to consult for the family’s beauty brand, but is also launching other collections, including footwear. Below, two of the styles that will be available next spring.

Courtesy Photo via WWD.com

More on the upcoming line from Women’s Wear Daily.

“It’s very much about the woman who is juggling many different things. There are not as many of those high, high, high unwearable shoes.”

The line will hit retail in March and is being targeted to major department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus, Lauder said. Nordstrom already has signed on as a wholesale partner. The footwear also will be available on the Aerin e-commerce site, which is set to go live in November.

But that’s not all, Ms. Lauder is expanding into many other categories, including furniture and home textiles. Below we see images of the designer’s East Hampton home from a 2009 feature in Elle Decor.

Elle Decor 2009

Next spring there will be a 30-piece furniture collection, lighting, and upholstery fabrics. The fabric will be done in tandem with Lee Jofa, that’s also the home for interior design textiles by Lilly Pulitzer, Oscar de la Renta and Allegra Hicks.

We’ll be adding this to the list of product launches next year that should be intriguing to watch. For those who enjoy Pinterest, the official Aerin page is here, I imagine this where we’ll see some of the new items first.

On that tidbit, goodbye until next time!

Help With Hidden Lilly & Ladurée’s Feline Friend, Don & Roger

Hello-Hello, welcome to an almost-weekend.

We’re all about some Friday Fun today, beginning with word of a Ladurée – Hello Kitty collaboration.  We first heard about the new collection on Luxuo’s Twitter feed.

Ladurée Facebook Page

Here is more from the company’s Facebook page:

“…this joyful cooperation will yield a variety of creations: a new chocolate, a collection of gift-boxes, and a collection of little accessories.”

Below we have a better look at the artwork via fab French department store Colette (left) and a charm bracelet from the collection featuring macarons and the famous Kitty.

Colette (L)/Ana Pettus Diaries (R)

As some readers know, yours truly finds the cute Kitty inexplicably appealing; combining her with Ladurée only serves to increase our interest level. There are some darling stickers in the line as well.

Via Just Lia

The potential for cute food and related goodies is very high, you can see all of the items in Ladurée’s most recent newsletter (scroll down to see the products and pricing, the monetary unit used is the Euro).

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Our other topic today involves that beautiful Lilly Pulitzer textile line from Lee Jofa.

Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa

The company carried a fun blog post this week about the hidden signatures in Lilly fabrics.

The Lilly look is easily recognizable, but did you know there is a simple way to test the authenticity of a true Lilly Pulitzer fabric? The name “Lilly” is built into the design of each pattern. This is true both for the clothing patterns and the fabric available to interior designers exclusively through Lee Jofa.

We’ve made it easy to spot the Lilly in each print, take a look!

Up top we show a swatch of the Bimini print, below, Heritage Floral.

"Heritage Floral" by Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa

You can see the signatures much better with their help, below Color Me Coral.

"Color Me Coral" by Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa

Here’s one I *never* would have been able to find, In a Twist.

"In a Twist" by Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa

Our last example, Racey Lacey, a print I really like.

"Racey Lacey" by Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa

We’ll make that our Pretty in Pink for the day.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC

Finally, a reminder (as if it’s needed) about the return of Mad Men Sunday night.  Because I have been stalking occasionally taken a glance at the Mad Men website, we can share that there are new photos from the new season. Betty is too stern for today’s Pretty in Pink.

Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC

Roger is looking rather intense.

Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC

Peggy’s green frock is TDF.

Frank

I think every hour is the cocktail hour at Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce.

Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC

Much as I hate cluttering up posts with meaningless photos (cough cough), here’s one last image to hold you until Sunday.

Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC

(I’m a little concerned about Don’s cufflinks. They look, well… loud.)

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.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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. 🙂

Lilly Pulitzer Fabric Launch, Say Goodbye to Your Hunters

Hello and happy middle-of-the-week, we hope your May is turning out to be a good month.

We begin today with the long anticipated Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa fabric collection, unveiled yesterday as part of BlogFest 2011.

Via Lilly Pulitzer Facebook

Blogfest is a gathering of interior design bloggers, it is actually put together by Lee Jofa’s parent company, Kravet.

Via Pattern & Palette

The patterns incorporate the bright, vibrant colors Lilly lovers are used to seeing.

Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa via StyleBeat

StyleBeat has wonderful photos of the collection.

Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa via Stylebeat

For those not familiar with Lee Jofa, the company has been in business since the 1800s, the quality of their textiles is superb.

Lilly Pulitzer for Lee via StyleBeat

An enlargement better shows the heavy embroidery in this particular pattern. (And it certainly qualifies as our Pretty in Pink today.)

Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa via Stylebeat

An old favorite for many, Dirty Shirley. (Should I be alarmed The Consort is so familiar with Lilly patterns that upon seeing this image his immediate reaction was “Oh, that’s Dirty Shirley”…?)

Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa via Stylebeat

To see more photos visit Stylebeat here, or Pattern & Palette. A reminder, the fabrics will only be available to the trade, so if planning to add some to your palace, ring up your favorite interior designer, or check the Lilly Pulitzer website, they promise to have more information.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We were surprised to see this tidbit from the good folks at socialite/fashionista blog Guest of a Guest.

Hunter Boots, Your Expiration Date Has Finally Come

Courtesy Photo

Particulars from the story:

….Hunter Boots have basically become as viral as Uggs and on a rainy day like today, it couldn’t be more obvious. Say so long to your wellies because they are officially destined to die in suburbia.

We should have seen it coming, because with so many colors to choose from, they fit any personality.

Hunter Courtesy Photo

The tongue-in-cheek post also shows a number of celebrities wearing the brand. Somehow we think that for those of us who have long loved the brand, the matter of who does…. or doesn’t wear it is of little import.

Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS

 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We leave you with this final image from yesterday’s taping of the final Oprah Winfrey show.

John Gress/Reuters

The look on Tom Hanks’ face is priceless as he looks at Ms. Winfrey, Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.  He seems bemused, no?

On that note, thank you for popping in!

Ralph Lauren’s $2000 Jeans, The Preppy Pup, That Dirty Shirley Fabric

Hello-Hello, it is one gorgeous morning here at The Prepatorium, bright, beautiful, and still very snowy. Sigh.  We do hope those enjoying the day off yesterday were able to revel in some relaxation and savor their time away from the daily hum-drum.

We should call this post “Tidbit Tuesday,” as we have many little updates, but no overarching theme (another classic example of our poor planning and). We begin with Ralph Lauren’s move into the luxury denim market, Women’s Wear Daily broke the story:

“The designer has introduced a luxury denim line, Ralph Lauren Collection Denim, that aims to reinvent the American classic by giving it a more luxurious twist than ever before. And he’s doing tops, blouses and shearling outerwear to go with it.”

Below, several images from the upcoming line.

PHOTOS: John Aquino/Women

Marc Karimzadeh’s story explains there will be more than denim in the new collection.

PHOTOS: John Aquino/Women's Wear Daily

A number of the styles are more than attractive.

PHOTOS: PHOTOS: John Aquino/Women's Wear Daily

While others hold absolutely no appeal.

PHOTOS: PHOTOS: John Aquino/Women's Wear Daily

One item we shouldn’t overlook – price points for the new line, for that information we head back to WWD’s story.

“The collection will hit stores in July and will carry a suggested retail price tag from about $300 to $2,000.”

Oh.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Next, we bring you an update on That. Perfume.

Courtesy Coty

People magazine did a brief story last month about the primary “face” of the ad campaign, “Hollywood Royalty Zoe Kravitz on Being a Preppy Princess,” she is seen wearing the tiara in the advertisement shown above. From the People story:

“The self-professed flea market shopper is, however, just as familiar with classic preppy style, having spent some time going to school on New York City’s tony Upper East Side.”

It makes sense to use Ms. Kravitz for this campaign, as she was the primary face used back when the original Princess scent was released. At any rate, our primary reason for sharing this is because we continue to receive inquiries about the perfume: do we, or shall we be selling the perfume? No, and no.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The dreary weather has made us yearn even more for a glimpse of spring’s bright colors and vibrant hues.

Givenchy

No, we aren’t resorting to Rorschach Test images, that is a look from the advertising campaign for Givenchy’s upcoming cosmetics collection, Acid Summer. And while not something we are likely to indulge in, we do appreciate the saturated colors of the advertising images.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We have a brief update on the upcoming Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa fabrics line, one image from the line has slipped out here on the interwebs. (Oh my.)

Via Matters of Style Marketplace

Some Lilly lovers may recognize the “Dirty Shirley” pattern, definitely today’s Pretty in Pink. The piece is actually for sale at Matters of Style Marketplace, sister site to one our favorite blogs, the always-stellar Matters of Style.  (Well worth a visit today, as this morning’s post is all about nautical style.)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We have previously featured these, but seeing the photos again in AOL’s Paw Nation made us want to do it again.

RoverDog via PawNation

The coats are created by the talented folks at Rover Dog, and Jaime Derringer profiled the company in a delightful post, “The Rise of the Preppy Pup“.

“No, this isn’t an outtake from the latest J.Crew catalog photo shoot. Preppy pups are in. It’s the newest trend, and leading the pack is the self-proclaimed “J.Crew of the dog world,” Rover.”

If more interested in madras or seersucker for your four-legged family member, here are two possibilities.

RoverDog on etsy

While we don’t dress Tilly (because she’s too tubby, she would need a triple-XL!), we know some friends do enjoy the practice, so we are always on the lookout for items capable of making the appropriate style statement.

With that, we say adieu until next time!