Another Celebrity Line + the Prince of Wales Heads to Burberry

Hello-Hello and greetings on a Thursday, we are excited to see the day unfold, with lots of obligations and meetings!

That translates to a mercifully short post, with a quick glance at the new, more affordable bridal line being launched by Badgley Mischka.

PHOTO: Kyle Ericksen/WWD

A sampling of styles accompanied this WWD story on the more fiscally friendly collection.

PHOTO: Kyle Ericksen/WWD

The name for the new label? Mark and James, after the designing duo’s first names.

PHOTO: Kyle Ericksen/WWD

Surprisingly, we weren’t wowed by these.

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We enjoyed this next item, a visit from the Prince of Wales to the new Burberry headquarters.

PHOTO: Johnny Green/WPA Pool/Getty

The Prince was officially opening the firm’s new global headquarters in London.

PHOTO: Johnny Green/Pool/AP

Judging from the bag, apparently he also did his part to boost the economy. (Did we mention that Burberry is jumping on the makeup bandwagon, launching their own line of color cosmetics next June?)

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In our post yesterday we chatted about Olsenboye, the new juniors line launching at JCPenney from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.  We pondered aloud about the number of celebrity lines being created; today we share another: Dream Out Loud from actress Selena Gomez (also the youngest UNICEF ambassador ever), launching for fall 2010.

John Aquino/WWD

As noted in this WWD story:

“… with the help of a group of industry experts, Gomez teamed up to create her brand which focuses on “pretty, feminine and bohemian” clothing — a line, she said, that mirrors her own style.”

It is always tough to predict, but we’re guessing the tween girls we know will like these styles.

John Aquino/WWD

More from WWD on where the clothing will be available; brand managers are looking for an exclusive relationship with a store, not unlike the arrangement the Olsens have with JCPenney. As an executive with the line put it:

““Miley Cyrus at Wal-Mart is a little more rock ’n’ roll, and Avril Lavigne’s line at Kohl’s has that edginess,” he said. “There seems to be a void in that space for the girl who is looking for feminine, pretty clothes.”

PHOTO: John Aquino/WWD

According to Miss Gomez, the labels on pieces will carry inspirational quotes.

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Dooney & Bourke’s sailboat pattern always makes us smile, despite the little logo on the sails, and for some reason we were thinking about it today. Below, we show it in the Erica style.

It will surprise no one our favorite colorway is this one:

That is the Victoria model, as seen at Zappos.

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We also have a few updates for those contemplating possible purchases of Lilly stationery, gifts, or goodies, beginning with a word about these:

We received an advisory from the fabulous Lilly paper people about our Thermal Mugs: they are officially out of the Vintage Patch pattern, with Trouble Hibiscus and Private Property almost gone.  (A little secret about these: at the Princess they are always just $15.50; everywhere else they are $16 and up.) Fortunately the Consort was lightning-quick in reacting to the news, purchasing as many as we could handle over at the Mighty Princess Warehouse, but as an FYI for those interested in these, our supply of Private Property is down to the last 8 mugs.

We also have word on these hot sellers:

The Lilly folks have almost sold out of the Pocket Agendas in the Trouble Hibiscus and Ports ‘o Call patterns.

We leave you with a quick reminder about these:

To win a complete suite of Whitney English crest stationery (retailing at $222!), just click here to enter our Great Preppy Paper Giveaway!

Here is wish that everyone’s afternoon is sunny and bright!

Slumdog Kids in Brooks Brothers, J. Crew also on the Red Carpet

Happy Day everyone, as we draw closer to the end of the season’s dreariest month, although it has been bright and sunny of late here at the Prepatorium, simply because we say it must be! No blahs allowed. Scat! Scram! Vamoose!

We begin with some Red Carpet fashions from Sunday night’s Academy Award ceremonies. Many know about our next Oscar dress story, but first, a look at the younger set from Slumdog Millionaire.

Courtesy Brooks Brothers

The young actors in the photo are wearing tuxedos from the standard Brooks Brothers collection as well as the more stylized Black Fleece line.

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In Friday’s post we mentioned the possibility of ABC’s Robin Roberts wearing J. Crew while co-hosting the network’s Red Carpet show Sunday night.

PHOTO: Amy Sancetta/AP

The Good Morning America anchor did several stories about selecting a dress for the high-profile telecast, and viewers voted online to pick the gown she should wear.  The big winner? J. Crew’s Gracie gown from the Weddings and Parties Collection.

The gown is shown on the website, but is not at J. Crew stores, available only through the catalog and website. Below, Ms. Roberts and Crew’s Jenna Lyons look at accessories with Suze Yalof Schwartz of Glamour magazine.

PHOTO: Ida Mae Astute/ABC

Next, a J. Crew dress that didn’t make the cut.

PHOTO: Ida Mae Astute/ABC

And one more J. Crew look that Ms. Roberts did not select.

PHOTO: Ida Mae Astute/ABC

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In today’s Conspicuous Consumption category, we offer the Vertu Diamond Constellation phone:

Courtesy Athem via Luxist.com

This marvel is now available in 18K gold with more than 1500 diamonds.  Most importantly for our readers, the phone can be monogrammed. We knew that information would influence your decision on adding one of these to your collection. It is available here for slightly more than the average cell phone. We are presuming this typifies what is commonly referred to as ‘bling’ in today’s verancular?

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A quick reminder – don’t forget to enter our Lilly Pulitzer Stationery Giveaway – simply click here to join in the fun! We are giving away a matching Lilly Latte Da! Mug….

Lilly Pulitzer Latte Da! Mugs

… along with the Mouse Pad that comes with its own pad of matching paper!

Lilly Pulitzer Take Note! Mouse Pad

Until next time dolls, grins and giggles!

Old School Preppy & More J. Crew for the First Lady,

Hello everybody, please accept our apologies for the lack of a post yesterday. We have been simply swamped filling all of the Lilly Pulitzer pre-orders we received here at the Princess! It seems TPC (The Princess Consort, aka The Spousal Unit) gave the minions the day off! All of them! (Ahem. Right.)

So it seems we shall be forced to engage in actual manual labor again today. Honestly! But someone must help pack these…

Lilly Pulitzer Latte Da! mugs at Preppy Princess

And these….

Lilly Pulitzer Notebooks at Preppy Princess

Controlled chaos, yes, that’s what we have!

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We move on now to a look at Southern Proper’s new looks from their outstanding  Southern Seaside Collection.

Southern Seaside at Southern Proper

For those unfamiliar with this fine establishment, it is well worth an investment of time to gaze at their offerings.

Not only is the merchandise refined and elegant, it is also whimsical, a rare combination to find well done, as it is at this firm.

Southern Proper

While the company specializes in ‘Haberdashery for the Gentleman,’ they do offer their Belle Bands for the ladies:

Southern Proper

We have been planning on posting about the company for months, but receiving their Southern Seaside email finally nudged to do it and we’re glad we did; we always have fun looking at their superb merchandise.

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The Brooks Brothers Black Fleece shop received a visit from one of our favorite columnists, Cintra Wilson, another of the Critical Shopper writers at the Times.

In describing the look and feel of the store Ms. Wilson takes a shot at a retailer arriving more recently to the prep aesthetic:

“It’s a slightly gothic twist on the Old Money Athletic Club look, originally reified into postmodern absurdity when Ralph Lauren stuck crusty leather bridles and yellowing crew-team photos on mahogany paneling and pronounced it a lifestyle.”

Ouch! The story naturally focuses on designer Thom Browne, the man responsible for the Black Fleece collection; a few looks are shown below.

BTW, the Black Fleece Chesterfield Coat (above left) is now selling at $598; it was originally $4200.  Also above, the Double-Breasted Chesterfield in navy, originally $3700, now $598.  Double ouch.

Ms. Wilson approached her assignment with some excitement, eager to try on the apparel, but she was disappointed.

“I found, in most cases, that the proportions were a bit off. The necks were too tight, the skirts too tentlike, the busts flattening.”

The writer does more comparing between Mr. Browne and Mr. Lauren:

“Mr. Browne, like Mr. Lauren, nurtures a fetish for the trappings of Old School Preppy, but the Thom Browne alumnus seems to be a bit more pale, less muscular and more (ahem) eccentric. Picture a cross between Pee-wee Herman and Nurse Ratched, only more obsessive-compulsive.”

Ultimately Ms. Wilson concludes Thom Browne is a “gifted designer,” but one who needs to figure out how proportions differ between men’s and women’s clothing.

“While superb on a mannequin, Mr. Browne’s designs don’t seem to possess any sympathy for the kinetic demands of three-dimensional hips and breasts.”

BTW, there do not appear to be any Black Fleece spring collection pieces online. It may be the company is slow in getting them to the web, or perhaps they need to clear out more old inventory before showing current looks.  And a significant amount of old merchandise remains at Brooks’ online shop.  We did not see *any* pieces that were not discounted by at least 50%.

The folks at Rare Daily also review the recently-opened store:

“The interior is a masculine contrast to Browne’s shrinking suits. It’s lavish and upscale.”

However, we do have to disagree with their statement that “… (Thom) Browne is the new Black this season.”

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We haven’t updated the goings-on at G2 (Gossip Girl) lately, we’ll just do a quick hit mentioning Blake Lively at the premiere of her new film, “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.”

PHOTO: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters

Ms.Lively is wearing the Silk Trompe L’oeil Wrap Gown by one of our faves, Oscar de la Renta. (It is available online.) Also seen with the actress at the opening in Berlin, Zoe Kazan (R) and Robin Wright Penn (2nd R), and director Rebecca Miller (2nd L).

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Because we are just as concerned about your trust fund as you are, we thought it timely to share a few sales at retail establishments you may be fond of, like Banana Republic.  They have added to their already healthy clearance selection.

Banana Republic

We received another email from Polo Ralph Lauren this morning, touting their markdowns as well, “Now up to 75% Off“.

And the J. Crew President’s Day sale at their Factory Stores offer “up to 50% off” in their “Goodbye Winter Clearance” as well as 20-50% off “select Spring arrivals.”  This promotion runs through 2/18.

Speaking of J. Crew, the retailer must have been thrilled to hear that Michelle Obama wears another of their pieces in the March issue of Vogue.

PHOTO: Annie Leibovitz

We close with a little nudge to enter our Lilly Pulitzer Stationery Giveaway, if you are so inclined and haven’t already entered!

Happy day and smiles to everyone!

A New Anti-Prep is Named, Pink Panther Collection in at Pink’s

Regular readers are familiar with an exclusive club, The Order of the Anti-Prep.  Membership in this society is reserved for those individuals or items so wretched, so horrid in their excess they simply shriek bad taste.  Conspicuous consumption. More than nouveau gauche.  You know what we mean, you don’t need us dredging up the gory backstory.

Our newest member is someone we have pondered naming previously, but we declined to do so out of concern for the ongoing challenges she seemed to face in her personal life.  We no longer harbor such concerns.

Once again Lindsay Lohan appeared on the Princess Radar, this time over the weekend. The reason was a plethora of gossip and non-news news stories about her demands for a First Class seat on a flight back to Los Angeles from Florida.  Ms. Lohan had journeyed to Florida for a Stoopid Super Bowl party, a paid appearance, we are speculating.

PHOTO: Steve Nesius/AP

According to Fox News:

“The 22-year-old caused chaos while departing on a Delta Flight from Tampa, Fla. on Saturday morning when the airline was unable to provide her with a first-class seat on the already overbooked flight.”

Besides being another episode in the “It just isn’t done” category, this is another in a series of seemingly endless incidents pushing TP  and the Consort over the line, leaving us no choice but to name Ms. Lohan an official Anti-Prep.  Honestly.

For those unfamiliar with the dubious title, previously named antipreps include Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian.  These individuals are also referred to as TAPWSNBN (The Anti Prep Who Shall Not Be Named), an acronym created by none other than the wonderful I Pick Pretty.

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Another stellar job in a trend report from the sharp minds at Women’s Wear Daily, as they take a look at a wardrobe basic, the white shirt.  Below, the shirt as Tory Burch does it:

PHOTO: Thomas Iannaccone/WWD

Another example, this one is from Tommy Hilfiger:

PHOTO: Thomas Iannaccone/WWD

This example comes from Thomas Pink, whose shirts we adore.

PHOTO: Thomas Iannaccone/WWD

While white is a must-have, isn’t this gem by Pink more fun?  We offer the Pink Fever shirt for your perusal and consideration.

Thomas Pink

It is one of many fabulous pieces in the retailer’s new Pink Panther collection:

Courtesy Thomas Pink

While the next item is crafted for the Man of the House, we do adore them. (However, there is not a chance the Spousal Unit is wearing these, no chance whatsoever.)

Thomas Pink

If any of these tickle your fancy and you plan on buying them online, haste in doing so may be wise, as the collection just went up Saturday and some items are already sold out.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: We must amend this to reflect updated information on the Consort’s socks sentiments: “What do you mean??!! I’d wear those, I think they’re pretty sweet!”  We stand corrected.

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The sales continue everywhere – we haven’t been posting most, as there are just *so* many. But we thought we would mention the Last Call at Emporio Armani:

And also remind everyone of the outstanding offers at J. Press.

J. Press

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We feel we must share a few more “When Pink Goes Bad” items that caught our eye:

Photo: Michiel Meewis

If one is thinking the neon creation above from designer Carly Garwin is merely an aberration, think again.

Montage Courtesy Refinery 29

The folks at Refinery 29’s Pipeline blog shared these in a post last week; you know we couldn’t keep them to ourselves!

All of these creations are from the recent Menswear Fall/Winter 2009 shows in Milan and Paris. Givenchy is responsible for the suit on the far left, Calvin Klein deserves credit for the middle photograph, and the more formal look on the far right comes from Dolce & Gabbana.  We thought the Givenchy was one of the “worst ever” suits until we saw this:

Courtesy Givenchy

To be fair, all three design houses showed some outstanding styles, especially Calvin Klein, frequently worn by yours truly.  But there was simply no way we weren’t posting some of the more outrageous creations.

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We close once again with a Pretty in Pink, sharing another delightful item from our new Lilly Pulitzer Stationery & Gift line. These are the Letterpressed Correspondence Cards, or note cards.

Lilly Pulitzer at PreppyPrincess.com

They are shown in the Color by Numbers motif; we are fond of its elegant look accented by a touch of whimsy.

Obama Buzz Crashes J. Crew Website, Mrs. Obama Wears Next Target Designer

Hello-hello!

Exciting news everyone, on the Lilly Pulitzer Stationery & Gift Collection due February 1! The Princess Consort has made a very few goodies from the group available on our site for pre-ordering.

What is a pre-order? It simply guarantees your items will be shipped as soon as the merchandise is in the door here at the Prepatorium, moving you up to the ‘head of the list’. It is similar to putting a ‘hold’ on merchandise to ensure its availability.

Lilly Pulitzer Latte-Da! Mugs

The oh-so-fun Latte-Da! mugs are already a favorite, and they are one of two items available now.  The other is the Mix and Match Stationery set in the Bee’s Knees pattern.

Lilly Pulitzer Mix & Match Stationery set

We spoke this afternoon with the wonderful folks handling Lilly’s stationery line, and they still anticipate shipping to us February 1.  Translated? We then hope to be shipping goods to you by the end of that week.

Okay… we start with follow-ups to our hasty posts on some of the Inaugural fashions seen on the First Family during recent events.

There is good news and bad news for preppy retailer J. Crew as a result of their products being showcased by all four of the Obamas this past week.  The good news is, of course, the favorable publicity for the J. Crew brand.  The bad news? The favorable publicity for the brand.

How so, you say? Below we offer Exhibit A for your perusal and consideration:

Yes, more of that problem; sadly, it has almost become ubiquitous. While pressure brought to bear on the site was created in part by these darling images….

PHOTO: Jae Hong/AP

… and these, of Sasha and Malia Obama in J. Crew’s Crewcuts line….

PHOTO: Chip Somodevilla/Getty

…the reality is that for many J. Crew loyalists this is simply MOTS (More of the Same) when it comes to the site’s inaccessibility.  Stories like this one in the Daily News drove even more traffic to the online store:

“Shoppers can pick up highlights from the custom-made outfits in the Fall 2009 line.

Party dresses from the pint-size preppie line run $158-$248 in sophisticated fabrics like silk taffeta and jacquard. Party shoes are $95-$128.”

To be fair, this kind of stress on almost any site would challenge their e-commerce operations.

But J. Crew customers are particularly sensitive to the problems because of the now lengthy history of the online store’s troubled performance, its less-than-reliable up times. And it almost always seems to occur when the retailer has specifically invited customers to come and shop at the site through aggressive email promotions:

One more cautionary word to those desirous of acquiring the J. Crew looks worn by the Obama girls, either yesterday (as seen above) or those worn Sunday at the “We are One” concert seen below.  J. Crew has now removed the red, white and blue congratulatory note to the Obamas on their home page, replacing it with a message explaining that:

“The pieces worn by Malia and Sasha Obama were designed exclusively for them – from the colors to the styles to the fabrics – and are currently not available.”

We presume this also applies to the Crewcuts Herbie Coats donned by the First Daughters (is that proper?) for Sunday’s concert.

PHOTO: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty

J. Crew did share these sketches of the Herbie coats with Celebrity Baby blog (?):

Courtesy Celebrity Baby Blog

In today’s “Caucus” blog post about the fashion frenzy, the Times solicited reaction from J. Crew exec Jenna Lyons:

“It was an incredible honor to be part of history,” J. Crew’s creative director, Jenna Lyons, said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. “We are grateful, let me say. We needed it and we’re thrilled to have it.”

BTW, President Obama also wore Crew for his Inauguration.  The President’s ivory silk bow tie was from the retailer, nicely complementing his Hart Schaffner Marx tuxedo. J. Crew does not currently make or sell silk bow ties in any color other than black, but may reconsider this at some point in the future.

We have had a few inquiries regarding the dress worn today by Mrs. Obama to a number of official functions.

PHOTO: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

It is from none other than Tracy Feith, best known for his sun and surf-inspired designs.  As we first revealed in this post, Mr. Feith has been selected by Target for one of their GO INternational collaborative efforts.  His clothing lands in your local Boutique May 17.  We share his Inspiration board for the Target collection below.

PHOTO: Courtesy via WWD

For anyone interested in acquiring the look seen in yesterday’s post on the Isabel Toledo daywear worn by the First Lady…

PHOTO: pool

… we have a little update: if you are fond of the ensemble, you will have an opportunity to add it to your walk-in come spring. At least that is what this story in the Daily News reports:

“A spring version of the dress – which will retail for around $1,500 – will hit Barney’s in March.”

We have been negligent in talking about the elegance of Dr. Jill Biden’s fashion choices throughout the festivities. Our thanks to Vicki for letting us know the  beautiful red gown worn by Ms. Biden for the Inaugural balls is a Reem Acra creation.

PHOTO: Gary Hershorn/Reuters

That same bright red was also seen during the swearing-in and parade in the off-the-rack Milly Fleurette coat.

“At the swearing-in ceremony, Biden went with an off-the-rack $360 Milly houndstooth roll-neck dress with a Fleurette coat.

Biden also didn’t cut any corners for the inaugural balls, buying a red strapless Reem Acra dress from a store—not the designer.”

And the boots seen on Ms. Biden during the swearing-in and parade?

PHOTO: Mitch Dumke/Reuters

They are from the Taryn line by Taryn Rose, known for their exceptional comfort and ease of wear. From Delaware Online:

“Kathy Savage, who owns the boutique… said the cushioned Taryn by Taryn Rose knee-high boots resemble leather, but are actually black nylon with black patent pull tabs and trim. The boots retail for $255.

“Jill loves a high heel, but they’re wonderfully comfortable,” Savage said. “Jill is not an extravagant person. She is conscious of everything she buys. She’s not frivolous at all.”

BTW, some reports have the cashmere overcoat worn by the President during the swearing in and parade coming from Brooks Brothers. When we find out we’ll let you know.