Don Draper and the Anti-Preps, Plus “Do The Preppy Thing”

Hello-Hello, what a gorgeous spring day it is. We are in the middle of a major heat wave, it is supposed to be 86° here today, more-than-unusual for March in The Great Midwest.  But as you might imagine, there are no complaints from these quarters, we are reveling in every nano-second of it.

Today we take a look at something characterized as a “war of words,” a “spat,” “fight,” and too many other names to list. It involves Don Draper Jon Hamm, coming as we approach this Sunday’s launch of Mad Men Season 5. (We can’t resist showing this still from one of the upcoming episodes, that madras jacket ‘Pete’ has on is just too cool.)

Michael Yarish/AMC

We’re talking about comments actor Jon Hamm made on the cult of celebrity (note: there is an f-bomb mostly deleted in the quote) in Elle UK’s April issue.

“Whether it’s Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian or whoever, stupidity is certainly celebrated,” said Hamm. “Being a ****ing idiot is a valuable commodity in this culture because you’re rewarded significantly.”

As some readers may recall, both Ms. Hilton and Ms. Kardashian are among our original AntiPreps, longtime members of the Wall of Shame. Mr. Hamm’s comment was part of a much lengthier story, in which the actor also says “Incuriousness has become cool… It’s celebrated. It doesn’t make sense to me”.

As one might expect, Ms. Kardashian responded, using her Twitter account to make her point:

Twitter via The Daily Mail

To his credit Mr. Hamm remains steadfast in his opinion, telling E! Online:

“It’s surprising to me that it has become remotely a story,” he told E! News. “I don’t know Ms. Kardashian, I know her public persona.

“What I said was meant to be more on pervasiveness of something in our culture, not personal, but she took offense to it and that is her right.”

The subject was raised again on Monday’s Today show appearance promoting the show’s return.

The Today Show

Host Matt Lauer asked about the kerfluffle (technical phrase):

‘I don’t think [my comments] were careless. I think they were accurate.’

The Today Show via The Daily Mail

That is from the Daily Mail’s story, here is more.

He pulled no punches as he made another attack on the culture of reality television.

It’s a part of our culture that I certainly don’t identify with, and I don’t really understand the appeal of it other than in a sort of car crash sensibility,’ he said.

By the way, Pete (shown above in the snappy madras) Vincent Kartheiser concurs with Mr. Hamm, back to E! Online.

“I agree,” he said. “He said it very eloquently. I agree with everything he said. I think our society enjoys to turn on the television and see someone who’s maybe awful and they can say, ‘Maybe I’m not as terrible as that person.’ “

The most interesting thing about all this? We’ll let the Ministry of Gossip point it out:

Meanwhile, Paris Hilton is actually looking pretty smart in all this, for going happily on with her Twitter life and not saying a thing.

Perzactly.

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Also today, a glance at “Do The Preppy Thing,” a series of links to other sites with hypothetical preppish styles.

Styel.DailyBuzz.com

Most didn’t work for us, but some are fun to look at, including the link to “Under $100: Perfectly Preppy Spring Must-Haves” from Fit Fab Cities.

Fit Fab Cities

There is also a fun one from the always-delightful Pretty Worthy, a collection of things for the “Rainy Day Prepster“.

"Pretty Worthy" Blog

If interested in seeing all of the sites/stories linked to in Do The Preppy Thing, click here.

Our final tidbit is the lucky winner of our LL Bean 100th Anniversary/Preppy Princess 100th Post giveaway:

That is Stacy L., her favorite LL Bean product is her Boat Tote, she gets the fabulous 100th Anniversary Book and the world’s cutest key fob. (Stacy, I am sending you an email today.)

LL Bean

Many thanks to everyone who entered and shared their favorite LL Bean products and stories!

Gwyneth Gets Her Prep On & Is Coach Going To Lose The Logo?

Hello-Hello and Happy Monday!

We begin with something that is generating quite a bit of buzz, Gwyneth Paltrow’s deal with Swedish retailer Lindex.

Lindex

The actress is the new face for the brand’s upcoming collection, “Modern Preppy”. Three looks from the line.

Lindex

This one makes perfect sense, the celebrity is frequently described in these pages as an über-prep. More on that topic from Ms. Paltrow via The Daily Mail:

‘My style is modern preppy because I grew up wearing a uniform, always starting from a preppy aesthetic and making my own twist on it.

‘I love stripes, I wear them almost every day in my life.’

As far as Lindex is concerned, here is how they describe the choice of spokeswoman:

The campaign was inspired by the sporty, relaxed lifestyle that is characteristic of USA’s East Coast gems, such as Long Island and the Hamptons, yet with a certain Scandinavian touch.

Several more styles from the upcoming collection.

Lindex

Unfortunately for US shoppers Lindex delivers only to Sweden, Norway and the EU countries, the company describes itself as “Northern Europe’s leading fashion chains with about 430 stores,” they also have stores in Dubai, Russia and other areas. That’s a shame, several pieces in the line look appealing.

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Our other tidbit involves Coach, a brand we have frequently lambasted occasionally chided for its abundance of logos and ubiquity. Today, Women’s Wear Daily shared news that the company is re-shaping its business.

“The accessories maker will unveil a new dual-gender collection inspired by its heritage that will become the cornerstone of its business as well as impact every other aspect of the brand, from increased price points to marketing…”

A few of the pieces in the new collection, the new Legacy Duffles.

Coach Courtesy Photos via Refinery 29

I’m betting a few friends (Miss Pretty might be at the top of the list!) will rejoice in the following story about the line new direction, via Refinery 29.

Coach’s new aesthetic direction — where the focus is more on the classic, heritage look, and less on those cheesy canvas monograms.

Cue the Hallelujah Chorus.

I think this is the cheesy canvas monogram being referenced above, we show the ‘Embellished Signature C Domed Satchel’.

Via Coach Facebook Page

Back to the Refinery 29 story:

“The new leather bags, accessories, shoes, jewelry, eyewear, and outerwear mark a forward motion (and backward step) for the brand, which is going after a more fashion-conscious audience while looking to bring back what made Coach so successful in the first place…”

Shoes from the Legacy collection.

Coach Courtesy Photos via Refinery 29

Additional details from WWD‘s story:

“…these lighter, brighter bags not only come lined with interior pockets, but also carry a heftier price tag. Small women’s purses retail for $178, with larger tassel totes retailing for $798. The iconic new duffle will start at $348 and go up to over $1,000, depending on size and materials used

Below, two additional new styles.

Coach Courtesy Photos via Refinery 29

It seems to be a classic case of less is more. As far as this shopper is concerned, anything that prompts minimization of the logos is a step in the right direction.

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Finally, a quick reminder that if you want to win the world’s cutest key fob from LL Bean, be sure to enter our little contest before Wednesday!

LL Bean

Click here to be transported to the post where you can enter, all you need to do is leave a comment to win the Key Fob and LL Bean’s fabulous 100th Anniversary book.

G’bye until next time!