Budget Prep Basics

Hello-Hello, happy new week to you!

We all know that no one loves a bargain better than preps, so I thought it might be fun to spend a little time this spring looking at alternatives to our standard haunts and brands, we’ll veer clear of Brooks Brothers, Talbots, J. Crew and the like.

We begin with a cursory look at JC Penney’s new brand for men, “Stafford Prep,” introduced last month. The troubled retailer continues to struggle, the new label is one of many created to upgrade Penney’s image, an extension of Penney’s Stafford line. Our first item from the collection is the Bengal Stripe Poplin Shirt, originally priced at $30 the shirts are now discounted to $22.50. (Yes, Penney’s is now back to a promotion-heavy pricing scheme with frequent discounts, specials and perhaps even coupons.)

Stafford prep Bengal Stripe Shirt

The shirt is cotton poplin, clearly created to capture some of the “go to hell” styling favored by other prep brands. The Striped Poplin Shirt (originally $28, now $21) incorporates similar styling, it is available in two different colorways. One of the most appealing aspects of the shirts is the discreetly placed logo, small, just above the vent at the side seam.

Stafford Prep Striped Poplin Shirt

Another basic from Stafford Prep, the Cotton Piqué Polo, comes in a broad selection of colors. Originally selling for $18, the shirts are now $13.50.

Stafford Prep Piqué Polo

For the ladies at your palace, the Short Sleeve Polo shirt on the far left is $16, it offers updated styling with a slimmer fit and extended button placket, some versions are discounted to $11.99, including petite sizes.

JC Penney

Prices for Targét’s basic School Uniform Polo are only $6.48 to 12.99 in junior sizes, shown on the far left. No one is going to know it’s for a school uniform, and it is a durable garment from what friends say. Below center we show the Men’s Mossimo Polo, it also comes in a wonderful array of colors and is priced from $12 to $14.99. If seeking something for your little Master of the House, the Cherokee infant Toddler Boy’s Polo on the far right is $7.

Targét

For comparison’s sake we show the Double L Polo from LL Bean. The shirts are $15.99, and you do get the cute little Bean boot logo.

Premium Double L Polo

However, that is because these are on sale, the original price was $32.95. Other polos are on sale at Bean, and they are great buys. Non-discounted polos at Bean seem to start around $25, at Lands’ End it looks like they start around $24 or $25 as well.

Kohl’s also carries a number of basics, and like other discounters they use promotional pricing much more heavily than Bean or Lands’ End. Most (if not almost all) shirts appear appear to be on sale, we show the Croft & Barrow® Solid Piqué Polo, originally priced at $18, now $9.99.

Croft & Barrow® Solid Pique Polo

A basic solid shirt can do yeoman duty, we share several more from JC Penney. On the far left we see a top from the retailer’s new Joe Fresh collection, brought on with much ballyhoo, the Voile Shirt comes in a number of colors. In the center, JCP’s Long Sleeve Oxford ($24.99), and on the far right, the Silk Sleeveless Henley Top ($39).

JC Penney

Shoes with a prep aesthetic aren’t always as simple to find, although reasonably priced flats seem to abound at most discounters. Below, Target’s Madge is offered in a range of colors and textures, at $17.99 they may not last forever, but they sure will do the trick in the short term.

Target Madge Ballet Flats

Target’s Ona Striped Scrunch Ballet Flat is just $19.

Target Ona Flats

There really is a solid selection of preppish basics available, including discount department stores.  It’s a matter of knowing what you want and keeping on eye on quality: is the construction solid? are seams finished well? are plaids matched at the major seams? Another thing to keep in mind, most of us prefer all natural fabrics: cotton, linen, wool. Polyester can make an otherwise wonderful piece feel entirely different, including making it uncomfortable in warm temps. Depending on the garment maintenance could be more involved; as a rule that has been worth the extra effort in the long run.

We leave you with some madras pieces we discovered at Target: the Women’s Merona® Lari Boat Shoes for $15, Men’s Shorts that are 50% off (now $12.48), Men’s Tie in Navy Madras Plaid at $19.99, and Womens Zulima Plaid Rain Boots, $29.99.

Target

Until next time, may the sun be shining wherever you may find yourself today.

Spring Surfing, A New Style of “Mommy & Me”

Hello-Hello, and welcome to a Friday, where once again we are seeing gray, gloomy skies. It is after all, February in The Great Midwest.

The abundance of dreary days spurred a spot of online window shopping this week, as we sought out some bright and vibrant hues. Fortunately, the springtime fashions are arriving in stores and online, so we were able to indulge in dreams of sunny skies and warmer temps. While looking at the styles we noted the preponderance of patterned sweaters that are made of printed fabric, as opposed to the pattern being woven into the material.

We have several examples of the technique, starting with Bean’s Lightweight Printed cardigan ($59.95). The material is described as “premium pima cotton for silky softness, nylon for extra durability and a bit of Lycra® elastane for a consistent fit”.

LL Bean Printed Cardigans

Many of us grew up wearing sweaters with the pattern woven into the garment, like these, also from Bean. The handknit Fair Isle ($199) is seen on the left, the iconic Norwegian sweater ($139) is on the right.

LL Bean

More examples of the printed sweaters, a springy style from J. McLaughlin. This is the Durango Sweater ($155), also printed (and in a lovely selection of color palettes!). It is a cotton/modal blend with a touch of spandex.

J. McLaughlin

Talbots’ cardigans are often a blend of 60% cotton/40% rayon. It is a comfortable mix of fibers, I have one and it has worn well. Below left, the Tapestry Paisley Cardigan.

Talbots

Lilly Pulitzer also offers printed cardigans.

Lilly Pulitzer

Someone here at the Prepatorium has several has seen these in person (cough-cough), the newer technique allows patterns that are more intricate and detailed, and colors that are rich and bold.  Initially I wasn’t crazy about the method, but gradually have come to like it, deciding there is room in the closet for both styles. Does anyone else have strong feelings about the fabric…good, bad, never noticed?

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Another style we have noticed more this spring, the knit blazer. Below we show it as interpreted by Brooks Brothers.

Brooks Brothers

Talbots also offers a knit jacket, this is the Ponté knit Colorblocked Jacket (149).

Talbots Ponte Knit Blazer

And here we see LL Bean’s version, the Comfort Knit Blazer ($49.95).

LL Bean

It brings to mind an old theory of mine: as a rule, if the word ‘comfort’ is in the name of a garment, it’s unlikely to be terribly chic or elegant. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but when viewing the gray version, in particular, the look goes a bit downhill.

Knits can be a beautiful thing, especially when traveling. Talbots has multiple pieces in the Ponté knit fabric shown above, arguably several would work on a business trip. The freedom from wrinkles alone make the textile meritorious of inclusion in many a wardrobe. But the knit blazer….? Below, Old Navy’s version ($34.94).

Old Navy

Observations? The jackets with patterns and/or tipping (the contrasting color edges seen on the Brooks Brothers & Talbots pieces) seem less offensive than the solid colors. Also, gray looks rather ghastly, reminiscent of sweatshirts and yoga pants. Again, nothing bad about those items in one’s closet, they have a place. It’s just similar material turned into a blazer looks very odd to yours truly.

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The final trend we noticed when surfing through some of our favorite sites, color blocking.

Via LilyWhiteClothing.com

We see it in Lilly’s Heidi Cardigan ($148).

Lilly Pulitzer ‘Heidi’ Cardigan

As well as J. Crew’s Colorblock Cardigan ($89.50).

J. Crew

And Kate Spade’s Colorblock Tees ($68).

Kate Spade

As Lilly notes in describing its Irene Dress (below left), “We’re on a colorblock kick!” The frock on the right is the Colorblock Tiff Dress from Kate Spade ($358), on the far right, Kate Spade’s Colorblock Blanche Dress ($498).

Lilly Pulitzer/Kate Spade/Kate Spade

More examples: the Long Sleeve Sunshirt in Caribbean ($78), Stretch Perfect Shirt in Hydrangea ($88), and Boys’ Pullover in Spearmint ($49.50), all from J. Crew.

J. Crew

I have long been fond of this style (in moderation), it adds zip to garments that usually have clean lines and minimal embellishment.

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Our final tidbit today has nothing to do with dressing humans, but rather, feline fashions. Behold, United Bamboo’s 2013 Cat Calendar.

United Bamboo

Why are we so crazy about it? It is all about the sartorial selections of those starring in the pages of the Calendar.

United Bamboo

How cute is the little Regatta Blazer?

United Bamboo

Or the Ruffle Pleat Dress?

United Bamboo

It kind of takes ‘Mommy & Me’ to an entirely new level.

United Bamboo

With that we say Happy Weekend!

Modern Preppies & Their Values + Olympic Manicures

Hello-hello, and welcome to a new week.

Susan Cheever’s Newsweek/Daily Beast piece grabbed our attention, I thought you might be intrigued as well; it looks at ‘old school’ WASPS and values.

Newsweek/The Daily Beast

The column uses summer as a jumping-off point to compare (and contrast, very much so) previous generations with today’s WASPs.

Summering used to go with trust funds and prepping at St. Paul’s and double-barreled names that ended in Roman numerals. These days summer at the beach has become an American right that we hold to be self-evident. We are an intensely WASPirational society. Things that were once associated with the Protestant establishment—vacations; golf and tennis and fly-fishing; boats; schools like Andover, Harvard, and Yale; Lilly Pulitzer shifts and flood pants from L.L.Bean—are now what almost everyone seems to want.

A 1962 Lilly Pulitzer ad.

Lilly Pulitzer via Fashiontent

It was John D. Rockefeller who famously said: “Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege.” Below, the Rockefeller’s Seal Harbor cottage, one of several places where family members summered.

CardCow.com

Back to Ms. Cheever’s column:

…they were also often raised in a tradition of service—noblesse oblige it was called—that led them to give away lots of their money and to behave in ways that helped those who had less. John D. Rockefeller famously spent more time at the end of his life giving away money than earning it.

Below, Andrew Carnegie’s former summer cottage in the Alleghenies.

Patricia Lowry/Post-Gazette

More of the column:

He (Rockefeller) was not alone: the Carnegies, the Vanderbilts, and more recently the Roosevelts all established foundations that made the world an extraordinarily better place. When John Jacob Astor IV gave up his seat on a Titanic lifeboat, he was acting out of a tradition of gallantry and service that was rare then and is even rarer now.

Below, John Jacob Astor IV’s country retreat in Rhinebeck.

Via Luxist

Ms. Cheever does not gloss over the sins of old school WASPs.

The old-line WASP aristocrats were flawed in spite of their Harvard and Yale degrees and ability to set a spinnaker. They had little sexual tolerance, they thought women shouldn’t have careers, they were anti-Semitic, they named their children after themselves with sometimes hilarious results, and they often drank too much.

Nor does she ignore contemporary philanthropists like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and others, concluding the essay with a hope for future behavior.

Perhaps the old WASPs we are so slavishly imitating deserved to be overthrown, but they had an attitude about the world that it would be nice to adopt when we put on our pastels and belts dotted with whales to head for the beach.

The notion that certain traits have largely disappeared, like gallantry, generosity, courtesy, responsibility (the list could go on and on) has a ring of truth. To read Ms. Cheever’s entire piece, click here.

Thoughts everyone…. overly harsh or sadly accurate?

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Also today, a look at some of the manicures being sported (pun intended) at the Olympics. The Journal did a fun story today on the vivid nails being see at the London games.

Flag-inspired nail designs are showing up on the fingers of swimmers, runners and just about any athlete whose hand appears in a TV close-up. That’s partly because, for the first time, Olympians have a place to get theirs nails done.

Salons have been built inside Olympic Village for athletes to take a break from their grueling training regimens, and another in Central London also serves athletes, friends and family. All the treatments are free and include manicures, hair styling and facials.

The online version of the story offers quite a few photos, below, a look at Britain’s Laura Robson last week at Wimbledon.

Via Wall Street Journal

And archer Aida Roma of Mexico.

Via Wall Street Journal

French basketball player Emmeline Ndongue shows her colors during a game.

Wall Street Journal

Manicure specialists CND also shared photos from London.

CNN Twitter

Micheen Thornycroft, a rower from Zimbabwe did a patriotic pedicure.

Karen Murray Twitter Feed

Another rower, Australia’s Emma McCarthy added a little glitter to her look.

Via Jeni Smith Twitter

And last week we showed you US swimming sensation Missy Franklin’s red, white and blue manicure.

Via WN.com

Until next time, may your manicure remain unchipped!

Now, Now, Now… Can’t We all Play Nice? Apparently Not.

Hello-Hello, and Happy Friday!

Spat: a brief, petty quarrel or dispute

War –  noun, often attributive

b : a struggle or competition between opposing forces or for a particular end

We have updates to two previous stories today, beginning with that Martha Stewart and Macy’s spat war. Some may recall that Martha Stewart recently announced the sale of part of her company to Penney’s, despite the fact she sells her products at Macy’s, a Penney’s competitor.

Macy's

Of course, part of the deal is that Penney’s will sell Martha’s merchandise, the retailer has said it will open hundreds of mini Martha Stewart boutiques inside its stores. As one might expect, Macy’s is not amused. Here’s more from Business Week:

“Macy’s sued in January to stop New York-based Martha Stewart Living from executing an agreement to sell merchandise in J.C. Penney Co. stores.

Ouch.  Then it really gets nasty, with Martha’s lawyers saying that Macy’s is “essentially holding Macy’s hostage,” alleging:

“…the retailer has stocked and priced Martha Stewart products in a manner that favors Macy’s own private-label brands.

Business Week has a good story on the dispute, including predictions this will be settled out of court.

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Our other business battle is also a followup, this one is about the new C. Wonder stores.

Via Design Wire

The first store opened in Soho, since our post three more stores have opened, in Westchester, Paramus and Garden City.

Via

The Post reports Ms. Burch isn’t happy about the new stores her husband has opened.

A source close to the situation told us, “She is demanding Chris Burch shut down C. Wonder. The famously calm ice queen has lost her cool. She is furious and claims he has directly copied her business plan.”

While no lawsuit has been filed as yet, the source adds, “They are negotiating through lawyers. While Chris set up Tory Burch, his new stuff is identical and a third of the price. She wants him off the board of her company and for C. Wonder to close.”

Below, jewelry at C. Wonder.

Deidre Schoo for The New York Times

The Critical Shopper column in The Times on the store was titled “At C. Wonder, Something Feels Familiar“:

“Now the Burch brand is facing a puzzling retail riposte from her ex-husband, J. Christopher Burch, a venture capitalist who helped found her company and is still a chairman of its board…. he is opening a series of stores named C. Wonder that mirror Tory’s preppy style: go-to-hell colors, nautical flourishes, trim but conservative cuts. It’s unclear whether this is an amicable homage or a hostile takeover.”

Here is a side-by-side look at the two logos:

Logos from Facebook via The Daily Mail

The couple was married for ten years, 1996-2006.

Wire Image via The Daily Mail

More from the Alexandra Jacobs Critical Shopper column:

Maybe it’s a sign that the former missus has arrived, since Mr. Burch is also cheerfully knocking off Chanel, Goyard and Kate Spade — and those were just the influences I clocked in the foremost right quadrant of his new flagship on Spring.

Even the Daily Mail has written about it:

The venture capitalist has chosen an emblem that some see as being almost identical to his ex-wife’s now famous mirror image T’s.

Others like PR guru Kelly Cutrone, who is working with Mr Burch on a collection, argues that a man who has helped launch nearly 50 brands is fashion savvy enough to take credit for his own look.

Hmmmm. We need your thoughts ladies… is it too close for comfort?

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We leave you with a quick Sales & Savings Opportunity, a quick mention of about bargains at Bean, the company is doing a ‘Secret Sale’ this weekend, taking 20% off regular *and* sale prices. That make something on sale like the LL Bean Maine Isle flip flops $15.99, as opposed to $24.95.

LL Bean

The deal is good at both LL Bean and LL bean Signature line, use promo code FEB20 to receive the discount.

Grand Openings and Wacky Costumes

Hello-Hello, what a glorious Friday it has become, these are the days you dream of if residing in The Great Midwest.  Today we have a few news Bits and Bytes, the majority with a retail overtone, we’ll cap that off with a touch of Friday Fun.

We begin with a glance at Wednesday night’s party at the just-opened Brooks Brothers in Georgetown. This one included a good number of notables, as one might expect in the Capitol. Below left, DJ Benjamin Chang with Fox News anchor Ed Henry, on the right, Self magazine’s DC Editor Marc Adelman with his little one. (Although Brooks does not offer infant sizes, the photo serves as a good reminder that really, it’s never too early.)

Photos: REVAMP.com

Naturally The Consort was impressed by this.

Photos:REVAMP.com

The store is on M Street in space previously occupied by Smith & Hawken as well as part of a Pottery Barn, if the memory cells are at all functional today.

Hillary Leeb/The Georgetown Dish

In addition to our fondness for the apparel and accessories at Brooks, we enjoyed seeing some of the furniture showcased in the new digs.

Photos: REVAMP.com

Nothing like a little custom made madras to make me smile.

The party also served as a fundraiser, the Trust for the National Mall was the beneficiary, almost $5000 was raised for that very good cause.

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Also today:

• LL Bean’s new King of Prussia store opened last weekend, it is the venerable retailer’s 15th shop, located not too far from the Lilly KOP store.

Gene Walsh/Times Herald Staff

• Marimekko, the Finnish design firm offering amazing textiles (and so much more), has opened its New York flagship.

T Magazine/The New York Times

• While not a store opening, we have to applaud the folks at Hermès, for the ‘family reunion’ they hosted this week. Women’s Wear Daily reports the upscale firm closed all of its US stores Sunday, Monday & Tuesday so they could fly all 515 employees to a party and recognition ceremony, a very cool (and savvy) thing to do.

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We close today with a look at some of the year’s more bizarre Halloween costumes. The initial idea came via a story in Guest of a Guest; it showcased the ‘Roadkill’ costume, noting that “We can all agree that being run over by a car and disemboweled is every kid’s dream.” The only thing we can offer is the thought “Especially because that’s how all mothers want to envision their child.”

Kids "Road Kill" costume from Halloween Costumes

From its description on the Halloween Costumes website:

“Scrape your child off the side of the road and turn him into real road kill with this funny costume!”

This one can be yours for $48.99.

Here’s one we discovered while idly wasting time when doing research for the post, the Baby Billion Dollar Costume. Originally I thought this was a commentary on the high cost of bringing up a child, until I read the description: “Now your toddler can get in on the family gangster action with this Billion Dollar baby costume!”

Via HalloweenCostumes.com

Fully acknowledging our terminally unhip life, is there something we have missed about “family gangster action”?

Finally, there is this: your infant as roast turkey.

Martha Stewart

More than ideal for inclusion in both our Help Me Understand and You Can’t Make This Stuff Up categories, we pondered the possibility this was what we used to call a ‘sight gag,’ perhaps someone having fun with Photoshop.  Wrong.

MarthaStewart.com

Very wrong.

Martha Stewart

Of course, if you prefer baking over roasting, there’s always this.

Martha Stewart

May your weekend be sunny and bright!