Friday Fun with a Nautical Slant

Hello-Hello, welcome to an almost-weekend here at The Prepatorium. It’s Friday, the monsoon seems to have finally abated: we actually have sun shining and it’s just plain gorgeous. It seems like a good time for some Friday Fun with a nautical slant, we begin with some amazing cakes.

Fat Girl Cakes / My 1950s Wedding

The next come via Alana Scully Photography/Style Me Pretty (L) and Arte de Ka Cakes (R).

Alana Scully Photography via Style Me Pretty/Arte de Ka Cakes

Here we see a trio of nautically inclined cakes via Bird’s Party Blog.

Bird’s Party Blog

This one is by Miso Cakes, the photo comes via The Cake Blog.

Miso Cakes via The Cake Blog

I like the Nautical Stripes Charm Bracelet from C. Wonder, and the Blue Nautical Stripe shoes by Zara are cute.

C. Wonder/Zara

More jewelry, Betsey Johnson’s Nautical Theme Necklace,on the left, the Nautical Knot Bracelet is by Madewell.

Betsey Johnson/Madewell

Other jewelry options include the Urban Outfitters Earrings or our Needlepoint Anchors Bracelet.

Urban Outfitters/The Preppy Princess

When it comes to apparel there’s no shortage of items at J. Crew, like the Anchor Tee Shirt and the Linen Pocket Anchor Tee.

J. Crew

Equipment’s Whirlpool Anchors silk shirt is on the left, on the right we show the Moschino Cheap & Chic Anchor Heart T-Shirt.

Equipment/Moschino

For your MOTH (Man Of The House) perhaps the Shanghai Anchor Smoking Slippers or J. Crew’s Lightweight Pattern Socks?

Saks 5th Avenue/J. Crew

For the wee Prince, a few styles from Danish brand ej sikke lej, the Sailboat Owl or Sailor Dog tees.

ej sikke lej

From the same shop, your very young Princess In Training may enjoy the onesie, if a bit older the tee could work.

ej sikke lej

Ralph Lauren offers some darling onesies: a vintage print, along with an embroidered navy style.

Ralph Lauren via Saks

One of my all-time favorite infant items: the needlepoint Baby Booties from By Paige.

By Paige

By Paige also has footwear for grown-up girls.

By Paige

But perhaps my favorite nautically influenced shoes come from J. Crew, the Bow Pumps in Ratti Regatta.

J. Crew Collection

They’re not terribly practical they are so distinctive, once worn they are not easily forgotten. But they are darling. Perhaps one would get more bang for their buck by using their pin money for these. The yummy-looking sailboats on the left are by Pink Martinis and Pearls, the collection on the right was shared on The Cake Blog.

Pink Martinis & Pearls/The Cake Blog

Our final item is something new to the Princess, the Reilly tote from Crabberrie Bags, featuring a vintage boat on the water.

‘Reilly’ Tote at PreppyPrincess.com

We hope you enjoy a splendid weekend, be it on land or at sea.

The Great Preppy Princess Giveaway

Hello-Hello, what a glorious day we are enjoying here at the Prepatorium!

Today’s post is short and hopefully sweet: we are giving things away.  More specifically, five premium items from the Preppy Princess shop! It’s the Spring Fling Thing, an easy and fun way for us to share new merchandise with you!

We will draw not one, not two, but five winners; the first name selected wins Item #1, the second receives Item #2, etc.

Here are the goodies:

ITEM #1: An exclusive Kiel James Patrick bracelet made just for the Princess!

PreppyPrincess.com

We are über-excited to have added Kiel’s line of nautical-inspired accessories, especially since many of the items you find at the Princess are made only for us. The Princess Bracelet is one such exclusive item, hand crafted in Rhode Island of pink, green and white braided rope atop KJP’s signature madras lining, opening and closing with the signature KJP button.

You may have read recently about this designer extraordinaire and his wonderful creations, Kiel is garnering all manner of good buzz lately. In addition to his other bracelet styles, we also have some fabulous KJP earrings and KJP headbands we think you will like.

ITEM #2: The Anchors Away Jet-Set Duffel from our new line of Bella Bags

Bella Bags at PreppyPrincess.com

This gem is oh-so-versatile, measuring 22″ long x 14″ tall and 9″ wide, made of coated polypropylene that takes a beating and is easy to wipe clean.  With zippered pockets on the outside and an enclosed shoulder strap to use in addition to the attached handles, the Jet Set Duffle is perfect for traveling because it collapses down into a 9″ x 7″ pouch!

ITEM #3: A Thermal Mug from our new line of Nifty Gifties by Jonathan Adler

We love this new collection of stationery and gift items, the winner will choose a mug in their choice of Acapulco, Diamonds, Greek Key or Chevron.

ITEM #4: A set of Lilly Pulitzer Circle Notes!

These pretty notes perk up any office or kitchen, handy for all of those last-second “hey there” or “don’t forget” reminders. This winner will be able to select whatever pattern tickles their fancy from these Spring 2010 Notes…

Lilly Pulitzer at PreppyPrincess.com

Or one of the classic patterns!

Lilly Pulitzer at PreppyPrincess.com

Item #5: A Scout Lunch Bag in your choice of Cabanarama Stripes

Scout Lunch Bags at PreppyPrincess.com

This is just one selection from our Lunch Bag collection at the Princess, the Scout Doggie Bag is good-sized and also insulated, the perfect way to make ‘brown bagging’ a bit more stylish.

We are very excited about this Giveaway; it’s spring, it’s sunny, we could all use a little fun and frivolity, oui? Here is the scoop on how to enter.

• For one entry, leave a comment about an item you like at the Princess;
• For a 2nd entry, post the Giveaway on your blog or Facebook page & leave a comment telling us you did;
• For a 3rd entry, Tweet about the Giveaway on Twitter & let us know you did (here’s the Princess on Twitter);
• For another entry, become a Preppy Princess fan on Facebook & let us know you did (If already a fan, just let us know so you receive this additional entry!)
• For multiple additional entries, tell a friend! For each friend leaving a comment that mentions your name (or your blog or email or other means of identifying you) you receive two additional entries!

Entries will be accepted until midnight on Wednesday, March 24th; we shall announce the lucky winners in Thursday’s post!

A British Look at Preppy Style, Pain in Palm Beach, & Good News!

Hello-Hello, we hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

We always savor the way preppy fashion is perceived in different cultures. President & Mrs. Obama’s recent G2 trip has turned up fun fodder.

Amidst the frenzy over First Lady’s fashion selections The Independent ran a story with this subhead:

“Its preppy, casual clothes are worn by actresses, housewives – and First Ladies. So why can’t we buy J. Crew in Britain?”

The story looked at similarities between J. Crew stateside and British equivalents like Jigsaw (womenswear), and Racing Green (menswear).

“J. Crew’s… careful mix of the sort of casual and preppy items you find at Gap (like jeans, chinos and basic T-shirts), the smarter pieces from Jigsaw (workwear and smart separates), and the prettier, dressy pieces at Whistles …. Except all these styles are under one roof, and ever so slightly cheaper.”

Jigsaw actually uses US-centric names to market some merchandise; every hat on their website this spring is named after an American city: the Chapel Hill hat, the Kentucky Straw Trilby, etc.  Below, a look from Jigsaw look that appears très Banana Republic to us; what do you think?

Jigsaw

Jigsaw’s pure Cashmere Trim Cardigan also has the classic look many of us are fond of, timeless fashions that are always in style.

Jigsaw

The article details the frustration felt by Crew’s UK fans:

“J. Crew is basically what Next and Racing Green never quite managed to be for us, and what Marks & Spencer consistently fails to achieve: it’s chic and classy, with a pretty, trendy edge that that doesn’t look cheap, frumpy or too outlandish… And it’s infuriating once you get into the habit of it, because you can’t buy it over here, nor does J. Crew ship to the UK. “

Well, this is no fun for our friends on the far side of the pond.

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In light of this weekend’s wild play in Augusta (how fun was that?!) we thought we would share a few lines from The Augusta Chronicle. The paper’s story on spring fashion trends quotes students at Augusta Prep, like Laura Lemley:

“I’m most looking forward to wearing Lilly Pulitzer dresses and skirts, Jack Rogers sandals and white shoes,” she said.

Absent the white shoes we couldn’t agree more with Miss Lemley. The brighter, lighter, perkier clothing we can wear as a result of the warmer weather is probably our favorite thing about spring.

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We have a few quick shoe notes, starting with today’s Adventure in Argyle: the Ecco Casual Pitch Argyle Golf Shoe as seen at Golfalot.

Ecco Golf Shoe

This gem also comes in a camel brown colorway that is fetching.

Barneys is promoting this spring’s crop of wingtips, saddle shoes, and oxfords for both Men and Women.

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We share a few SOTTs (Signs Of The Times) relevant to preppish style:

• Today’s USA Today has a story stating that retailer Eddie Bauer is facing a “…potentially dangerous level of financial duress…”
• This weekend the Times ran a story about recession-caused pain in Palm Beach:

“More noticeable are the empty storefronts, which have started popping up even on Worth Avenue, the home of a Saks Fifth Avenue, a Chanel and an Hermès, to name just a few.”

“Caterers are finding that charity galas, long the core of the Palm Beach social scene, are either canceled or sparsely attended. We’re getting fewer requests for lobster and caviar,” says Charlie Crawford of the White Apron Catering Company, “and a lot more for mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese.”

Yikes.

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There are multiple sales and clearances underway at many of our favorite shops; we shall effort updates on them throughout the week. If you have any to suggest, do let us know so we can share with the rest of the class. 

We noted last week that J. Crew is now doing a Spring Sale; erstwhile prep purveyor Banana Republic is also offering substantial savings throughout the store, including 30% off the Nantucket Tote.

Banana Republic Nantucket Tote

The tote’s price is reduced approximately 30% from the original $130; it is now offered at $89.99.

Saks starts pre-sale today for their Friends and Family event that begins this Thursday, running through Sunday the 19th. The sale offers 15% off cosmetics & fragrances, an unheard of 20% off jewelry and 25% off just about everything else. The Coupon Code to use at checkout is SFAFAM8.  (Some brands are excluded in the jewelry category, but it is still a remarkable discount for a major retailer to offer.)

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In light of the spring season and cheerier spirits, we wanted to share some Good News of our own here at the Prepatorium:

Scout Good News Bagette Tote

We are so excited to finally have all of our Good News merchandise in stock from Bungalow Scout, including the Bagette Tote seen above.  The pattern features fun words and phrases with a bit of camp, like ‘sunshine’ and ‘my-t fine’ and ‘Sure!’, to name a few. It is one of of our most popular Scout patterns, selling out with amazing speed.

The Bagette totes are great bags, the perfect size to replace paper/plastic at the market, 15″ x 12″ x 12″, with dual handles allowing one to carry it over the shoulder or by the handles.  We aren’t sure which is better, the fact Bagettes are only $20 at the Princess, or knowing these are collapsible for easy storage. 

With such “Good News” it seems appropriate that we make our exit.  Team Princess sends everyone wishes for a blissful afternoon and evening!

Lilly Pulitzer ‘Colorful Cause’ Celebrity Dresses Now Available

Hello-Hello everyone, may the Happy Day Fairy stop and sprinkle some pixie dust upon you at some point today, bringing a smile your way!

We start with news that the Lilly Pulitzer Celebrity Dress Collection is now available at Saks online. As part of Lilly’s 50th Jubilee nine celebrities were selected to design limited edition items for the collection; proceeds benefit “A Colorful Cause,” a charity for children suffering with a rare skin disease, Epidermolysis Bullosa.

The Gwyneth Paltrow Bikini is garnering some nice press in the glossies, including People magazine.

Gwyneth Paltrow Bikini for Lilly Pulitzer

Of course, there is also a Gwyneth Paltrow Bikini for Toddler & Little Girls, as well as a tunic. Actress Brooke Shields also did a Mommy-and-me bikini and tunic set, hers is in a rich seashell print.

Toddler & Little Girl's Brooke Shields Tunic

Another shift dress comes from Angie Harmon

Angie Harmon Designs for Lilly Pulitzer

Marcia Cross also created a look for the Collection.

Marcia Cross Design for Lilly Pulitzer

All of the celebrity designs carry classic Lilly lines and motifs; they look to be loads of fun for a good cause!

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A quick Lilly-related note from TP: Personalized Lilly Note Cards and Flat Cards are now availble at the Preppy Princess shop!

Animal Crackers

Lilly fans will recognize many of their favorite patterns, like Animal Crackers, or Crazy Caravan Blue.

Crazy Caravan

We shall also be offering these in blank stock in the not too distant future!

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We close with our very (extremely very) favorite bag in at least a day….okay, a little longer. Behold the Beach Bag with Sailboat Print from Stella McCartney.

Stella McCartney

This treasure is available online at Browns. We have shared a number of nautically inclined designs by Ms. McCartney of late, but this tote is tops. (Yes, we really are all that ga-ga over it.)