Fun Finds with Madras & Nautical Influences

Hello-Hello, and happy Monday.

It has been many moons since we did some virtual window-shopping, the day’s bright sun and warmer temps make us feel downright springy. Perusing spring and summer offerings online seemed a pleasant way to while away the morning while The Consort does all of the day’s work, we thought it might be fun to share just a few of the goodies we discovered. (Fair warning: today’s post carries absolutely no minimal content of substance.)

We begin with nautically-inclined items, below, LL Bean’s Casco Bay Regatta Tote (L), and Casco Bay Sailor Girl Print totes.

The Camden Embroidered Tote is a somewhat more substantial bag, with a zippered closure, available in Blue Anchors or Yellow Sailboats, as well as a whale pattern not shown here.

The nautical theme is also seen on the Camden Embroidered Daypack.

We have long been fond of a classic sailor shirt, Bean’s French Sailor’s Shirt comes in a variety of color combinations.

Our friend AgathaMChristie mentioned the fabulosity of Olive Juice clothing for her young Master & Miss of the house, we found this nautically-inspired tee there, it also comes in a variety of colors.

Summer’s heat and humidity may seem far away, but it won’t be long before the all-cotton Oceanside Sleep Shorts and a pair of Maine Isle flip-flops are just what Mother Nature requires.

The boating theme isn’t limited to our more practical purveyors, as evidenced by Oscar de La Renta’s one-piece at Saks, and Milly’s Charm Bracelet at Neimans.

Saks also has the darling Hartstrings outfit shown below left, while Florence Eiseman’s boy’s Marine Flags shortall is at Best Dressed Child, probably the single best source for infant and childrens’ sailor suits online.

Two more quick examples from BDC, both from Carriage Boutique.

If you are like us and madras makes you a little weak in the knees, we found a few possibilities. Bean offers a variety of madras bags, starting with the Leather Handled Madras tote in different sizes.

LL Bean

Madras may also be found in other styles, including this Patchwork Madras tote, but be advised it is a wee little thing, only 7″ x 7.5″.  The bag comes in two colors, the pink seen on the left and blue with Hibiscus leaves atop the patchwork fabric, not a look we are crazy about, but then, we aren’t exactly known for being fashion forward here at The Prepatorium.

There are charming belts in lovely colors at Bean, both the womens’ Seaport Seersucker Belts (L) and Seaport Plaid Belts (R) come in different colorways.

Staying with a nautical theme, the mens’ State of Maine belt is offered in both sailing and fishing designs.

If seeking additional grosgrain motifs we offer a multitude of choices here at the PP Mother Ship.

Our custom belts are available for kids, men and women, they run just $19 for children and $23 for adults.

Lands’ End carries many nautical items for the younger set, including the kids’ Sailboat Drawing and Sailboats beach towels. (We were curious about what distinguished a “kids” towel from others, these towels measure 30″ x 64″, while adult towels are 39″ x 78″.)

Lands’ End also has some enticing madras possibilities.  We begin with something for the MOTH (Man of the House), perhaps the Mens’ Bermuda Shorts will do.

For your little Princess, Lands’ End offers the Girls’ Washed A-line skirt in many different colors and patterns.

For the young MOTH, the Boys’ Long Sleeve Madras shirt is an option, as are the Boys’ Madras Shorts.

And despite our loathing of the logos at Polo Ralph Lauren, the company does madras well. Below left, the men’s Vaughn Sneaker, on the right, the Boys’ Blake Shirt.

The girl’s Madras Bucket Hat and boy’s Kensington Shortall are also cute.

One of the more intriguing items we saw at PRL is the pink madras Sandal & Bear Set for newborns. (It comes in gift packaging, making it an ideal shower present for those not bothered by someone else’s initials on their child’s footwear.)

Ralph Lauren

On that fun image we say goodbye until next time, may your Monday be marvelous.

Friday Fun of The Mostly Nautical Kind

Hello everyone, and welcome to a Friday; we hope everyone’s weekend looks promising, may there be no colossal weather events besetting any of our cherished readers.

Today we focus on springlike things in an effort to remind ourselves that the warmer temps and the next season are really just six weeks away (revisionist math it appears), we start with a darling item from the folks at Sperry:

Sperry Top-sider

That is one of the cutest key chains we have ever seen, the Original Boat Shoe Key Chain is available online for only $10; this one clearly peaks the Cute-o-Meter in the red zone.

Keeping our focus on a kinder, gentler Mother Nature, we bring you a few images shot for Nautica’s spring advertising campaign, we love the madras.

The nautical influences Nautica built its brand upon are evident throughout the collection.

Nautica’s spring collection is now online, below we show the Anchors Aweigh Polo for girls and the Anchors Onesie for infants.

Images from Nautica’s spring campaign may be viewed at the company’s flickr photo stream.

Nautica

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In keeping with the seaside theme we want to show off some of our newest goodies here at The Prepatorium, our line of Sailor Bags. Made out of real sailcloth, the bags are almost indestructible and come with a lifetime guarantee. First, the classic Duffel Bags.

PreppyPrincess.com

Made from double-layered sailcloth, these have a waterproof liner and are loaded with pockets on the inside, plus a quick access pocket on the outside.

There is also a smaller, personal-size ‘Duffel Purse‘.

PreppyPrincess.com

The Insulated Cooler Bags are outstanding.

PreppyPrincess.com

Available in 8-pack to 24-pack size, the Coolers run $37 to $64. We like the outside pockets on these, as well as the velcro handle wrap.

PreppyPrincess.com

All of our Sailor Bag merchandise may be personalized for an additional $12 charge.

No one will be surprised to hear that yours truly is interested in many items from this collection, including the Tote Bags.

Of particular note for those carrying lunch and other edibles to and from the office or school, the Lunch Bags ($29) offer a wider mouth to handle some of those take-out and plastic containers we all use now and again. The lining also pulls completely out for easier cleaning, and the handy outer pocket is ideal for silverware, condiments, and other necessities.

PreppyPrincess.com

There is also a Lunch Sack ($20) for those not requiring quite as much room.

PreppyPrincess.com

There are loads of other goodies on the site now (the poor Consort, he has been madly typing his little fingers to the bone getting these online) with more on the way, we do love this line.

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While sailcloth bags are ideal any time of the year, we move back to springtime goods from Coach, promoting new its new pieces, such as the Alexis Tattersall Trench.

Coach

Frequent readers are aware of our incessant whining distaste for the heavily logoed merchandise Coach has pushed the last decade, but there are some solid possibilities for the younger set in the spring group. The Poppy Spring Blazer is rather interesting.

Coach

Also appealing, the Emma Blazer in black and fuchsia, if one can overlook the insignia on the pocket.

The classic lines accented by the lapel, pocket & cuff trim evokes a prep-school style.  The Tyler Flat is promising in two new colorways.

We remain fond of the Poppy Enamel Bow Bangle, here is the newest version.

Coach

On that fun and whimsical image, we say g’bye until next time!

The Princess’s Culinary Catastrophe, Pink & Green Monday

Hello-Hello and Happy Monday!

Did everyone enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving? We hope so, we are grateful to have enjoyed ours with TQM, it was loads of fun finished off by a fierce Scrabble tournament.  In the interest of full disclosure, we must report that The Queen took the trophy, despite our snappy 7-letter word.

We bow before the prowess of our opponent.

The real Thanksgiving tragedy involved the creation of a very simple side dish, something we have successfully made ever-so-many times here at The Prepatorium.  Usually it looks very much like this:

All we can say is that this was not a good year for the molded cranberry salad, the crop was disappointing. (Ahem.)

Here is the evidence of our little mishap to demonstrate we are not  exaggerating things.

Readers may have noted the lack of any shape or form. Any evidence this gelatinous mass sat in a mold of any kind. For. Hours.

It wasn’t even possible to contain the slithering mess to a flat surface, let alone its original serving plate.  The concoction was so liquified it resembled the creature in “The Blob,”, oozing off everything before hardening into a substance that becomes almost impossible to remove from a counter or floor unless one brings in power tools .

Fortunately the evening was spent with a forgiving group who cared only about the companionship and spirit of the day. We added our gratitude for that to the lengthy list of things we appreciated on the holiday, and all year long.

Our only other item is a reminder about today’s One-Day sale, offering 20% off everything at the Princess.  So if seeking gifts for your Tiny Prep…

PreppyPrincess.com

Or looking at Lilly for a little holiday fun….

PreppyPrincess.com

Perhaps thinking about gifts with a nautical influence …

PreppyPrincess.com

Or simply seeking products in a classic preppy pattern like madras.

PreppyPrincess.com

Odds are you can find it at the Preppy Princess! Today’s 20% off special pricing ends at midnight, be sure to use promo code PGM at checkout to receive your discount.

Thanks so much for indulging our commercial message today, you know we try ever-so-hard to strike an appropriate balance here on the Planet.  We’ll be back tomorrow with our more standard post, including pictures from some of the activity at this weekend’s Bal Crillon (Le Bal Des Debutantes) in Paris.

Until then, smiles all around!

“NYC Prep”Update, ‘Paris Preppy Style’ & APC Madras Collection

Hello and welcome to a completely inane and fragmented post!

We start with updated information on the much-discussed BravoTV series, NYC Prep, slated to start in June.

NYC Prep Courtesy BravoTV.com

The docu-series “…follows the lives of six affluent teenagers firmly entrenched in Manhattan’s social circle….” Characters include Sebastian (lower left), and Taylor.

The show premieres Tuesday, June 16 at 11 pm; it then moves to its regular timeslot the following Tuesdays at 10 pm. It will be fascinating to see how Bravo’s show fares compared to Gossip Girl, the original inspiration for NYC Prep.

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We now head to an international locale for a different take on preppy.

Courtesy Black Rainbow

Streetwear site Black Rainbow is a little radical for TP (a little?!), but we were directed there to look at their version of prep style on Parisian streets.

Courtesy Black Rainbow

For more of the looks, just click here.

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It has been too long since we featured nautical goodies, and when seeing these we knew we simply had to share them.  The Nautical Hearts Socks at Loungefly are too fun!

Loungefly.com

And we thought the Nautical Hair Clips were also cute!

Loungefly.com

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Yours truly is simply frenzied today, so we bid adieu to you!

Spring Goodies and ‘BritPrep’ Arrives on the Scene

Hello-Hello everybody, and Happy Weekend!

There is an old saying that those of us living in the Great Midwest enjoy two, not four, seasons: there is winter, and then there is the construction season. And while the adage isn’t entirely true, we acknowledge succumbing to a raging case of Spring Fever Friday, a syndrome most difficult to contain and almost impossible to control.

With that in mind, we are excited to share some of the new treasures here at The Princess!  We begin with our new Seaworthy Collection, its style enhanced by nautical influences. Below, the Beach House placemats in authentic madras….

We love them because they are 100% cotton, just fine in the washing machine, and they are also reversible, providing two looks for the price of one!  Of course there are matching napkins in a snappy red stripe, or the matching blue stripe.

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The Sailor’s Knot Napkin Rings add a great touch.

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Also new to our little shop, the One, Two, Three Lilly Pad from our Lilly Pulitzer Stationery & Gifts collection.

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Here is help for those struggling with different lists, as this is actually three separate notepads under one cover. Labeled Home, Work & Play, we are more than hopeful these might help TP improve her organizational skills here at the Palace!

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Next on our list, a question about an issue we have struggled with for several days. The challenge isn’t our reluctance to ask for your opinion. Rather, it is because the issue itself is the nature of the photograph that actually *is* the issue. Obviously you will understand why we find it vulgar, but even that isn’t the issue. Anyone opening a fashion magazine in the last several years is familiar with the Marc by Marc Jacobs print campaigns.

DAISY LOWE PHOTOGRAPHED BY JUERGEN TELLER

Here is our question: Is this appropriate for the hypothetical readers of Teen Vogue?  That’s all. We are merely attempting to determine the level of our fuddy-duddyness; are we over the top finding this not proper for inclusion in a magazine targeted at that particular demo? We are ever-so-appreciative-in-advance for your candid comments and insight.

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Many readers know a fave read of ours is The Luxist, with a finger firmly on the pulse of all things posh.  Recently they took a look at Barbour and their efforts to expand their customer base with a collection named BritPrep.  The Luxist’s Jared Paul Stern fills us in:

“So what exactly is “Britprep”? According to Barbour, the look is not quite as clean and crisp as American Preppy. Simple, stylish, and contemporary, the collection “pays particular attention to fashion, color and tradition capturing the essence of ‘Britishness.'”

Courtesy Barbour via Luxist.com

The new line looks as if it may offer some intriguing possibilities for one’s walk-in.  TP has always adored Barbour; for decades they adhered quietly to their own fine standards, with exquisite attention to detail, very much like the old Abercrombie & Fitch. (The current company using the A&F name bears no resemblance whatsoever to its predecessor. None.)

Another look:

Courtesy Barbour via Luxist.com

The only fly in the ointment, so to speak? There are pieces sure to induce a serious bout of  Logophobia:

“Barbour has never really gone in for logos, but with the Britprep collection (above) they’re employing a new crest. Unlike designers who invent crests, it’s an authentic bit of heraldry deriving from the original Barbour family coat of arms originating in Galloway, Scotland.

Courtesy Barbour via Luxist.com

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On a lighter note, we wanted to share another addition to the When Pink Goes Bad gallery:

Dr. Martens at Zappos.com

Don’t be worried about missing out on these dolls, they are available in an amazing array of colors, and sizes.

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In other news, word that ANTM (we have finally figured this acronym out and are feeling ever-so-hip, it is America’s Next Top Model) is also doing apparel. The tip for this comes from one of our fave daily blog reads, All the Rage at the LA Times website, and apparently the collection can be found at Wal-mart.

PHOTO: Wal-mart via All the Rage

We presume you will sleep better this evening knowing this is available. (Ooooh, the Princess is a Crankenstein!)

We must fly, but hope you have a splendid spring weekend!