Meet the Crillon Debs, More Preppish Black Friday Updates

Hello-Hello and greetings from a rather frenzied Prepatorium!

We jump right in today with a look at some of the young ladies making their debut this weekend at the Bal Crillon in Paris, always a fascinating event filled with pretty people and stunning party frocks. (Previous participants include Lauren Bush, Scout Willis, Victoria and Vanessa Traina, and Lily Collins.)

This year’s group includes Francesca Eastwood, daughter of Clint Eastwood, seen on the right in the photo below; younger sister Morgan is on the left.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty

Also entering society, Lady Kitty Spencer, seen below on the cover of Tatler, (she was named the magazine’s ‘Girl of the Year’).  The young Lady is the daughter of Earl Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother.

Seen in a more casual photo, this debutante will be wearing British couturier Bruce Oldfield, a favorite designer of Princess Diana’s.

Frederic Nebinger/ABACAPRESS.COM

Also making her official entry into society, Autumn Whitaker, daughter of Forest Whitaker and actress/model Keisha Whitaker.

Christophe Guibbaud/ABACAPRESS.COM

Today’s story in WWD about the Bal notes that Miss Whitaker will be wearing Jason Wu and shares a bit more on her escort:

“Friend William Bellingham, who can trace his ancestry back to Sir Anthony of Bellingham, 8th Baronet of Castlebellingham.”

A young lady who happens to be a delightful blogger is also part of this year’s class, Jane Aldridge.

Frederic Nebinger/ABACAPRESS.COM

Miss Aldridge writes the Sea of Shoes blog and has also designed two capsule shoe collections for Urban Outfitters. We are guessing the teen is probably more concerned about her hair than she is about shoes at this time; here is part of Saturday’s post from her blog:

Courtesy Sea of Shoes

Miss Aldridge will be wearing Chanel Haute Couture.  We can only hope the poor child’s hair turns out as she hopes.

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The holiday season increases the amount of merchandise described as ‘preppy’, with most merchandise labeled this way resembling nothing most readers would own, but it is that time of year.  We were pleasantly surprised when perusing the Prepster gift guide at PlazaToo suggesting this Shearwater Boot from Sperry.

On the flip side of the coin, a new boot debuting this Friday, created jointly by Ralph Lauren and Ronnie Fieg.

PHOTO: Pj Monte via High Snobiety

The new Ranger “Cookie” boot will only be available at hip shoe emporium David Z and its online site.  Clearly not for us, but the David Z site does have some fabulous markdowns on footwear for those in the mood for a little harmless shoe surfing. (Ahem.)

We move to another Ralph Lauren-related item, one of today’s updates to our Black Friday listings.  The Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Outlet Stores offer a 20% discount on purchases of $150+ after midnight Thanksgiving night/Friday morning.

Courtesy Polo Ralph Lauren

We enjoyed the helpful suggestions included with a portion of the copy detailing this year’s Midnight Madness event, tips on how a “well-planned excursion creates a more enjoyable environment” and remembering the “generous spirit of the season”.

Courtesy Polo Ralph Lauren

Ah, an effort at bringing civility to a rather uncivil occasion, laudable on PLR’s part.

We also have an update on Lacoste; this retailer is not waiting until after Thanksgiving to start its sale.

Lacoste is offering 30% off all merchandise as of now; use promo code THANKS09 at checkout to receive the discount.

Eddie Bauer is promoting its Thanksgiving Weekend sale; like Lacoste’s promotion, the Bauer sale is also in progress.  Yesterday’s post offers more Preppish Sales and Savings information.

Finally, we close with a look at our “9 Under $10“.

This was actually supposed to be “10 Gifts Under $10,” but someone here at the Prepatorium is clearly incapable of performing the most rudimentary math functions. (That would be yours truly, most assuredly not The Consort.)

At any rate, our idea was to make a quick and easy list of preptastic gift ideas for Christmas, Hanukkah, whatnot, all of them under $10. Friends who visit us on Polyvore may have already seen this little effort, but we want to blanket the Planet (heh-heh) as part of our ongoing efforts to Protect Your Pocketbook. The Seaside-themed Notecards, Custom Key Fobs, Magnet Packs and everything else you see is fiscally friendly, $10 or less.

With that shameless self-promotion, we say G’Bye until next time, may everyone enjoy a perfectly splendid evening!

J. Crew Thinks You’ve Changed & Preppy Black Friday Sales: Lacoste, J Crew, Brooks Brothers, More

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here at the Prepatorium we realize almost everyone is interested in Black Friday, or perhaps Cyber Monday. In a word: savings. Everyone is seeking sales. Discounts. Markdowns. Tips on ‘fiscally friendly’ shopping, we know that.

But first, a quick recap on the latest news from J. Crew, all of it impacting how you spend your trust fund when shopping at the specialty retailer.  Speaking with analysts yesterday about the company’s performance, J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler was unequivocal in his opinion that the economic crisis has permanently changed how customers perceive and purchase at retail outlets:

“…we recognize that a sea-change has occurred with the consumer….”

Mr. Drexler believes consumers are demanding higher quality at reasonable prices, two attributes he says J. Crew merchandise has. Surprisingly, he mentioned price points on some specific items, unusual in light of the competitive environment:

“… our ballet flat category will start at under $100 for the first time ever…If you look at our January catalog, you’ll see a ballet flat assortment at $98. This year I think they started at $128.”

When asked about what items customers are willing to pay full price for, Tracy Gardner, J. Crew’s President, mentioned several items:

• “…there’s a beautiful ruffly blouse….”
• “… the T shirts that have all the fabulous embellishment, embroidery are blowing out.”
• “Our match stick cords continue to be phenomenal; our match stick denims… “
• “They still love our cashmere cardigans.”

Today’s story about J. Crew’s awful performance in WWD (Women’s Wear Daily, subscription required) also quoted Mr. Drexler:

“We don’t want to be the cheapest player. We want to be the longest-lasting high integrity quality player…. “

So what is J. Crew doing for you come Friday?  They are opening at 6 a.m. and all sweaters are 20% off, with Clearance items also an additional 20% off. Things are already heavily discounted online, like the Girls Riley Critter Cord in bright pink, available in all sizes as of this writing. The Crewcut Kids slacks were originally $54, now $19.99 and $30 with the price determined by the color you select.

The company is also doing their Holiday Cheer promotion through midnight Saturday night, with a 20% – 30% discount dependent upon how much you spend. (Click the graphic to go to the Crew site and see the specifics.)

J. Crew Factory Outlet stores are doing a significant promotion of their own starting Friday, most opening at midnight.

If it is difficult to read the small print up above, early risers who shop before 10am can take an additional 50% off clearance styles, nothing to sneeze at. Here is a list of all Factory Stores so you can check the hours.

Another preppy retailer (perhaps the original), Lacoste, is offering 25% off all merchandise; this includes items already on sale. The discount is good through Monday, December 1 and free standard shipping on all orders is also included through Monday. Use promo code HOLIDAY1 to receive the benefit of these offers.

Brooks Brothers is offering 15% off all merchandise online and in their stores. (See below for Factory Outlet store offers.) This promotion even applies to the Black Fleece merchandise from designer Thom Browne.

However, from today’s WWD story on retail promotions for the holiday weekend:

“Traditionally, the retailer has held tight on promotions until after Christmas.”

“… it’s not a fire sale,” said Lou Amendola, chief merchandising officer. The company is “very selectively” discounting much of the women’s apparel, which is seasonal, along with some men’s wear. Outerwear is 25 percent off. ‘We won’t promote blue or white dress shirts, for example. We have no reason to liquidate basics.’”

Additionally Brooks is offering free shipping on all orders totaling more than $200.

If shopping online at Talbots now, or in stores starting Friday, everything is 30% off and there is free standard shipping on every order. Stores open at 8am Friday and both promotions run through December 1st.

TP was in a Talbots on Monday and all Clearance merchandise was an additional 40% off; we can’t imagine this not being the case over the weekend. (As always, check with your local store – do not take our word as the ultimate answer.)

For the Polo Ralph Lauren fans in the household, the Friends and Family promotion continues, offering 30% off all merchandise through December 8. The promotion code is HOL2008, and free shipping is included in this offer.

The Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Outlet stores open at midnight tomorrow night

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Banana Republic continues their “Dressed in Holiday Style” sale online and in stores. The sale runs through Monday, December 1st.

At Banana Republic Factory Stores starting at midnight the discount is 40% off everything in the store.

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Tommy Hilfiger is offering substantial savings for Black Friday, and according to their news release, the discount is 50% off merchandise as opposed to the 40% shown in our graphic.

There are also a number of coupons for specific savings at the Factory Outlet stores, such as “Save an Additional 25% on any $200 Purchase,” but we have no idea if one must have an “official coupon,” or if it could be printed off any site.

Ann Taylor is promoting 30% off your entire purchase plus free shipping only through midnight Thursday.  The promotion code for checkout is TURKEY.

At Ann Taylor Loft stores, there are multiple promotions underway, including a $25 gift card for every $50 you spend starting online Thursday and in stores Friday.

Gobble-gobble!