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!

Ralph Lauren Returns to Greenwich & Who the New Moon Stars Wore To The Premiere

Hello-Hello & Happy Friday, whoo-hoo!

In the interest of Friday Fun, we will do a lot of photos today, leaning toward what the younger generation calls ‘eye candy’.

We begin with a topic that is off-the-charts in popularity:

Last night many stars from New Moon attended a special screening in the city, including actress Kristin Stewart.

Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for D&G

Ms. Stewart was in a Burberry trench over a Valentino dress. Co-star Robert Pattinson sported Dolce & Gabbana.

PHOTO: Evan Agostini/AP

Taylor Lautner was also in Dolce & Gabbana, a good choice as D&G sponsored the event.

Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for D&G

The film’s stars have been everywhere this week, keeping the morning shows busy.

And making promotional appearances, as Kellan Lutz and Nikki Reed did at the Toys ‘r Us in town, talking up the line of toys tied to the movie.

Andy Kropa/Getty

Last night’s screening was definitely a must for many on the social circuit, including Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick. (Can we say smoldering here?)

PHOTO: Lexie Moreland/WWD

Others from the show were on hand, Taylor Momsen was seen in more clothing and less makeup than usual.

Below left, Jessica Szohr, and on the right, Ivanka Trump.

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Also on the hit parade here at the prepatorium, a return to Greenwich for Ralph Lauren, after an absence of more than ten years. The new Polo Ralph Lauren store opens today.

The new emporium is right on Greenwich Avenue; today’s WWD story has more:

“… no expense appears to have been spared, even in this economy. From marble to moldings, lacquer and custom wallpaper, Lauren, who has a home in nearby Bedford, N.Y., was keen to bring his brand of luxury to the area.”

Courtesy Photo via WWD

Apparel and accessories are on the first floor with the Home Store on the second level.

Courtesy Photo via WWD

More from Marc Karimzadeh’s story:

“The men’s area can be accessed through a separate entrance and has an equestrian feel, with such features as a beamed ceiling and carriage lanterns. The line focuses on a more casual assortment.”

Courtesy Photo via WWD

 

The store has a posh, lush look.

Courtesy Photo via WWD

The town fathers must be pleased, Greenwich Avenue had been looking a bit bleak. Now it will be jumping, tomorrow Apple is opening their new store just a few doors down.  It is definitely a plus for all involved, the retailer, the community and the consumer.

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Today’s Pretty in Pink is Michelle Wie.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The young golfer hugs her trophy after winning the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, her first LPGA Tour win.

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We close with a farewell to Uga VII, the much-loved mascot for the Georgia Bulldogs. Here he is at the Georgia-Florida game on October 31, 2009.

Brant Sanderlin/AJC

Below, Uga makes his debut last August in Athens.

Curtis Compton/AJC

Just how did a guy like that keep his cool?

Courtesy Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Uga VII died yesterday morning of a heart attack. He was only four years old and will be buried in a private ceremony at Sanford Stadium tomorrow.

He just replaced Uga VI about 14 months ago, a very short tenure as the team’s mascot.  The word is there won’t be any Uga for tomorrow’s game at Sanford Stadium. However, early reports indicating there would not be an Uga VIII appear to be incorrect.

For a whole slew of fun photos of this Uga, click here. For an outstanding  article on a Bulldog Rescue chapter, click here.

Goodybye Uga, from Silly Tilly (our little Bulldog Rescue girl) and all of us here at the Prepatorium.

Too Many Celebrity Lines? And That Pesky Ralph Lauren Lawsuit

Hello-Hello and greetings from the corner condo here at Princess InterGalactic HQ!

We begin today with a question for our treasured readers: does a celebrity’s association with a brand impact your buying decisions for that brand?

We ask because of the high volume of recent news regarding ‘stars’ doing clothing, accessory, and jewelry lines. Such involvement varies wildly, from work on design and creation of a line to merely licensing the use of one’s name and likeness.  One of this week’s examples involve Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s jewelry line for Asprey.

Dave Hogan/Getty Images via WWD

Officially debuting this week, the line is called ‘The Protector’. Below, two pieces from the collection.

Courtesy Photo

All pieces in the group showcase a snake motif. Including the sterling baby spoon.

Courtesy photo via WWD

The collection’s arrival comes in tandem with the company’s continued efforts at refining its product line, image and financial performance.  While this particular line is most assuredly not our style, we have long admired the Asprey tradition and commitment to quality.

Courtesy photo via WWD

One can’t quibble with how money made through sales of the line will be used, all proceeds are going to the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict; Ms. Jolie co-founded the organization.

Also, word today that Alicia Keys is also diving into the jewelry business, with ‘The Barber’s Daughters’ collection launching Monday.

Courtesy photo via WWD

The designer is seen above with Gisèle Theriault, who cofounded the new line with the talented singer. Below, a piece from the collection.

Courtesy photo via WWD

We don’t generally purchase brands because of a celebrity’s association with a product. In reality we think many preps are disinclined to purchase something if they believe a publicity-seeking star is associated with it, it’s just not done.  (And if ever we should be in the hunt for new jewelry pieces, we are more inclined to visit a smaller, independent artist, like Miss Wendy.)

There’s no reason why we elected to delve into this topic, multiple mentions of all these new lines must have triggered the Crankenstein lurking inside. Hhhmmm.

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Moving on, a recent story on the Cityfile site updates the continued Polo Ralph Lauren / US Polo Association spat.

“Since the mid-1980s, Ralph Lauren has been doing his damndest to prevent the U.S. Polo Association from marketing products bearing a horse-and-rider logo. It’s a case that has taken the two sides to court on numerous occasions over the past 25 years, with Lauren suffering a stinging defeat in 2005…”

Photoillustration Courtesy Cityfile

The story explains the latest todo:

“It seem the U.S. Polo Association has decided to branch out into fragrances—and plans to stamp its polo logo on the bottles, naturally—a move that Lauren isn’t all that jazzed about, not surprisingly.”

Below left, the USPA’s logo, and on the right, the Polo Ralph Lauren logo.

As always, we post, you ponder. Indeed.

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We have an update to yesterday’s post regarding the scantily-clad Leighton Meester.  Here is what the young actress/singer changed into for her performance:

Albert Michael/startraksphoto

It seems Ms. Meester also added some hair to her look.

There you have it.

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In our ongoing Sales & Savings category, Lands’ End offers the following:

And Tory Burch is also deep discounts right now:

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It would be inappropriate to let the day pass without mentioning a SOTT (Sign Of The Times), the end of an era really: JC Penney has printed their last ‘Big Book’ catalog.

Courtesy JC Penney

We close with one of the cutest accessories we have seen in a long time, the Bow Hair Pin from Kate Spade.

Courtesy Kate Spade

There is also a Bow Ring.

Courtesy Kate Spade

Ms. Spade also offers a solution to the ‘where’s the mistletoe?” dilemma (you know, that dilemma) with this item:

Courtesy Kate Spade

These three items are some of the cutest holiday goodies we have seen yet.

With that, it is g’bye until next time!

The Nautical Look for Spring 2010

Hello and greetings on a sunny Tuesday!

We have heavy volunteer commitments today, so we are making it One Topic Tuesday! Our subject is a favorite topic here at the Prepatorium, the nautical look. From the trend-spotters over at Women’s Wear Daily:

“Anchors aweigh! Nautical-inspired looks are always springtime favorites, but this season, designers are adding an unexpected twist to the classics, from tops with playful sequin stripes to sexy strapless dresses.”

Included in the story, the Sperry Top Sider and a trench from Nautica. (NOTE: Many of these pieces are not yet available for purchase, we have tried to note those that are currently selling.)

Next, a look from Tommy Hilfiger on the left, and a Navy/Creme Knit Dress from Thread Social. (The entire Spring 2010 Collection is available for purchase now, here is the link.)

Handbags exhibiting nautical traits are always popular here at the Prepatorium.  Below left, Nautica’s anchor bag, and the Eric Javits Squishee Mini Shopper is on the right. (Don’t you simply love that name? It just rolls off the tongue!)

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The Squishee comes in a fabulous selection of colors:

Also very appealing, the Rebecca Taylor sweater (L) and a Jones New York Signature sweater.

Jones New York Signature is showing a number of similar looks on their site right now for those interested, including the Nautical Stripe Sweater and the Rope Neck Tunic.

Not seen in the WWD story, this cute Condiment Set at Le Boutique Targèt.

And while finding it to be just darling, the Cute-o-meter might be peaking in the red zone with the Nautical Bath Collection at Target.

With that we say g’bye until next time!

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Adventures in Argyle, Preppy Sales and Savings

Hello-Hello, greetings for another week!

We have several Sales and Savings to report today; some may be repetitious but we thought they bore a second run, beginning with Brooks Brothers.

Brooks has taken significant markdowns on many items, including several pieces that definitely qualify as Adventures in Argyle.

The Merino Argyle Cardigan is now $117.60 ($168), and on the right we have the Cashmere Argyle cardigan, now $208.60 (originally $298).  Both seemed to be available in almost all sizes as of this writing.

The Country Club Mini-Argyle crew sock is now $16 (originally $40) and the Cotton Argyle Anklet now $6 ($15); both are offered in a variety of colorways.

As The Consort has been heard to say: “You can’t go wrong with a good pair of socks from Brooks Brothers.”

Not on sale at Brooks, but definitely worthy of a mention, the St. Jude Collection, including the Brooksie ™ Bear.

Courtesy Brooks Brothers

The retailer is donating $5 from the sale of each bear to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. There are several other items in this collection at Brooks Brothers, all with a portion of sales going to the hospital and research center.

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Also offering a sizable selection of Sale merchandise, Lacoste; the hat originally ($45, now $24.99) and gloves (originally $40, now $27.99) shown below definitely qualify as Pretty in Pink.

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Over at Bergdorf, their semi-annual sale is underway.

J. Crew continues their ‘holiday sale‘:

One item of note: Crew is also offering 20% off all orders of $150 or more; use promo code INSIDER at checkout. This is online only and ends Wednesday night (the 18th) at midnight.

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Nautica has a solid selection of discounted merchandise in their online Sale section.  We simply adore the Girls Anchor Print Skirt is now $14.99, originally it sold at $30. We also like the Girls Signal Flag polo.

Two things we fell in love with: the Baby Anchor Print Hoodie (now $14.99) and the Baby Dreamer Sweater Coat (now $21.99)

The item that really sent us over the moon? The Infant Plaid Trim Onesie.

If that doesn’t qualify as Prepalicious we don’t know what will; it is off the charts on the Cute-o-meter. (It is also only $9.99.)

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We have an update to the Jimmy Choo for H & M post from Friday: it was bedlam at most H&M stores when the collection went on sale Saturday.  In Vancouver shoppers camped outside the store.

Vancouver Sun

From a MarketWatch story:

“…the greater part of both Choo’s ladies’ and men’s collections sold out…. Even in Madrid, the epicenter of one of Europe’s most recession-battered economies, plenty of women and men could be seen toting glossy blue H&M bags Saturday afternoon.”

Below, Gossip Girl star Michelle Trachtenberg was among those shopping the H&M on Fifth this weekend.

Rob Loud/Getty Images

Speaking of Gossip Girl, many of Ms. Trachtenberg’s costars were seen at last night’s private screening of ‘The Private Lives of Pippa Lee‘.

Blake Lively was at the screening, along with Keanu Reeves, Julianne Moore, Robin Wright Penn, director Rebecca Miller and Zoe Kazan.

Jemal Countess/Getty Images

Many of the actress’s G2 costars were also in attendance, including Chace Crawford.

Jemal Countess/Getty Images

And real-life sweetheart Penn Badgley was on hand as well.

Jemal Countess/Getty Images

The film has a November 27 release date.