Signs of Panic for Monaco Wedding? A “Preppy Revival” & Kate Middleton’s Prep Look (Again)

Hello-Hello, and happy Monday.

There is an abundance of news to share, we begin with a story about the upcoming wedding of Monaco’s Prince Albert to Charlene Wittstock, seen below heading into Westminster Abbey for the marriage of Kate Middleton and Prince William.

Chris Jackson/Getty Image

The Sunday Times (London) carried a story titled “Alarm Bells Ring for Albert’s Wedding”.

With only two months to go before the 53-year-old Albert exchanges vows with Charlene Wittstock, a former Olympic swimmer from South Africa, invitations have yet to be sent out. “Albert and Charlene” wedding memorabilia is not yet ready. Nor is the commemorative postage stamp or a “Princess Charlene” rose that was supposed to have been created by now.”

With all due respect to the Principality, the lack of a commemorative stamp or hybrid floral component hardly seems catastrophic.  However, one would think those invitations need to get in the mail fairly soon. And there are other issues we hadn’t thought about. Back to Matthew Campbell’s article:

“Another worry is that Albert could end up being embarrassed by the mothers of his illegitimate children.”

Perhaps the most glaring part of that sentence was “mothers,” as in plural? Multiple offspring? Recognizing much of the world finds the American perspective on monogamy and children born out-of-wedlock to be provincial, we remain convinced Albert’s mother, Princess Grace would not be thrilled at the situation.  More on the offspring from Mr. Campbell:

“Nicole Coste, a former Togolese air hostess and mother of Alexandre, 7, has a record of turning up uninvited at Monaco’s red carpet events and is said to have been signed up by German media to give an account of Albert’s big day.

It is not known whether Albert’s 19-year-old Californian daughter, Jazmin, and her mother are on the guest list. They may turn up anyway, furious at the rejection.”

Below we see the couple awarding Rafael Nadal the winner’s cup at last month’s Monte Carlo Masters tournament.

Claude Paris/AP Photo

The event does sound as though it has the potential to get a bit off the track (understatement of the week), at the very least an interesting case study for those studying such things. One last portion of the story:

“Displaying signs of panic, the palace protocol chief in charge of the wedding has sent for reinforcements, hiring two experienced French wedding planners. It is hoped, at least, that the date, time and venues of festivities will not be subject to further changes…”

To read the entire story click here to visit a forum with the entire post (the Times is available by subscription only). There is an official wedding website for the media.

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Several stories referencing the prep aesthetic have surfaced in the last several days, below we share part of a story from Savannah Now, sister site to the Savannah Morning News.  From an “An Ode to Mommy Fashion“:

“There is also the preppy mom of uniformed preparatory school children. Her uniform is collared shirts and conservative solids and plaids.

Old-school brands like Brooks Brothers, Lilly Pulitzer and Ralph Lauren are returning this preppy look to popularity. Does your mom delight in her latest look from Lilly? Does she casually toss her sweater over her shoulders while watching your tennis match? Yes, preppy mom is back!”

The piece is illustrated with a vintage Time magazine cover.

Time Inc. via Savannah Now

If that doesn’t evoke wistful thoughts of another time, a more civil and genteel time, I don’t know what will.

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Next, a story looking at “The Preppy Revival in Fashion”

“It’s been patronised by icons from Grace Kelly and Jackie Onassis to Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow but, give or take the odd overnight fad (the choppy “Rachel” haircut in the 1990s for example), it’s never dominated fashion.

Now it appears that Alexa Chung’s white cuffs were the tip of the iceberg. The global preppy movement currently bubbling under the fashion radar is not going to be merely a “revival”.

Writer Julia Robson’s story ran in The National (UAE), offering an international perspective.

“New preppy, though, is more glamorous and distances itself from campus and vintage looks. Think everyone’s new favourite fashionista Kate Middleton – who never looks anything but exquisite in her pared-down, impeccably ironed clothes – and you are good to go.

New preppy isn’t about Charlotte Olympia clunky platforms or Hervé Leger cleavage dresses. It’s classic Burberry raincoats, neatly pressed cream silk blouses and dainty hats all the way. It involves quality labels, conservative styles, not wearing too much make-up or tampering with natural hair colour (though brunette home hair-dye is seeing off its rival, blonde).”

Ms. Robson wisely distinguishes between classics and fads.

“Amazingly, by preserving… fundamental preppy stalwarts such as classic raincoats, brands like Ralph Lauren and Burberry look fresher than ever. The fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger is particularly enjoying a fashion “moment”.

Not surprisingly, Prep World, Mr. Hilfiger’s collaborative collection with Lisa Birnbach, is mentioned, as is the quirky “Meet the Hilfigers” campaign.

Craig McDean via Design Scene

Click here for the entire story, it makes for a good read.

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Speaking of Mr.Hilfiger, add his name to the list of designers who would like to dress Kate Middleton the Duchess of Cambridge.  From Vogue UK:

“”Catherine has a very classic yet modern style,” Hilfiger told us. “I would love to dress her and I think she already has the makings of the perfect preppy!”

That list of designers is lengthy indeed.

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We leave you with a few images from the weekend’s events.

Al Bello/Getty Images

Mornings at a racetrack are indescribable, stripped of the frou-frou accompanying the actual race. This is especially so at marquee events.

Al Bello/Getty Images

As always, the hats were delightful.

John Sommers II/Reuters

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Rob Carr/Getty Images

The more whimsical chapeaux are also fun.

Jeff Haynes/Reuters

It was an amazing race.

Travis Lindquist/Getty Images

Hopefully Animal Kingdom had a little treat with his dinner. 🙂

Garry Jones/AP

Friday Fun, Sales & Savings of a Prepalicious Sort, That Wacky Hat is Everywhere

Hello-Hello, welcome to a Friday.  It has been an insane week, it seems like forever ago that we were gathered in front of our varying viewing platforms to watch the royal wedding.

A little Friday Fun is in order, and we start with a look at a delightful experiment, the first Lilly Pulitzer “lifestyle store” that opened in Raleigh this week.

Via Palm Avenue

Palm Avenue is the first Lilly store combining apparel and accessories with the new Home Furnishings & Accessories collection, the shop moved into a new location to accommodate everything.

Palm Avenue

We have some lovely photos inside the new store from our flickr friend castaff.

Via castaff

It’s fun to see how well the furniture and accessories are integrated into the store.

Via castaff

Palm Avenue also has photos, they are viewable on the store’s Facebook page.

Via Palm Avenue

The store’s official grand opening gala is this Thursday, the 12th.

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Next, a follow-up to yesterday’s post on the Prep World pop-up shop. We mentioned that the London store was opening today and promised pictures.  Below, Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick at the opening.

Via Grazia UK

There were a number of celebrities at the event, including someone we really hadn’t associated with a preppish style, Ronnie Wood.

Via Grazia UK

From the Grazia story:

“For Tommy Hilfiger himself, attaining Pure Prepdom is a little more complex: “You need colour, you need madras, and you’ve gotta have seersuckers. You need to be holidaying in The Hamptons or Nantucket, and you should be wearing anything red, white and blue to look nautical. And even if you don’t know how to sail, you should pretend.”

Also on hand, model David Gandy.

Via Grazia UK

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We are way behind the times with our next topic, hopefully not everyone has already seen the story. We are speaking about Ralph Lauren’s “L’art de l’Automobile” exhibit in Paris that opened last week.

Jacques Brinon/AP

The designer is widely considered to have one of the finest collections of vintage sports and racing cars in the world, many of the automobiles are on view in the exhibit. The exhibition is at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs museum, the Lauren family looked elegant for the opening night gala, below (from L to R) Andrew Lauren, the designer and Ricky Lauren, David Lauren.

Getty Images

Some notable names were on hand for the party, including India Hicks (L) and Melanie Thierry (R).

Getty Images

One of our favorite French retailers, Colette, has a collection of polos in honor of the exhibition.  The Discovery Channel will be airing a documentary about the exhibit in several European countries over the summer, there is also a commemorative book.

If interested in learning more about the exhibit or the collection, click here to visit Mr. Lauren’s official site for the show.

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We have a few quick Sales & Savings opportunities to share, the first actually pertains to establishments owned by the gentleman seen above; the Polo Ralph Lauren “Private Sale” (cough-cough) runs through Monday, with an additional 15% off already reduced merchandise.  Use promo code MAY0511 to receive the savings.

Via Ralph Lauren

Over at Brooks Brothers the Friends and Family event is underway, offering 25% off all purchases.

Via Brooks Brothers

The 25% is good at both regular and outlet stores.  Use promo code 06FRIEND at checkout.

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We leave you with a few news photos you may have missed in the frenzy of the week, all on the same topic. Now, some of us were somewhat dismayed at the Philip Treacy fascinator worn by Princess Beatrice to the wedding last week.

Getty Images via The Mirror

Little did we know how popular the hat was going to be.

Via Delsrayser Tumblr

Via The Telegraph

Via The Telegraph

Until next time, may everyone enjoy some refreshing and restorative spring air this weekend.

Oh, Those Party Frocks! And Prep World New York

Hello-Hello, it seems we might be back to “normal,” although ascertaining just what ‘normal’ is continues to evolve.

At the very least we return to more normal blather and bloviations topics, beginning with last night’s Met Ball. Considered by many as the fashion world’s Oscars, the night brings out the A-list.  As Hilary Alexander wrote in The Telegraph:

“In terms of style, effort, money and glamour, this red carpet mother of all fashion-fests, orchestrated by Anna Wintour for the last 13 years, outshines them all.

It was an occasion for the well dressed and the merely wealthy.”

Below we see Ms Wintour (yes, that is The André in all his regal splendor to her right) in a stunning Chanel couture gown. On the right she is with her daughter, Bee Shaffer, who wore Balenciaga.

Getty Images

The formal name for the event is the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala.  This year’s event coincides with tomorrow’s opening of the highly anticipated Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty show.

Met Photos via WWD

As one might imagine, coming on the heels of the royal wedding and the two Sarah Burton McQueen wedding gowns, the atmosphere was electric. Below, the woman of the hour, Ms. Burton.

AP/Getty Images

Sarah Jessica Parker was in vintage McQueen.

AP Photos

Hamish Bowles was in McQueen.

Via

For those not familiar with the Costume Institute, it is part of the Met, housing more than 75,000 costumes and accessories.  Below, part of the Lauren clan, left to right we see Dylan Lauren, David Lauren and Lauren Bush.

Getty Images

Jessica Alba also wore Ralph Lauren, she was radiant.

Getty Images

There were some figure-hugging creations; below left, Fergie in a Marchesa gown more reminiscent of a wedding dress, on the right we see Beyonce in Emilio Pucci with her husband, Jay-Z.

Getty Images

How snug was Beyonce’s dress? She was unable to climb the stairs in it,

Getty Images

The lights are blinding, Renée Zellweger is silhouetted below.

Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty

Some of our favorite faux-prepsters from Gossip Girl were on hand, Leighton Meester was in Louis Vuitton, Blake Lively in Grecian-inspired Chanel and Jessica Szohr in… in.. umm, we have lost our notes, eek!

AP/Getty/WWD

The level of detailing on these gowns is extraordinary.

AP/Getty/WWD

Below, Dakota and Elle Fanning, both wore Valentino.

Getty Images

Perhaps our favorite gown of the evening was Ashley Greene’s, custom Donna Karan.

Getty Images

It was exquisite.

Last night the first menswear from Tory Burch debuted, seen on Kanye West; the designer was in vintage Jean Patou that was gorgeous.

Mike Segar/Reuters

Tommy Hilfiger his wife, Dee,and Jessica Stam wore Hilfiger.

Reuters

It is a busy week for Mr. Hilfiger, the designer’s collaborative line with Lisa Birnbach, Prep World, launches its first pop-up store in the US.

Prep World/Tommy Hilfiger

As covered in this post, the first pop-up store was in Paris. The temporary stores are designed to look like a beachside cottage in the Hamptons, below we show the model store.

Courtesy Image

And here is the real deal under construction in the Meatpacking district, originally scheduled to open the 28th of April, now looking like it will be ready for a Thursday opening.

The capsule collection features an array of products, many of them appealing.

 

Some of the merchandise is available online.

http://usa.tommy.com/tommy/index.jsp?ctcampaign=871&ctkwd=tommyhilfiger&ctmatch=Exact&ctcreative=10700438385&gclid=CMGv_q2izKgCFUOo4AodOWuZpQ

For more background on the line, click here. If interested in seeing the Paris Prep World, click here.

Apologies for the brevity today, but we must race out the door!

ADDITIONAL PHOTO CREDITS:

• Kristin Somody Whalen/WWD
• Steve Eichner/WWD

Prep World Paris, Black Fleece Bargains, Itty-Bitty Kate Middleton Dresses

Hello-Hello, and welcome to a Monday.

Things are a little frenzied this week, we’re pedaling as fast as we can here at The Prepatorium.

We begin with a look at the first Prep World pop-up store.

Via StyleRumor

The Tommy Hilfiger/Lisa Birnbach endeavor debuted last week in Paris.

Via Tommy Hilfiger Facebook page

The launch party was right in front of the store, modeled to look like a Hamptons cottage.

It looked like a beautiful day at Pompidou Centre.

Via PaperBlog.Fr

It is a special treat to see our friend Kiel’s work showcased, don’t his bracelets look wonderful?!

Courtesy Prep World

It is always fun to see the reactions to Mr. Hilfiger’s styles, this story in Paper Blog (France) is replete with references to Gossip Girl characters Serena (Blake Lively) and Blair (Leighton Meester).

“Preppy. The decor is slick and hostesses are welcoming. During a moment you feel like Serena or Blair, you invent a fishing trip and you fantasize about the sweaters and knitted pastel polo shirts.”

For a more comprehensive look at the shop, Style Rumor has a lengthy post with loads of photos.

If in need of more comprehensive background on the Prep World line and concept, click here.  To see more photos, the Hilfiger Facebook page has a number of photos, including this one.

Tommy Hilfiger

Hmmmm.

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We have a few quick Sales & Savings opportunities to pass along, but be advised two of them are time-sensitive:

• There are *amazing* savings at the Brooks Brothers Black Fleece ‘flash sale’ running only through midnight tonight.  A Cotton Seersucker Blazer that is normally $4oo is on sale for $125, and the Little Boy Piped Jacket, originally $450 is also $125.

• The other mention involves another flash sale, this one titled Gossip Girl Boutique at ‘invitation only’ sale site Gilt.com. The sale begins tonight at 9pm EDT, here is more from Gilt’s description:

“We’ve teamed up with Gossip Girl stylist Eric Daman, the man behind some of television’s most fiercely dressed characters, to replicate some of the show’s best looks. Whether you crave Serena’s sexy spin on boho-chic, Lily’s flawless elegance, or Blair’s ladylike polish, you’ll find plenty to choose from. And we haven’t forgotten the guys: choose from pieces for him that range from Brooklyn casual to classic Upper East Side cool.”

• J. Crew is doing an additional 30% off sale items in its Final Sale promotion, use promo code OURTREAT at checkout for the savings.

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For those like us with a mild interest in royal weddings (cough-cough), we share a headline from across the pond about the “William and Kate” movie now being shown in the UK.

Via The Daily Mail

The descriptions and reactions to the film had us both laughing.

Rupert Thorpe via The Daily Mail

From the Daily Mail’s story:

“…the Evening Standard’s Richard Godwin concurred, adding: ‘Critics in America have panned this movie as a cheesy chick-flick, but there are positives.’  It is recognisably a film, in that it takes place on a screen.”

Indeed.

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One item related to the upcoming nuptials that is adorable, the tiny collection of Kate Middleton dresses.

Images via The Telegraph

The set was done for Harumika, The Telegraph has photos of all the styles.

Apparently they will be sold at Toys ‘R Us. (Moms, aunts, grandmothers…TP needs your help, is this a popular brand?)

Our fave itty-bitty style:

Via The Telegraph

Although we are pretty sure Miss Middleton’s shoulders will be covered, we do love the tiny wedding gown created for the line.

On that darling image we say g’bye until next time!

“Prep World” Updates, Preppy for the Birds, Tilly is Sad

Hello-Hello, and welcome to a Wednesday here at The Prepatorium.  We are racing out the door, so today’s post is brief.

We begin with an update on the upcoming Lisa Birnbach / Tommy Hilfiger “Prep World” collection launching in May.  Readers may recall that merchandise will be available at pop-up stores made to look like a Nantucket Cottage.

Courtesy Photo

Presentations of the line were made to Japanese media in early March (before the earthquake and tsunami), we share more shots from inside the “cottage”.

Via FashionSnap

The decor is as expected, achieving the charm one associates with a cottage in a seaside community.

FashionSnap.com

The clothing continues to look appealing, the styles and fabrics are basics we like. (With the exception of a few items with heavy logos.)

Via FashionSnap.com

Perhaps our favorite part of the Japanese presentation was the four-legged guard on duty.

Via FashionSnap.com

There are also more views of the apparel via a Spanish style blog:

Via DeModa.es

A few more images, obviously the anchor motif remains a strong design element.

Via Desmoda.es

(If interested in more on the line, click here for our first post on the topic.)

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Next, something that really is for the birds.

Home Bazaar Post Lane Cottage

That is an actual birdhouse from the folks at Home Bazaar. It isn’t merely safe outside in the elements, it is intended to be there.  Here is a bit of the description for the birdhouse:

“Out on the East End of Long Island, in the toney hamlet of Quogue, you’ll find summer houses just like this one. A great, big beautiful wraparound porch and a western red cedar shingled roof, including a turret, are the standout features of this new Signature Birdhouse.”

What a posh home for your feathered friends, surely these qualify as preppy digs for the avian crowd. They are all created by Home Bazaar, the company is famous for its architectural birdhouse creations.  Below we show the Sag Harbor Birdhouse (l), and on the right, the Manor Birdhouse.

Below left we show the Round Island Light model, and on the right, the Menlo Park, modeled after Thomas Edison’s laboratory, both are from the company’s Historic Reproductions group.

A style near and dear to our heart, the Petoskey Lake View Cottage.

Home Bazaar

From the item description:

“In the Northern Michigan resort town of Petoskey, you’ll find some of the most delightful summer cottages. Our birdhouse, embellished with hanging flower baskets and topped with a rich western red cedar roof, will provide all the creature comforts for your feathered friends who make the long trip from down South. Removable back wall for easy cleaning. Will accommodate wrens, finches, chickadees, nuthatches and titmice.”

For TQM (The Queen Mother) as well as Her Highness of Cute, we share the Public Library Birdhouse.

Home Bazaar

They are just delightful.

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We leave you with a story that has troubled Tilly.  It involves Blue II.  Blue is Butler University’s mascot.

AP File Photo

Why is Tilly upset? It isn’t because Blue has his own blog.

Blue II's Blog

Not is it because Blue is the subject of a TMZ Exclusive story. (Tilly hopes never to be seen in that publication.)

Via TMZ

And it isn’t because Blue is going to the Final Four on a chartered plane. With his own seat.

Nor is it because there are even “Make Your Own Blue” masks on Flickr.

It is because Blue has his very own Twitter.

 

Twitter

And Tilly has no Twitter account.

Poor, sad, sorrowful, pitiful, put upon, pathetic Tilly.