Preppy Interior Design and Jack Rogers Giveaway Winner!

Hello-Hello, welcome to a Monday. We have lots going on here at the Prepatorium so today we are brief, there are a few tidbits we wanted to share.

We begin with a delightful piece The Washingtonian did on interior designer Kelley Proxmire.  The magazine’s story is titled “Get the Look: Preppy in Pink—and Yellow, it looks at how the interior designer turned “…a Rhode Island summer home into an unabashedly preppy slice of paradise. ”

Neil Alexander/The Washingtonian

The decor is more than appealing.

Neil Alexander/The Washingtonian

From the story:

But it’s small touches like colored piping and monogrammed pillows that pull the whole look together. We asked Washington’s queen of prep to share her tips for creating a room Lilly Pulitzer herself would envy.

Neil Alexander/The Washingtonian

Writer Samantha Miller asked Ms. Proxmire about ‘preppy decor’ in the article:

The trend incorporates a lot of color. Most of the fabrics are bold, geometric patterns, often including stripes of all sizes. In addition to using primary colors, preppy decor can include bold versions of pastels—like hot pink, golden yellow, or lime green.

The yellow hues make the palette bright and sunny, yet they are restrained enough to keep the decor from being garish or overpowering.

Neil Alexander/The Washingtonian

Another snippet from the story :

What advice do you have for those looking to incorporate the trend into their own home?

Go slowly, and don’t go overboard. Preppy colors and designs can be added by way of accent pillows, lampshades, wall mirror frames, or even table linens. Select a few strong accents and then add more preppy pieces as needed.

That makes a lot of sense, although I am guessing it is easier said than done.

Neil Alexander/The Washingtonian

Ms. Proxmire has additional photos of the project on her website.

Kelley Interior Design

I enjoyed the article, including Ms. Proxmire’s thoughts on pink, click here to read the piece in its entirety.  There is also a slide show of ‘preppy home products’ accompanying the story.

Via The Washingtonian

Above we show the Ooh La La striped armchair from Pottery Barn Teen and the Bungalow 5 Jacqui Table at Layla Grayce.

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Next…..

Random.org

…the lucky winner of a pair of the Jack Rogers Navajos from the College Colors collection is Kimberly B., she commented that her favorite style of Jacks is the Georgica Python. Our thanks to Alysa and Diego at Jack Rogers for their gracious assistance in sponsoring the contest! (Kimberly, if you could email me skelley@PreppyPrincess.com, we’ll get you connected with the good folks at Jack Rogers.)

Finally today, at the risk of over-sharing, I want to send out a special thank you to the Preppy Post Grad, she has done a wonderful series of interviews with bloggers, including the one and only Carly of College Prepster renown, and Sarah Beth of the Greek Girl Shop, and today’s post is an interview she did with…me. (Blushing.) Thank you Miss PPG!

“Happy Preppy Style” & School Daze

Hello-Hello, welcome to a Tue-Wednesday, business is so chaotic we are having to do a double post today.

We begin with a look at something with appeal for just about everyone, “Happy Preppy style,” part of a new book on interior design and decor, “Fresh American Spaces.”  The approach is intriguing.

We know what you’re thinking: you were there for the 1980s incarnation of preppy (and maybe even the 1960s original), and you cringe at the thought of crested blazers, the boat shoes you wore till the soles separated and your toes poked out, or your drawer full of wide plaid headbands. Relax. We’re not turning back the clock. We’re re-imagining preppy in a bold, modern way.

"Fresh American Spaces"

This is just one section of the new book from Annie Selke, it offers color palettes, themes, along with lots of photos and tips for achieving different looks, including one familiar to many of our treasured readers, nautical style.

"Fresh American Spaces" Make Your Own Signal Flags

There are plenty of “how-to” directions, including one on creating your own signal flags.

More from the book:

Happy Preppy is all about simplicity—function dictates form, appearance never outweighs comfort, and easiness is the word of the day. Is it still that happy-go-lucky style you remember? Absolutely. Is it kid- and pet-friendly? Check. Is it pretty? You bet. Is it precious? Never.

Much as we like to promote independent book stores, we also want to share Amazon’s page for the book, several videos are located on the page, including one on “Happy Preppy” style’s nautical flags wall we mention above.

"Fresh American Spaces" Amazon.com

This one is now on the “to read” list.

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Next, back to school styles, we have been seeing them everywhere online, as well as on some of the young ladies and gentlemen in the neighborhood crossing the palace moat on their way to class.  The offerings certainly are varied this year, it remains a mystery how parents can clothe and accessorize a child for anything less than half the national debt!

Below we show two ensembles from The Children’s Place.

The Children's Place

The store offers plenty of basics, like these Fair Isle Cardigans and the Polka Dot cardigan, all priced at $24.95.

The Children's Place

There are plenty of choices for your young man as well.

The Children's Place

On a fiscally friendly note, Children’s Place is running a special, everything is 15% off;  if shopping online use promo code Z4E2011 to receive the discount.

If opting for upscale looks, the fall Milly Minis collection offers some dressier looks, below we show the Cece Dress and Ribbon Cardigan with appliqued bows and grosgrain ribbon. (We’ll take one of the cardigans in sizes grown-up girls sizing.)

Barneys

Also cute, the Stone Island Long Sleeve polo for the young man at your palace, and on the right, the classic stripes of a sailor shirt on the Armor Luxe Breton top, all from Barneys.

Barneys

If looking for simpler styles, it doesn’t get much more basic than these Izod separates at JC Penney.

JC Penney

There are more basics, like the girls Polo Dress, the Long Sleeve Cardigan and the Girls Jumper, all pieces are by Izod and all are on sale for $17.99 – 18.99. The pieces are offered in many more colors than those we show here, brightening up the color scheme and looking a bit less uniform-ish.

JC Penney

Being more colorful doesn’t require a large outlay of cash,the American Living Plaid Sundress is $19.99, the eye-popping Pink and Green Zip Jacket is shown at a bargain price of only $5.99, and the Pants with Repp Tie Stripe Belt come in both navy and khaki, they are $14.99.

JC Penney

Moving again to pieces for your young man, JC Penney has a variety of options, below we show the Preppy Woven Shirt, $17.99 for boys sizes 8 – 20.

JC Penney

Kohl’s offers the Mudd Plaid Camp Shirts in a variety of colors for girls size 7-16.

Kohl's

Kohl’s has put together some outfits that have that “trying too hard” feel when taken all together, some of the elements might be cute on their own.

Kohl's

And there are always plenty of options for your little princess at Lilly. 

LillyPulitzer.com

Until next time, we hope all of your back-to-school adventures are excellent.

Preppy Style In The Home, & Ralph Lauren Tears Up Over Dylan’s Wedding Dress

We hope you are enjoying a delightful Thursday, with any luck you are avoiding the Midwest monsoon that has now planted itself on the east coast. However, a glance at the television or a newspaper or one’s computer screen reminds us we really have nothing to complain about.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Not one thing.

On a brighter note, we look at a portion of yesterday’s Ralph Lauren interview on Oprah.

George Burns/Harpo Productions/AP

From The Show Tracker blog:

“The show was practically moving in its ode to striving, to these two exceedingly rare cases of American mobility: the Bronx-bred son of immigrant Ashkenazi Jews, whose artist father painted houses to support his family, and an African American woman born poor in Mississippi and raised poor in Milwaukee.”

Perhaps the most touching moment was hearing the designer talk about making his daughter’s wedding gown. Dylan Lauren is marrying financier Paul Arrouet in June; her father designed the dress, but it wasn’t easy.

Harpo Productions

Mr. Lauren said…

“I had to do something that was better than ever before. I mean I have to—it’s the only daughter I have, beautiful girl—I want to just give her something that she’ll really treasure, give her something that would be really amazing. I want her to feel fantastic.”

After seeing initial sketches, mother of the bride Ricky Lauren told him the dress wasn’t right: “Ralph, that’s not Dylan”.  Below we see Ms. Lauren with her fiancée, Paul Arrouet.

Via The Examiner

But it seems everyone is thrilled with the finished product. Dylan Lauren says the dress is stunning.

‘I told my fianceé, “I may sleep in it. I might wear it the next day,”‘ she added. ‘It’s really beautiful. I know that every bit of his energy and heart went into making sure that I liked it.’

As soon as there are photos of the gown available we’ll have them right here. If you would like to see the clip about the gown, click here.

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Speaking about preppish styling and weddings brings us to our next tidbit, Preppy Wedding products at Bridefinds. From the story:

If “The Preppy Handbook” is the only book you can’t live without, it’s time to take it to the next, next level.

The piece suggests all manner of things that will hypothetically help one achieve a prep aesthetic for the big day. Below left, a 4-Piece Set for your young MOTH (Man of the House) from Dillard’s, and on the right, Kate Spade’s Seersucker Jenny Ann Clutch.

Bride Finds bills the post as the “Preppy Wedding Handbook,” and while there are a few interesting items shown, that title far oversells the story.

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There is another online photo series about “preppy style” and interior design.

Designers Guild for Benz via HGTV

The post by Cassandra LaVelle (of Coco + Kelley) is on the HGTV site.

“No longer just for the country club set, preppy style enters the home with classic patterns, bright colors and the essential navy and white stripes. Discover how to add a little prep to your favorite room.

Patrick Cline for Lonny Magazine

Below left we see another room via Lonny magazine, and on the right, decor by Tobi Fairley Interior Design.

Patrick Cline for Lonny / Tobi Fairley Interiors

As described in the story:

The fastest way to add a little “prep” to your style is definitely with a bit of trim. Designer Tobi Fairley adds white piping to the dining chairs and black trim to the lattice-print drapes for some classic preppy details.

Click here for the entire post, it is a good read.

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While looking for an item on the Dior site today we stumbled upon some simply darling Dior looks for young ladies.

Baby Dior

Saks has many of the styles in stock, as does Neimans.

Baby Dior

Regular readers know we cannot resist most designer duds for the little ones, despite our frequent outbursts and tirades occasional mention of the frivolous nature of such things.

Baby Dior

Here on the Preppy Planet we see merit in both upscale pieces and the more practical offerings from your local Targét.

We leave you with another reason to smile.

Jacques de Marthon/AFP/Getty

The French Open is underway.