Kate Spade Shoes, Fashion Week: Lacoste, Jason Wu, Barbie!

Hello-Hello!

We start with a very quick hit on WWD‘s (Women’s Wear Daily, subscription required for most material) story about the Kate Spade shoe line expansion.

Courtesy Kate Spade via WWD

“Though Kate Spade found success with its collection of preppy flats and party shoes, the New York-based accessories brand has been positioning itself for a bigger presence in the footwear world.”

Courtesy Kate Spade via WWD

The line’s new Design Director has a history with two other prep-relevant lines, Burberry and Banana Republic. What to look for moving forward? An added emphasis on boots, including some with bows.

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The insanity that is Fashion Week has descended upon New York with the 2009 Fall/Winter lines being shown, although fewer design houses are participating. Just to set the scene, a bit from James Covert’s column in yesterday’s Post:

“THE perks at Fashion Week are taking a weird turn downmarket. High-powered fashion editors and retail merchants – who in seasons past have hauled off gift bags of Victoria’s Secret lingerie, Calvin Klein perfume and Estée Lauder cosmetics – will be treated this year to McDonald’s, Budweiser and Jell-O.”

Indeed.

Things kicked off Thursday with Monique Lhuillier showing 12 styles from her Fall RTW (Ready to Wear) Collection, including one with a darling bow we simply had to share!

PHOTO: John Aquino

We’ll chalk up the ripped hose (shown with almost every piece) to artistic license.

This morning the first show was Lacoste.

Stephen Chernin/AP

Of course, each season we attempt to predict the severity of Logophobia to expect in the coming season, in efforts to gauge how strong the innoculations should be, what strain of the disease to look for, etc. The Telegraph (UK), addresses the issue in their story on Lacoste’s F/W ’09 styles:

“The classic crocodile logo, originally introduced by the legendary French tennis star, René Lacoste, in 1927, was revamped as a larger, tone-on-tone motif, rather than the well-known, little green ‘crocodylidae’.”

Designer Christophe Lemaire’s color palette is intriguing, more subtle than previous seasons.

PHOTO: Stephen Chernin/AP

We did not sense any ‘wow!’ moments this go-round.

PHOTO: Stephen Chernin/AP

It could be that this year it is more about subtlety than big and bright splashes of exuberance.

PHOTO: Scott Gries/Getty

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First Lady fave Jason Wu had his show yesterday, and there are a number of pieces we adore, two in particular.

PHOTO: Robert Mitra/WWD

We dubbed the dress above the Fairy Tale Princess dress. And then we saw this one:

PHOTO: Robert Mitra/WWD

It is also a Fairy Tale Princess gown… lush, lovely, luxurious…sigh. A girl can dream, can’t she?

The designer dubbed as preppy by TPC (the Princess Consort) early on in the Michelle Obama dress frenzy had several other looks we are fond of, including this:

PHOTO: Robert Mitra/WWD

While not for us, the next frock is one we can see Mrs. Obama wearing.

PHOTO: Robert Mitra/WWD

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BTW, for those interested in the very latest on Fashion Week, Project Runway winner and designer Christian Soriano is live-blogging for Time magazine; click here to take a look at Mr. Soriano’s bon mots.

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Here at the Prepatorium we try to maintain a positive perspective, preferring to look at the upbeat more than the negative, but sometimes we simply must stop and ask: why?

PHOTO: Michael Loccisano/Getty

High-waisted leather shorts, Gwyneth? What were we thinking?

And then there is the J. Crew spinoff label, Madewell 1937, and its collaboration with Shopbop on an upscale denim line.  Generally we adore Shopbop. But this?

Courtesy Photo via WWD

The line debuts online next Friday (2.20.09) with pricepoints one would expect from a premium line as explained in the WWD story:

“There’s a vintage feel to the Madewell for Shopbop collection, which consists of ex-boyfriend and vintage flare jeans, both priced $200; a station skirt, $130; switchyard shorts, $130; a dispatch vest, $125; a workwear jacket, $138, and a boiler suit, $125.”

It can only be old age and decrepit thinking keeping us from falling for the Boiler suit. (?)

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We shall close with more Pretty in Pink, a few in fact, from today’s Barbie Runway show at Fashion Week. We start with Barbie & Ken…

PHOTO: Diane Bondareff, Courtesy Barbie/AP

(Psst – did you notice the pink and green backdrops onstage?!)

Next, the shoes by Christian Louboutin:

PHOTO: Lucas Jackson/Reuters

In the audience today at the show, Heidi Klum….

PHOTO: Carlo Allegri/Reuters

As well as singer Kellie Pickler and Miss Africa USA, Nyasha Zimucha.

PHOTO: Bryan Bedder/Getty

Others on hand for the 50th Anniversary show included Diane von Furstenberg, Annie Leibovitz and Julia Allison.  We cannot wait to read Suzy Menkes’ column on the show! The next photo shows a design from Juicy Couture, probably not our favorite look.

PHOTO: Lucas Jackson/Reuters

The next shot is during Friday’s rehearsal for the show; the dress is by Koi Suwannagate.

PHOTO: Diane Bondareff/Mattel Handout

We will share more of these delightful looks in our next post!

Thakoon for Target Now Online, Gossip Guy goes Prep

Hello-Hello and Happy Days-After-Christmas!

A quick reminder to all that the Thakoon for Target collection has dropped, at least online. 32 items are priced below $24, the additional 23 items are in the $25 – $49 range, so the Collection is fiscally friendly, as promised.

As best we can tell from the photos, there are some nice pieces, like the Oxford Stripe Tee:

Thakoon for Target®

The Sleeveless Sweater is also cotton, available in ‘navy pride’ and grey.

Thakoon for Target

The brightly colored bathing suits look fun, and are wisely being sold as separates, similar to the way Shoshanna markets her fabulous swimsuits. Many of the looks carry a preppy aesthetic in either their overall design or the textile pattern. (Or both in isolated instances.)

We aren’t overly entranced with all of the pieces in the collection; this Pleated Stripe Dress is 100% polyster. Ouch. It is a shame, because it almost looks like the perfect repp tie stripe, no?

Sadly, the colorblock dress we were so enchanted by in all of the early photos is also polyester.

We just don’t understand the poly, especially when used for pieces designed to be worn next to one’s skin. Who knows, TP is frequently wrong and it is entirely possible our opinion will be changed after visiting the Boutique and feeling the material firsthand. So to speak. At any rate, the entire Collection should be available tomorrow morning at those Target stores  designated to carry the line.

We can only hope it won’t be long before we learn if this gifted designer has been selected to style either Michelle Obama’s Inaugural gown, or her daytime look for January 20th.

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Another month, another big magazine story featuring one of the oh-so-popular Gossip Girl stars.

PHOTO: Terry Richardson

In the January 2009 GQ (yes, the one with Ms. Aniston on the cover in nothing but a Brooks Brothers tie) issue, actor Penn Badgley is featured in “AMERICAN SPLENDOR – Essential pieces of sartorial Americana worn by Gossip Girl’s Penn Badgley. In the photo above Mr.Badgley wears a Lacoste sweater and polo shirt.

PHOTO: Terry Richardson

All pieces shown in the photo above are Polo by Ralph Lauren. We found the caption/descriptor intriguing:

“It used to be that cardigans were worn by preppies and grandpas. Lately, they’re worn by everyone from artists to DJs (and yes, still grandpas). Try yours with a tie—you needn’t belong to a Princeton eating club to pull it off.”

BTW, Mr. Badgley and co-star/off-screen companion Blake Lively are named as one of the “Best Celebrity Hookups 2008” in a story from Canada’s National Post.  (We can hardly contain our excitement.)

PHOTO: Robert Pitts/Landov/MCT

Another ‘Gossip Guy’ figures in a cover story for the upcoming Spring issue of “YourProm” magazine. Teen singing sensation Taylor Swift (a talent of whom we are quite fond) shares her dream date for prom; it is none other than Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford.

Your Prom

BTW, GQ is running a contest on their site featuring (among other prizes) a $10,000 J. Crew wardrobe.

And finally, a look at what happens When Pink Goes Wrong:

No one will be surprised to learn the pink Bentley belongs to one of our very first anti-preps.

We are now speechless.

🙂

More Preppy Sales: Banana Republic, LL Bean, Lacoste

Hello everyone, and happy new week!

The Princess must publicly thank La Bellette Rouge for providing us with a much-needed boost on a dull and dreary Monday morning: her Blog Love Award!

Merci Miss La Bellette Rouge!

Miss LBR is an extraordinary writer and we are ever-so-thankful for her recognition!

We move to updates on additional methods for acquiring necessities (or luxuries, however one deems them) without taking out a second mortgage on the summer home. (Translated: more sales.)

Banana Republic is now offering 40% markdowns on both their Men’s and Women’s merchandise. In menswear the basics abound: outerwear, sweaters, denim, etc., but they are so staid we can’t bring ourselves to showcase them. Instead we share something perilously close to not quite meeting TP’s stringent standards of decorum.  Yet desperate times require deperate measures; therefore we give you the Men’s Taxi cab Boxers in blue.

Much more fun while also qualifying for today’s Argyle Update (although not yet on sale), the Cashmere Argyle Socks.

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Also offering markdowns (and really, who isn’t right now?), Lacoste, including the Libby Ballet Flat as well as the Women’s Espa 2.

LL Bean has a good number of items marked down from their original prices, including the Infants Fleece Coverall.

TP is especially fond of the little ears on the hood. In fact, TP is craving a little fleece jumpsuit all her own to snuggle into and snooze away the day. Sounds reasonable to us… how about you?

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Does this not look delish and divine? We can only wish we were somewhere in the northeast; it is  Nantucket bay scallops time!

Dylan Cross Photography

We didn’t think it possible to make this melt-in-your-mouth fabulosity sound, well, boring, but it seems The Journal may have accomplished just that feat in this article on the topic.  On the upside, they do include a source for ordering the delicacy to be shipped wherever one desires, within reason.  A caveat: the article mentions trying these these sushi-style (sounds so much better than ‘raw,’ don’t you think?), TP has no intent of ever doing so as they are too wonderful cooked. Tender doesn’t begin to describe them. Sigh.

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A quick reminder: to win all of these excellent preppy goodies…

Boatman Geller Carrie & Tuck

..from Boatman Geller…

Boatman Geller Carrie & Tuck Nautical Madras set

And Me Too…

Me Too Cotton Apron

And the Preppy Princess….

Preppy Princess Towel set

Including one of our favorite books, Summer at Tiffany…

Summer at Tiffany

… treasures valued at more than $125, leave a comment telling us one friend you are grateful for. That’s it! For more information on the Great Giveaway, just click here! Here are a few of the comments left thus far…

The always astute Miss Daisy at Legally Blonde Ambition says:

“Oooh. I’m thankful for my internet friend Katie at Overflowing Brain for listening to me rant & rave. Whew.”

 Elaine R writes:

“I am thankful for having my friend Linda in my life. We have stayed friends through growing up then marriages,children and sickness-my love for her is unconditional.”

And from someone who actually makes tech fun and understandable (how’s that for a combo?) here is part of the comment left by Miss Techyness:

“I am most thankful for my support network. This is not just one person- but a collection of people, experiences and feelings.

It’s being thankful for that person who asks if you want a cup of coffee with a smile when you’re having a crappy day at work.

It’s when your mom sends you a text message and signs it “love mom” even though you have explained to her that you already know it’s from her.

So, what I’m thankful for are all of these people and the things they do that keep me sane “

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We close with a Pretty in Pink offering from the Land of Nod, the Color Block Rug in an almost preppy pink and green color scheme, although this is a tad pastel to qualify.

With that, we say goodbye until next time!

J. Crew Says “I’m Sorry” + Goyard/Lacoste/Visionaire Update

“Soon?” Really….? It seems The Princess requires a new definition of ‘soon,’ preferably in cybertime, if you don’t mind. As in ‘cybersoon.’ How long would that be for an online retailer? We’ve been waiting an awfully long time it seems, and there’s still no sign of a functional website. We are beginning to feel like collecting our toys and stomping off to another playground. But we won’t, as that would be a completely inappropriate display of bad manners, and also because there aren’t loads of others carrying the merchandise they stock.

However, we won’t bash the giant that is J. Crew pitilessly (oh, and aren’t they happy to hear that good news?!), lest we tempt the e-commerce gods and they seek revenge upon the Preppy Princess, and we don’t want that! We just got ourselves up and running! Another reason not to beat up upon the preppy retailer would come under the heading of “Don’t kick them when they’re down.” and they are decidedly down. As in the site is down. Down. Non-functional. But let’s remember, they have apologized. Repeatedly. We received this in our email:

Unfortunately for J. Crew, national business media are beginning to pay attention to the story, and the blogosphere is beginning to light up like candles on a birthday cake at a senior center. The good folks over at Bloomberg news are on top of things; for their story they interviewed a company flack spokesperson:

J.Crew spokeswoman Margot Fooshee said today in an e-mail without elaborating. “In our eyes, any inconvenience to our customers is unacceptable,” she said.

“As a result, we proactively wanted to address them through an e-mail and on our home page, letting them know that they might experience some delays,” Fooshee said, adding that shoppers were notified the company was trying to fix the problems immediately.

The Bloomberg story does go on to point out that through today J Crew stock has dropped 40% in the last year. Ouch.

Another site covering the story is the Consumerist; they have been the recipient of a number of customer complaints. You can see their story here; if the complaints accompanying the post are even half-truths the company has a huge problem to correct. For minute-by-minute updates, there may be no better source than the JCrewAficionada; a fun site worth a visit regardless of your situation with the company.

Of course, it is easy for us to be gracious as we haven’t tried conducting any online business with the company. We don’t want to appear insensitive to the plight of any shoppers eagerly awaiting their merchandise, or attempting to initiate (let alone conclude) a return, not to mention any bridal parties possibly ensnared in the nightmare. (Let’s not even go there?!) For it does appear to be a nightmare encompassing every logistical process connecting the niche retailer with its customers, be it order input and management, inventory and supply chain controls, shipping, returns, accounting, call center and customer service ops, you name it – somewhere today it seems we have read someone’s accusations against J. Crew for failing on one or all of these levels. In the language TP learned in B school, this is a complete meltdown. Another ouch!

This just in – we checked the site and it seems operational. At least the “Be back soon” sign has disappeared from the virtual front door. The most that one sees related to this issue is the following on the bottom of the home page:

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We’re just going to move along to our next story, an update on our post about the $150,000 Goyard Trunk with all fifty issues of Visionaire magazine inside. You may recall that we briefly mentioned the upcoming issue would honor Lacoste because this is their 75th Anniversary year.

Visionaire Lacoste Issue

WWD carried an article about the upcoming issue of the magazine which provides some helpful information:

Each issue, which costs $250, will include three polo shirts from the collection (in small, medium and large) and all 12 images from the contributors, contained in a shiny large, white box that looks more like a suitcase.

Editor Cecilia Dean said Lacoste is sponsoring the fall issue and came up with the idea of taking the pages of Visionaire and printing them on its polos. “There is a total of 4,000 issues,” she said. “It will be available at select Lacoste stores around the world, bookstores and museums shops. This has been a work in progress since 2006 and it turned out even better than I imagined it would.”

We find the price for the magazine surprisingly low, considering what other issues have been priced at, even more so when comparing that $250 magazine cost with the approximate expense for three Lacoste polo shirts. If you assign an approximate value of $80 retail and multiply that by three, the result is $240, just about the price for the magazine. The magazine’s proven value as a collectible combined with the presumed allure of three Limited Edition Lacoste shirts would hypothetically increase the value of those pieces far beyond the $250 cover price for this edition of the magazine. Surprising.

You know, it is possible shoppers are becoming jaded by all of the Limited Edition and Anniversary merchandise out there, it just goes on and on for so many different things…hhhhm. Actually, there is quite a bit of the 75th Anniversary Collection on sale, at least online. For example, the Ladies 75th Anniversary Short Sleeve Exploded Croc Piqué Polo is on sale (below left), as is the Men’s Graphic Logo T-shirt (below right).

Here is a good shot of Coco Rocha on one of the Lacoste polo shirts, compliments of Visionaire. The printing process must have been extraordinarily meticulous, as it looks like the shirt has been hand-painted.

Coco Rochas on Lacoste Shirt

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We move on now to good news from one of TP’s favorite places: Chatham. (Massachusetts, on the Cape.) The town is getting closer to banning chain stores and restaurants from the downtown business district. This is something voters would ultimately decide, but the wheels are turning and we are ever-so-pleased to hear that news. No, we haven’t removed the supersized “C” for capitalism from our tee-shirt; you know The Princess is very much pro-business and we remain that way. We just want some of our communities to retain their charm and ability to do business. Oh. Well. Okay then, I guess we are finished now with this topic. (The Princess Consort just came in and removed the Soapbox!)

Chatham Light

The Goyard Visionaire Trunk & The Shocking Pink Chair

Hubba-Hubba and Happy Monday! We hope everyone enjoyed a simply divine weekend, warm and wonderful! Today we start with an early suggestion for your Holiday Gift list: the Goyard Visionaire Trunk.

This one is a beauty, a classic steamer trunk just like the one The Princess took to summer camp every year, although ours was not by Goyard. The price for this Limited Edition (yes, I know, yet another L.E. that we’re writing about in our little preppy blog here) is somewhat more than other trunks from the company, running $150,000. That’s not a typo, this will set you back a bit. But, the beauty of this creation isn’t just the trunk, it’s what the trunk holds: a complete set of Visionaire magazines. Every single issue since the magazine’s inception in 1991. That’s fifty fabulous issues of a magazine that is more than a little unusual.

TP heard about this whilst reading the WSJ‘s online, simply a fabulous story really focusing on Visionaire’s history, basically an explainer about a publication that is almost inexplicable at times. Visionaire is published quarterly, but even single copies of the magazine can have a substantial impact on your pocketbook.

While the Goyard trunk collection will lie out of reach to most collectors, Visionaire’s individual issues are typically priced between $150 and $350.

Visionaire’s collectability, especially of its earliest issues, complicated the editors’ task of gathering ten complete collections to fill the trunks made by Goyard, a French luxury malletier. The customized steamer trunks, assembled by hand, will have shelves and insets specially designed for all 50 issues.

The Journal did another article about the magazine’s collectability back in 1998, and according to that story the magazine was always printed as a limited edition with print runs of 3,500 to 5,000. This has to be one of the best things for The Princess Wish List, don’t you think? Gives Neiman’s a run for their money when compared with the superb items from their Christmas catalog. If you are loving the trunk but aren’t really a reader, certainly not of an avant-garde publication, then Goyard will do the trunk for you as a standalone piece for only $54,000.

We’re fairly confident the upcoming issue will hold appeal for many of you, the theme is Sport and the issue is done in honor of Lacoste’s 75th Anniversary. Each issue will hold a special polo shirt the editors had designed for the event.

This one is a fun read and there is a fabulous photo slide show accompanying the story, all of it well worth a peek if you are so inclined!

Next we look at the sublime creations of Lisa Whatmough at Squint Limited. These are just TDF , and oh-so-fun! What is the preppy connection here? Well, we pondered that as well and decided there are two connections: 1) The shocking pink chair would make a lovely contribution to your preppy furniture collection, and; 2) The design of the pieces could almost be called “upscale silk patchwork that wants to be madras”. Here is the Roxborough, bright and brilliant and perfect for updating that pink room at the house!

We are fond of the Egg Chair with its retro mid-century look, but also because it looks so soft and snuggly.

The Princess Consort says he prefers the Haddon Stool, available in any height or length.

The Chesterfield will make quite the style statement,but not here at the Prepatorium; TSU (The Spousal Unit) has decredd it simply too large and too bright for the home. Harrumph.

Every piece is custom made by hand and Lisa meets with every customer before even starting on these upholstered treasures. If you want to perk up a room, these could be for you. The collection is carried by Barneys New York, although we did not find it online. We believe it is at the flagship store in the city on Madison.