Preppy is Back. Again. Also, Brands You’ll See in True Prep

Hello-Hello, happy new week!

We must begin with an enormous “Thank You” to everyone who left such kind and lovely comments following Friday’s post, not to mention the Tweets and Facebook comments.  There is no adequate way to explain how touched we were by the sentiments, it made our day extra special.

Today we have breaking news just in to the Prepatorium: there is another preppy resurgence! Oh my!

Umm… not exactly. We apologize for our poor step into hyperbole, we were unable to resist the temptation. The not-breaking-news comes via our friends on the far side of the pond.  In yet another look at ‘preppy style’ this story from Sunday’s Independent asks: “Are you Ready to get Preppy?” with the following as a subheadline:

“After 30 years in the doldrums, the relaxed East Coast look is back – along with a new handbook to help you wear it with elan”

The story is pegged to this fall’s release of “True Prep” from Lisa Birnbach and Chip Kidd, a topic covered previously in this space. Here is the story’s opening paragraph from writer Susie Mesure:

“Can’t tell your Top-Siders from your Sebagos? Unsure how high to roll your chinos? After some preppy shopping primers? Well, unfurrow your brows and raise a gin and tonic because help is at hand from a new book out this autumn that will exploit the current clamour for East Coast style.”

We doubt Princess readers are struggling with the issues mentioned above, but we could be wrong.  The photo accompanying the story shows looks from the spring 2010 Ralph Lauren collection (our post on the collection may be found here.)

Courtesy Polo Ralph Lauren

If given a choice of designers to illustrate the Independent story, we lean more toward these Brook Brothers promotional pieces…

Brooks Brothers

They promote the Summer at the Cape collections.

BrooksBrothers.com

An editor from Gentleman’s Quarterly is quoted in the Independent story:

“Robert Johnson, associate editor of the fashion magazine GQ, said: “Preppy is back. Every season, particularly summer, there is always a nod to classic Americana but preppy is a big trend this year.” He partly attributed its popularity to the fact that people are “bored” with denim.”

To read the story in its entirety, click here.

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One of our favorite blogs, All the Rage, also previews the upcoming book in this piece by Adam Tschorn.  This photo collage is used to illustrate his story.

Brooks Brothers & Tory Burch via All the Rage

Mr. Tschorn (aka ‘Cuffy’) offers the perspective of someone who actually attended prep school.  In today’s post his interview with Ms. Birnbach offers insight on what brands readers can expect to see in the upcoming book:

“…familiar favorites are revisited. Among them are Lacoste, Sperry Top-Sider, Brooks Brothers, and Ralph Lauren. “I was very, very stingy with [Ralph] in 1980. I think he’s referred to maybe once,” she said. “But this time he gets a lot of play.”

She said that some additions are labels that actually pre-date the first book, including Burberry, Barbour, Hermès, Verdura, Kenneth Jay Lane, Hunter Wellies, and J.M. Weston (“They have these beautiful loafers from France,” she explains).”

Many brands included in the upcoming volume did not even exist when TOPH (The Official Preppy Handbook) was published. More from Mr. Tschorn’s story with Lisa Birnbach:

““We’ve got Vineyard Vines – they started in 1998, and of course J. Crew — which wasn’t around then either [it launched in 1983 as a mail-order company]. And we’ve got some Kenneth Cole [1982] and a little bit of Robert Graham [2001].”

Below, two shirts from Robert Graham.

Ms. Birnbach also chats at length about Tory Burch in the story.  We recommend popping over for a read, it is a fun piece.

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Perhaps the most amazing thing we’ve seen yet on the book was in today’s Book Bench from the New Yorker site.  In a post titled, “Prep is Dead, Long Live Prep” Meredith Blake mentions yours truly (prompting a most unPrincess-like shriek):

“While the original handbook advised that “you should appear in print only three times in your life—upon birth, marriage, and death,” today’s prep is virtually screaming for a little attention; the wasp mystique, it seems, has faded. Like everything else, we can blame it on the Internet, where there’s a thriving community of bloggers dedicated to all things prep-related. At the pink-and-green themed The Preppy Princess, Susan Kelly defends her love for Lilly Pulitzer, while Melissa Morris’s May December has such an impassioned following that its author was the subject of a profile in the newspaper of record. There’s also The Trad, a slightly more idiosyncratic blog dedicated to classic American-made garments.”

Saying we were astonished would be an understatement, and we send our thanks to Ms. Blake for including us with such illustrious company. To see the rest of her post just click here.

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We conclude all this blather with a cautionary note: it is likely we shall encounter an increasing volume in the mainstream media about the preppy aesthetic being raised from the dead (ahem), in sync with the calendar’s movement toward True Prep’s September release date.

And with visions of books dancing in our head we say, g’bye!

The 2008 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book, Sales: Polo Ralph Lauren, Vera Bradley, More!

Now, doesn’t Miss Muffy Martini know how to brighten a girl’s day?

She is so sweet to have bestowed this upon The Princess, gratiās, merci, gracias, thank you! Here are the rules of the A+ Blogger Award:

1. You should pay it forward to 2 other bloggers and let them know they won
2. You should give them a compliment
3. You should thank your giver. Miss Muffy Martini, you are much too kind!
4. You should post your award for the world to see!

TP is ever-so-excited to share this with Miss Jewish Girl in WASP’s Clothing, an amazing  writer whose blog touches on brilliance more than she realizes; and Miss I Pick Pretty, possessed of an oh-so-sharp legal mind evident from her delightfully witty posts!

If it is October it must be time for the annual Needless Markup Neiman Marcus Chistmas Book, that wacky collection of insane and imaginative holiday gifts one won’t find anywhere else. Like this:

Neiman Marcus courtesy photo

Now this one starts at $1.3 million, but as we’re not planning a wedding it’s a non-starter. However, *if* there is a wedding in your future and you are thinking west coast, then the Luxury Wedding Experience at The Resort at Pelican Hill (Newport Beach) is something to consider.

“A personal engagement coach to take care of every detail, a couture wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses custom designed by Carolina Herrera, up to 40 private ocean-view guest villas and every detail exquisitely executed from the magical cake to the perfect flowers to the private celebrity entertainment at the reception.”

The life-sized LEGO Sculpture is also an option at only $60,000, but do keep in mind the extra shipping charges.

Does this sort of extravagance make sense in light of the current economic conditions?  Ginger Reeder, the Neiman Marcus spokeswoman for their Direct division, told Reuters:

“In the midst of all this dark and dreary news that’s got us all so sad and down, I’d like to think that somebody could open this book up and smile … I mean they’re fantasies. We’re not saying: ‘You’ve got to rush out and have yourself made in Legos.’ It’s like, wouldn’t that be fun?”

Frankly, TP couldn’t agree more. Besides, as with every Christmas Book from Neiman’s there are loads of far more down-to-earth and reasonable gifts.

Oh, you were wondering what to do for TP this year?

Neiman Marcus courtesy photo

Yes, TP wants to make a fool of herself playing basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters. We realize it is $110,000, but honestly, you know we’ll appreciate it. (Heh-heh-heh.) If this is just a bit over the top there is the always-incredible array of jewelry, furs, clothing and accessories to select from. The Princess isn’t choosy. Well, she is choosy. But not insanely so!

In our ongoing presentation of ways everyone can save some of those trust fund $$$, here are a few more current “deals.”  Polo Ralph Lauren is wisely jumping in to the discounting frenzy with their Create Your Own line of merchandise.

Our favorites from this entire group have to be the infant pieces.

How cute are these kids? The Create Your Own Overall and the CYO Classic Polo shirt are simply precious.

And this doesn’t even begin to touch on the continued sales online and at their retail stores. Naturally Eddie Bauer doesn’t want to be left out of the fun.

And Vera Bradley has some marvelous items on sale.

What won’t you see at Vera Bradley as a markdown, but actually is until October 12th? The Riviera Blue collection, 25% off with coupon code RIVIERA25BLUE; this includes pieces like the Weekender.

And finally, word that Linens & Things will be closing all of their stores.

Photo: Reed Saxon/AP

They will not bother trying to reorganize themselves, so the “Going Out of Business” sales appear to be underway at all of the stores.

Phot: Reed Saxon/AP

We do hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

Tommy Hilfiger 2009 Sneak Peek, Ralph Lauren Exclusive Party, New Chicago Luxury Magazine

Is everyone ready for their weekend? The Princess is, and soon to be off to visit the Queen Mother for a little shopping and dining out at new places; a fun weekend is on the way for “the girls”!

One place we probably won’t be able to miss would be the enormous sale at Nordstrom! Good heavens, these additional ongoing sales at Nordies have us a bit befuddled; we had our internal clock set for the Anniversary Sale every year and then the Shoe Sale, but now we have the never-ending sale it seems. Not that we are complaining, for we are not; the change in policy for the company just means we have to pay more attention to our electronic inbox, that’s all. BTW, the banner above saying “33-60% OFF” is the link to the Nordstrom Sale and the banner below is a link to the Hilfiger sale.

Now we move back to Fashion Week for some of the fun and an early peek at a few lines much loved by preps everywhere: Ralph Lauren & Tommy Hilfiger. We start with Mr. Hilfiger’s line as there is just *so* much going on with the company: its move to exclusivity at Macy’s and the Hilfiger stores, the word the company will be selling shares of stock in a public offering, the launch of a new fragrance, Mr. Hilfiger’s home being put on the market at a mere $50 million, and the number of Hilfiger stores in progress, especially the flagship in New York opening on Black Friday!

Tommy Hilfiger Spring-Summer 2009 Collection

This post from a Wall Street Journal blog explains some of the happenings, especially this week:

“On Tuesday Mr. Hilfiger and a dozen motorcyclists roared down Broadway into in Herald Square where they landed at Macy’s in a flashy display to kick off “Tommy Week,” to herald Hilfiger’s now exclusive relationship with Macy’s. Macy’s will be the only U.S. department stores selling Hilfiger. (The brand continues to be carried at Hilfger’s own stores).”

Tommy Hilfiger Spring 2009 Collection

Now just in case you hadn’t heard, “Orange is the new red…” as Mr. Hilfiger said in an interview with WWD about his Spring 2009 Collection. We’re not convinced this is a good thing. TP has been quite fond of the red, white and blue color palette used for so many years.

Tommy Hilfiger Spring 2009 Collection

Tommy Hilfiger Spring 2009 Collection

From that same interview with WWD:

“It’s about relaxed American glamour — chic, wholesome, but sexy,” said Hilfiger before his show. His American girl was indeed chic, a tourist in Europe perhaps, her wardrobe packed with silky blouses, cropped loose trousers, and plenty of easy cocktail dresses (for the pool, there was a terrific backless maillot).”

As with seemingly every show this week, there were plenty of celebrities at the show, including John Mayer and Hilary Swank.

The Wall Street Journal has a great post on the “Heard on the Runway’ blog (that we completely adore!) with more insight into the company:

“What many guests probably didn’t realize was that Hilfiger’s design team based in Amsterdam has taken over designing most of its better merchandise sold in the label’s eponymous boutiques and all its merchandise sold across Europe. (Hilfiger still maintains a design team in New York.)”

Photo by Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images for IMG

Plenty of lovely looks, and far too many we didn’t post as we are trying to fly out the door! Here is one of the Menswear looks we love.

Photo by Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images for IMG

But first, the oh-so-exclusive party at the Ralph Lauren mansion on Wednesday. The gala was hosted by the incredible Lebron James.

Guests included both Lauren Bush and Dylan Lauren seen in the first photo and David Lauren, VP of the company, and yes, Ralph and Ricki Lauren’s son.

The Princess does have one question regarding longtime significant others Lauren Bush and David Lauren..if they were to actually marry, would her name then be Lauren Lauren? Just wondering…

Serena Williams was also a guest…

The party was a fundraiser with proceeds going to the Lebron James Family Foundation which helps single-parent families.

As promised we are sharing a few pieces from the Ralph Lauren Spring 2009 Collection. Talk about a lush look that retains its understated elegance!

Ralph Lauren Spring 2009 Collection

Ralph Lauren Spring 2009 Collection

To be honest, TP would far prefer the Princess Consort appear in one of the looks above as opposed to the painful styles from Thom Browne witnessed in yesterday’s post.

Ralph Lauren Spring 2009 Collection

Ralph Lauren Spring 2009 Collection

We’ll share more and include the Women’s line when we are back from our little excursion.

We are sure that many of our favorite preps on the other side of the Big Lake will be pleased to see the launch of Michigan Avenue magazine on Monday. This one comes from Niche Media, who really have some wonderful titles in their portfolio, all of them with both firmly planted in the luxury market, including some we simply can’t live without.

Michigan Avenue Magazine

We believe a number of our blogging friends will enjoy the glossy, a group of outstanding writers that include Third Coast Prep, Momx2, Tres Poshe Preppy, and now we have come to what we believe is politely referred to as a ‘senior moment,’ for we cannot remember if our dear Lipstick at the Mailbox is a transplanted southerner on the Third Coast or still in the south…? If there are other Chicagoland blogs we have missed, let us know and we will add you to this paragraph of the post! At any rate, this looks to be quite the magazine, and we can’t wait to see it.

Best wishes to everyone for a fabulous weekend!

Photo Credits: Scott Rudd

Polo Ralph Lauren Offical Olympic Team Uniforms Sale & ‘It’s Just Not Done”

Thank. God. It’s. Friday. The Princess is clinging to a parapet here at the Palace, a tad frazzled from a whirlwind week consumed by too much travel and too little time with family. Sigh.

Perhaps news of a sale (imagine that, a sale on Labor Day weekend!) at Polo Ralph Lauren on their oh-so-popular Olympic Collection will prove to be a style-starter for you this holiday weekend. It appears all of the merchandise from both the Opening and Closing Ceremony Parade Uniform lines is marked down. This includes the Big and Tall sizes in Men’s, as well as the ‘Custom,’ polo shirts (which are not custom made, for heaven’s sake), cut closer to the body for a trimmer fit.

Styles like this Olympic Games Gold Medal Polo are available in Men’s, Women’s and Children’s sizing; below we show the Women’s version.

The men’s Custom Closing Ceremony Polo is now $99.99, originally selling for $125.

Should you be looking for a little treat for the Princess or young gentleman of the household, there is no shortage of Olympic apparel in those sizes from which to choose. The Girls Olympic Games Track Jacket might provide a delicious snuggle factor with the chill nights of Fall approaching; it is available in Sizes Small to Extra Large and comes in two colors.

It’s expected the markdowns, although at only about 20% they are not deep, will help move some of the merchandise. Naturally some of the line simply won’t sell and TP has her picks for those items most likely to hit the bargain bins at one’s local discounter of the TJ Maxx or Marshall’s variety.

For example, we don’t envision too many Moms successfully locating the Olympic Games Beret on the head of any young man in the Boys Size 2-7 and Boys 8-20 age groups. Actually, we don’t foresee any age group of either sex donning these of their own free will. The Princess was fond of the berets; they were a great look. However, the operative word in that sentence is “were” in our humble opinion.

Now a case could be made on behalf of the Olympic Games Sport Cap, a far more attractive proposition on a number of fronts if I am said Boy. (Or Girl, or anyone else.)

The style appeals to a much broader group and is much easier to wear. No peering about self-consciously and asking friends “Do I have this on right?” as many are wont to do when first wearing a Beret. Also, the price point is much more appealing for what most perceive as “dated” goods. Originally $20 for Boys 2-7 and 8-20, the Sport Cap is now $14.99; the Beret was $40, now $29.99, a substantial difference.

We do adore the sneakers (officially referred to as the Closing Ceremony USA Sneaker) on their own merits and hope to procure a pair for twinkletoes as soon as humanly possible. Below we show the Men’s sneaks.

At the very least, it never hurts to pop in and visit the folks at Polo Ralph Lauren for a few minutes; one never knows what may be discovered.

BTW, we had a request from the always-wonderful Momx2; she is seeking information on the dress Chelsea Clinton wore for her appearance at the Democratic convention Wednesday night.

AP Photo/Ron Edmonds

Unfortunately dear Mom, we are of no assistance whatsoever: we couldn’t locate anything! We did find out that Michelle Obama’s dress was by Thakoon Panichgul, and is part of the designer’s pre-spring 2009 collection, so obviously it isn’t available for purchase.

Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

Photo: Mike Segar/Reuters

If Thakoon’s name sounds familiar, it might be because he is one of the designers Target has doing a collection for them for its Go International initiative, similar to Cynthia Rowley’s earlier this spring or Rogan Gregory’s. The Thakoon line is due in Target stores in December. Momx2, we’ll keep trying on the Chelsea dress, which we also liked.

BTW, not that it’s TP’s decision to make, but for a campaign that has been somewhat ahead of the curve in its exploitation of technology, they need to grab the reins and create a Michelle Obama website. One all about Ms. Obama. Or separate and specific pages on the Obama site, not simply something one scrolls down to as part of the family page.

Now everybody knows it’s tennis time with the US Open continuing this weekend in Queens. What people may not be as familiar with are some of the following photos from the tourney, preceded by an installment of “It’s Just Not Done” which you may have already viewed on TV or in your local paper. It’s that notable in its poor sportsmanship.

Photo: Reuters/Eduardo Munoz

This is what was left of Eduardo Schwank’s tennis racket yesterday after his match with Dmitry Tursunov of Russia. TP understands (oh, how we understand!) personal frustration on the court, the green, the slope, wherever. But. There are standards of conduct. One does not resort to infantile displays of temper regardless of the arena. It’s just not done.

Photo: Reuters/Eduardo Munoz

Now, that is reaching to return a shot! Jelena Jankovic of Serbia makes *every* effort in her match today against Zheng Jie of China. She may have been blinded by the red Adidas tennis shoes sported by Ms. Jie, seen below.

Photo: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Jeff Zelevansky/Reuters

US Olympic gold medal swimmer Aaron Peirsol dropped by yesterday, and did not look like a fish out of water, not at all.

On that note, we’re off for the weekend, but may be able to pop in briefly via modern technology. We hope so!

Golden Boys, Sharapova Brings the Bling, Polo Ralph Lauren Wants You to Phone Home

Once again, it would seem the pictures best tell the stories. We start with the unprecedented.

Michael Phelps holds each of his 8 Gold Medals

What it’s like being Michael now…

Finding room to breath at the Speedo Athletes party…

Is that the Lacoste ‘Gator on Steroids on his hat?

And then we had the fierce factor out of the water, but no less potent. Rafael Nadal of Spain was all over the court with a ferocity that did not back down.

Here is TP’s favorite shot, a suddenly very grown-up looking Rafa consoling opponent Fernando Gonzales of Chile after the match and Nadal’s win, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3.

Of course, there is nothing like royalty attending your events to make you feel special. In this case, it is Queen Sofia of Spain.

Queen Sofia of Spain at Men's Tennis Final (Former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch seated behind her)

The reaction from arch-rival Roger Federer was what one would expect, saying Nadal “totally deserves” the number one ranking, paying warm tribute to the Spaniard who takes over the number one tennis ranking on Monday, replacing Federer after 4-1/2 years.

“That’s what I expected and hoped for many years ago when I got to number one, that if ever somebody were to take it away from me, he would have to play an incredible tennis schedule, win the biggest tournaments, dominate the game basically, and then like this he can take number one. “I didn’t want it to happen that I would play completely bad and somebody would pick up number one in the world. So I think Rafa totally deserves it.”

And let’s not forget Team USA’s golden girls, Venus and Serena Williams, bringing home the gold in Women’s Doubles, beating Anabel Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain in the doubles final 6-2, 6-0. The sisters had some pretty good support from their fans.

The ladies really made short work of their opponents, looking outstanding in their pursuit of the win, and the Gold Medal. Congratulations to Venus Williams and Serena Williams!

Moving on to non-Olympic items, this has been covered many places and we keep intending to mention it ourselves, but between outside functions and Olympic events we simply didn’t have the time, so we apologize if it’s repetitive news. Here is the brief version: the smart marketing maneuvers at Polo Ralph Lauren continue at a rapid pace, most recently an announcement the company is moving into mobile, or “m-commerce.” In other words, we’ll soon be able to buy merchandise using our cell phone.

It all has to do with something called “QR” technology, that standing for Quick Response, a lovely idea, we are sure. Something to do with the box of computer-looking stuff, just like this one in the closeup, or in the ad just below. You can learn more about it in a story in “RL Magazine,” the online version.

Frankly, “Know the Code” sounds like some sort of Secret Squirrel Club hidden handshake or the government’s Disaster Preparedness Plans. Beyond that, all of the technospeak is a bit over TP’s head and really more the purview of The Princess Consort. Mobile shopping isn’t yet a critical need for The Princess, but should it become so, it’s nice to know that Ralph Lauren is leading the way in making it happen for us.

Injuries may have kept Maria Sharapova out of the Olympics and they’re also keeping her out of the US Open starting on the 25th, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t keeping other commitments. Come Wednesday Ms. Sharapova will be in New York unveiling five diamond-encrusted Canon PowerShot Elph cameras to hype her own Limited Edition version of the camera. (There’s that Limited Edition issue rearing its ugly self again…!) Yes, this is a *very* nouveau thing to do, and certainly nothing TP would condone (heh-heh-heh), however… those would be real diamonds, and real diamonds can be of assistance in these challenging economic times. For instance, if you are struggling paying the household staff, or pondering how to pay Missy’s first semester at Boston Latin… that sort of thing. Real-life emergencies.

The five cameras are part of a contest kicking off on Wednesday, “Canon Center Court” and running through October 20. And while we never (nevereverever) discuss the “M” word, it is suggested that each of the cameras is valued at about $12,000 each. If you should want to try to win one. More details will be available online at the Powershot.com site, presumably starting on August 20th.

BTW, speaking of mobile computing and such, you can also be in touch with the US Open through your cell phone via mobile alerts. Click here for details.

And we’ll be in touch tomorrow. ‘Night.