It’s a Mad Mannish Gossiping Girlish Kind of Day at the Prepatorium

Hello-Hello and welcome to Thursday!

We are feeling a bit crushed under the weight of business and some travel commitments so we preface our post today with an apology, as it is much more flash than substance. (But good flashiness we like to think, in a Gossippy and Madly Mannish sort of way.)

Blame it all on the September issues of a few of our favorite magazines, starting with Harper’s Bazaar, using Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester for their cover.

Terry Richardson/Harper's Bazaar

As part of the magazine’s “Fabulous at Every Age” feature the story has photos of Ms. Leighton ‘aging’ into her fifties, a fascinating technique. We thought the young actress looked stunning in this Lanvin dress and belt.

Terry Richardson/Harper's Bazaar

Another Gossip Girl gracing a September issue: Taylor Momsen on the cover of Teen Vogue.

PHOTO: Patrick Demarchelier

The show continues filming all over the city; below we see Blake Lively with her pooch, a photo that has the Daily Mail saying her maltese/poodle dog is “the perfect accessory” in this story.

PHOTO: Splash News

And finally in Gossip Girl notes, official word came yesterday that the proposed G2 spinoff is dead. There you have it.

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Most readers know we are enormous Mad Men fans, eagerly counting the seconds until Season 3 of the 60’s-based drama premieres on the 16th. Knowing how many readers share our addiction fondness for the show, we thought we might alert you to this stunning image in Vanity Fair:

PHOTO: Annie Leibovitz/Vanity Fair

For those not-so-gaga not entirely familiar with the show, above we see “Don and Betty Draper,” played by Jon Hamm and January Jones.  The photo is one of several jaw-dropping shots accompanying an excellent story: “Don and Betty’s Paradise Lost” in the magazine.

The genius of Annie Leibovitz captures both stars perfectly.

PHOTO: Annie Leibovitz/Vanity Fair

Bruce Handy’s article is superb reading:

“Entering its third season on a fresh wave of Emmy nominations, AMC’s Mad Men is the most stylish—and perhaps best—show on television. Inside its meticulous reconstruction of the precipice that was New York advertising circa 1960, where the men and women of Sterling Cooper smoke, drink, love, and lie…”

Mr. Handy previously did stories with both Mr. Hamm and Ms. Jones; to see these, just click on their names.

Another must-read for M2 fans, Chris Mohney’s story in BlackBook simply titled “Elizabeth Moss: Mad Style“.

PHOTO: Bravo-TV via BlackBookMag.com

Ms. Moss portrays ‘Peggy,’ a young woman making waves at the fictitious advertising agency because she is doing a man’s work (gasp), having moved out of the secretarial pool into actually writing ads!

We can hardly wait to see the first episode next Sunday night (16th) at 10pm!

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We have a few quick Sales and Savings notes today, starting with Saks doing their Consolidation Clearance, a sure sign that we are approaching the end of summer in the retailing world. (Note that TP refuses to acknowledge we are inching ever-closer to the end of summer in the real world. Clearly denial has moved from Egypt to the Midwest.)  A cautionary note on the Saks sale; they say prices go back up August 17.

J. Crew is also promoting fiscally-friendly price points, with new items added to their Final Sale.

And Polo Ralph Lauren is doing their End of Summer sale.  This includes items for the four-legged and furry members of your family.

The Striped Crest Polo is one of today’s Pretty in Pink items, despite it triggering our Logophobia. (Honestly. How disturbed can one get when it discussing a garment intended for your favorite pooch?) It is now only $14, discounted from the original selling price of $40.

Bargains abound dollfaces, so if at all possible we shall attempt to shop early, shop often and do what we can to help move the country beyond These Challenging Times.

We close with our second Pretty in Pink item, this one directly from the Princess shoppe. For your consideration we offer the Good Living Gift Labels:

The labels are about the size of a business care and come in their own little acrylic plastic case, so they can be kept orderly, something near and dear to our OCD heart. (We do hate it when we have labels loose all over our little gift closet, it just makes us a little goofy.) At just $6 for a box of 18 labels, we love this as an outstanding way to label gifts and goodies, perfectly preppy and ideal for gift-giving. There are several other patterns and colors available if these just a little too preptastic.

With that perky note we must scamper back to the Corner Condo here at InterGalcatic Princess HQ. Thank you for stopping in, we’ll be back tomorrow!

How the French do Preppy & New Preppy Pet Collars, Leashes, Harnesses

Hello-hello! We are ever-so-excited here at the Prepatorium, we have hit tropical temperatures! The tv Weatherologist just said it is 55 degrees!

We start with a quick update on the Lilly Stationery Giveaway triggered by this comment from the always-wonderful McMommy, who asks:

“Lilly stationery?? Squeeeee!!! My best friend would LOVE THIS!!! If I tweet this and post to facebook, can I enter those as entries too?“

The answer? A resounding “Yes!” and “Yes!”

Become a Preppy Princess fan on our Facebook page, or tweet about it on Twitter and you will be entered again! That is one additional entry for Twitter & one more for Facebook. There is one caveat: do let us know by posting another comment or via email.  (If anyone wants to follow us on Twitter our name is PreppyPrincess, all one word.)

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Frequent readers know we love showcasing the different ways “preppy” is perceived, not just in the U.S., but around the world.  Today we share a French perspective via the CfraisRudy Blog, and a post titled “Le Look Preppy.”  The author shows this image from the French edition of Elle.

Courtesy Elle France

The post starts by explaining (this is an extremely rough translation) that “…the preppy look is very popular right now, and will be for some time to come.”  Le Look Preppy is described as “…the University look…more specifically, pre-university….”.

Both Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger are cited as primary examples of the style; most readers will recognize this classic Polo ad, used in the blog as an example of the look.

Courtesy Polo Ralph Lauren

The post closes with the author sharing their take on the style.

Courtesy CFraisRudy Blog

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Last night we took a few hours for some recreational fun, watching Westminster, an annual event here at the Palace.  Frequent readers know that TP & the Consort love their four-legged family members, Tilly, our rescue bulldog, and Scooter-the-Wonder-Cat. Below, the animals at work:

Not to be confused with Silly Tilly (above), we have Champion Bulldog Silly Lilly, being judged yesterday (below).

PHOTO: Monika Graff/UPI/Landov

Next, Dylan the Afghan, in an image not seen on television!

Courtesy AP

At the risk of being inappropriate, have you ever wondered how the dogs are… ah…., the way that the dogs take care of….umm…well, how they take care of personal issues?! Now we have the answer:

PHOTO: Julie Jacobson/AP

That would be Micah up above in the photo, a 2-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel visiting a plastic fire hydrant. This is a temporary dog park set up across the street from the Hotel Pennsylvania, temporary home to 1000+ prized pooches. (We are speculating that Micah is probably not too happy to be memorialized forever in this fashion…just guessing.)

Tonight we have the Sporting, Working and Toy Groups, along with the naming of Best In Show. We both love the Working group, home to our favorite breed, the Giant Schnauzer.  As we are already going to the share a few items from our new line of Preppy Pet Collars, Leashes & Harnesses!

PreppyPrincess.com

Your kitty and your pooch will be oh-so-fashionable in these, all of them customizable per your wishes,  in ribbon and webbing choices we think you will like.

We are pleased to carry two styles of dog harnesses in addition to the collars, with the harness rapidly becoming a favorite among dog fanciers.

We close with the Billykirk bag at Gargyle, now in for spring, and very cool!

Billykirk at Gargyle.com

We are now racing out the door to loll about in the sunshine!

Is ALL Black Fleece on Sale? Also, Obama Fashion Bailout?

Hello-Hello everyone…and happy It’s-Almost-the-Weekend-Day!

Today we start with one of TP’s favorite designers (regular readers know the truth), Thom Browne. Yes, he of the cropped pants on men’s suits, including his Brooks Brothers Black Fleece Collection. Among other things.

First off, next week Mr. Browne makes his European debut, presenting his line in Italy for the first time.

PHOTO: Daniel Garriga/WWD

And in other Thom Browne news (heh-heh), an update on the standalone Black Fleece store in the West Village from the the eagle-eyed staff at Racked.com. They have been monitoring things at the site and reported yesterday that after months of inactivity, they saw movement!

“After months of darkness, the lights have come on inside of the corner store and it looks as though they are working on painting the walls and refinishing the floor.”

Below left, the Black Fleece Embroidered Trouser at Brooks, discounted a whopping 75% to a mere $375; but remember, it is only a bargain if Mr. Wonderful prefers flood pants.  On the right, a far more enticing item, the Men’s Cashmere Argyle Sweater, 50% off its original selling price, now $500.

Because we so care about proper maintenance of your trust fund, we scoured all the Black Fleece we had time for, and only discovered one item that was *not* on sale.  And that is….?  The Triple Guard Stripe tie, described this way on the site: “As worn by Jennifer Aniston on the cover of the January 2009 GQ magazine.” Indeed. Was this not Ms. Aniston’s entire wardrobe for that photo?

Brooks Brothers Black Fleece

Actually, the same tie is used with a look we happen to love, the Women’s Black Fleece Classic Wool Jacket. This will not surprise frequent blog visitors as we have been vocal about our fond feelings for many of Mr. Browne’s women’s designs.  This lush jacket is now at $950, half of the original selling price.

Brooks Brothers Black Fleece

We were more-than-surprised to see something unusual on sale at Brooks: their fragrances for Men and Women.  On the Shock-O-Meter, this is up there with the Saks Designer Jewelry sale.  Seriously.

Çourtesy Brooks Brothers

We have *never* seen fragrances on sale at Brooks, so this clearly goes in the SOTT (Sign of the Times) category.  In this post we did talk about the three Men’s scents remaining in the line, but there was no guarantee they would be carried indefinitely.

And in another SOTT, we give you this:

Saks Designer Sale

80% Off at Saks?????

Please excuse us while we locate an ice pick to thrust directly between the eyeballs.  At the very least we require a Prozac Latte just to carry on. The thought of Saks disappearing from our horizon is unbearable. (Yes, we realize there are far more tragic things in the world, but they are not what TP elects to discuss in this blog.) We shall simply operate under the dum spiro, spero philosophy.

Next SOTT:  Polo Ralph Lauren is also pushing deeper discounts, “Up to 70% Off” original prices.  This Cashmere Turtleneck Dress looks snuggly and chic, and at only $129 it could be a great investment piece.

Ralph Lauren

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This could easily be a SOTT: A story in today’s Times headlined “U.S. Fashion’s One-Woman Bailout?” accompanied by this photo montage:

photo credits below

Reporter Guy Trebay does an excellent job looking at Michelle Obama and her impact on the fashion industry, making for a great read.  There are also several online photo slide shows and interactive features  on the topic of First Ladies and Fashion (including inaugural gowns) worthy of your time.

And speaking of same, the marketing minds at retailer White House/Black Market have unveiled four sketches of Inaugural designs for the next First Lady.

Courtesy White House/Black Market

The four gowns can be seen starting tomorrow at WHBM’s Union Station mini-store, and better yet, they are being used as a fundraiser for Clothes off our Back.

As explained in WWD’s story on the promotional effort:

“Back in June, we were thrust into the spotlight when Mrs. Obama wore us on ‘The View,’ and since then we’ve been on a journey with her and we wanted to take her to the inauguration,” said brand president Donna Noce. “Our tag line is ‘From Our White House to Yours.’”

The dresses are named The Abigail, The Eleanor, The Jackie and The Ladybird, and are all handmade, in Size 8.

Photo credits for the Michelle Obama NY Times montage: Darren McCollester/Getty Images; Ron Edmonds/Associated Press; Rick Wilking/Reuters/Corbis

More Preppy Sales & Discounts: Kate Spade, Tory Burch, Polo Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines, Tucker Blair

Hello and Happy Friday!

The deep markdowns continue at most of the prep-friendly stores TP is fond of, so we want to do a quick update before the special offers expire.

We start with the Kate Spade Friends and Family Sale, offering 30% off everything in the store now through Dec. 8th. Use promo code HOLKSFF08 at checkout to receive the discount.

Kate Spade & Jack Spade

With merchandise like the Gesture heel already 50% off the original selling price of $298 (now $149), how can one resist? (One can’t, really, not when looking at that bow!)

Kate Spade

Sigh.

Jack Spade is also offering 30% off merchandise; use the code HOLJSFF08. This sale also concludes the 8th.

Jack Spade

The always-fabulous Vineyard Vines is taking 20% off all merchandise through Dec. 9th.

Vineyard Vines

To receive this discount at the Vines use promo code THANKS08 at checkout.

Another Princess favorite, Tory Burch, has bargains throughout the online Sale section of the store. Bargains abound, including the Graeme Flat in two colorways, now selling at $206, about 1/3 off its original selling price of $295.

Tory Burch Graeme Flat

Tory Burch is also providing free shipping through midnight on Sunday, Dec. 7th; no code is needed for this promotion.

However, a code is needed for the Tory Burch ‘Gift Giving Sale’ that discounts select merchandise by 20%.  The ‘select’ merchandise includes the Slim Card Case as well as the Foldable Cosmetic Case.

If one is seeking an excellent gift this holiday season, the Tucker Blair sale is not to be missed.  Everything on the site is 50% off through December 24.

Tucker Blair

Their needlepoint belts are simply luscious, not to mention the headbands, also handcrafted needlepoint treasures.  (TP is wondering why this particular headband makes her think of the one and only Third Coast Preppy…?)  To receive the discount use promo code HOLIDAY08

Tucker Blair

Another preppy stalwart, Brooks Brothers, is offering 20% off a purchase totaling $300 or more.  While Brooks will need to take far more aggressive discounts to be competitive with their peers, this does represent a savings, and is certainly nothing to scoff at in this economy.

Brooks Brothers

J. Crew continues their markdowns, now taking 20% off purchases totaling $150 or more.

J. Crew

If practicing fiscal austerity this season, the discount can be very appealing with merchandise like the Taffeta A-Line Skirt at $59.99, originally selling at $138. This could be darling when paired with the Cashmere V-Neck Tee, now $99.99.

Use the code GIFTS at checkout for the Crew discount.

Not to be left behind, Boden USA is doing 10% off everything with free shipping and free returns.

Boden USA

We wrap things up with the Friends and Family sale at Polo Ralph Lauren, providing 30% off with the promo code HOL2008.

As always,  happy hunting and an even happier weekend!

Brooks Brothers Black Fleece, Kate Spade & J.Crew Sales, Black Friday Ads Already!

What a bright and sunny day we are enjoying here at the prepatorium. It is just bliss.

Regular readers know of the continuing coverage (that’s an understatement) this column has dedicated to the Brooks Brothers Black Fleece Collection, and its designer, Thom Browne. There has been much speculation about the company opening a store dedicated to this part of the brand exclusively, and now the good folks over at The Life Vicarious shed a little light on the matter in a recent post:

Courtesy The Life Vicarious

Barely visible in the photo is the sign that says “Opening Fall 2008.” The blog also shares:

“… it only makes sense we check-in and follow-up on Black Fleece Bleecker Street. We’re pretty proud of our track record of not being wrong yet on breaking food and shopping news, but how long it takes for validation sometimes! We don’t know what’s going on inside here, but the first signs of life are finally showing and as we promised, they’re still predicting a fall opening.”

Since we are talking about Brooks Brothers, a reminder:

And since we are doing reminders, Lord and Taylor is doing their part to help shoppers out with their Friends and Family sale, underway today through Sunday.

And really, who can resist a Radley ‘Tear Away Mer‘ portrait handbag at L&T when it is on sale?

Not to be forgotten, Garnet Hill is also sharing some love, with their oh-so-snuggly Paintbrush Flannel sheets on sale….

As well as merchandise throughout the store with their October Sale.

The Kate Spade ‘Friends and Family’ sale gets underway today with 25% off everything in the store with the exception of merchandise already on sale. TP is beginning to feel like she suddenly has quite a lot of friends and family members.

The J. Crew Fall Sale continues…

Not be left out, Polo Ralph Lauren has added more items to their sale.

TP is always happy to see Saks in on the activity with their sale.

Also today, we continue helping to protect your pocketbook this holiday season; we thought it wise to share the news that the Black Friday website is up and active. The site acquires copies for ads that will run starting the day after Thanksgiving. In an online story about the site from Sign On San Diego, there is already information on the Ralph Lauren sale:

“A link on the BFAds site connects to Ralph Lauren’s site, where shoppers are invited to “join us after your Thanksgiving dinner” to get 20 percent off purchases of $150 or more at its outlet stores, most of which will open at the stroke of midnight.”

The story also notes:

“But the deals could come sooner than Black Friday.”

“According to BFAds, several retailers “have mentioned that they will be having competitively priced sales in the weeks before Black Friday. It looks like, once again, some of the best deals this year may be had before the doors even open on November 28th.”

In the Sydney Morning Herald this week a story a story in the Executive Style column posits that “Menswear is having an aristocratic moment,” according to reporter Rachel Wells.

“…classic menswear looks inspired by the English upper classes have flitted in and out of fashion. Of course, there are some sub-cultures – think of England’s Sloane Rangers and America’s preppy set – who have always looked to the aristocracy for fashion cues. And designers such as Ralph Lauren, Burberry and Paul Smith have built multibillion-dollar businesses on these classic looks.”

The article continues:

“After several seasons of skinny silhouettes, the return to aristocratic looks – complete with structured blazers, chunky knits, textured tweeds and wide-legged trousers that add bulk to the frame – comes as a somewhat seismic, not to mention, surprising, shift. Aristocratic style for the threadbare?”

An intriguing theory.

Next, everyone knows The Princess is more than obsessed interested in needlepoint. Doing it.  Looking at it.  Sitting on it and holding it. Therefore, we share news about an exquisite exhibition, Brigid Berlin, Needlepoint, now open at the John McWhinnie Gallery.  Many of the pillows in the show are from Ms. Berlin’s ‘Breaking News’ series.

Courtesy Photo

Ms. Berlin was actually raised as quite the Prep.  As the brochure for the exhibit describes her background:

“Though raised in elite social circles, Berlin became a self-described “troublemaker” and spent most of her life reacting against, and sending up, the social conventions of her youth.  She met Andy Warhol in 1964 and was soon drawn into the downtown social set centered at the Factory. Berlin became a member of Warhol’s inner circle and a personal confidante.”

Courtesy Photo

The show runs through November 22nd.

Back later!