Critters on Clothing, Can Eddie Bauer Come Back? And That Big Soap Opera Shocker

Hello-hello, welcome to another crazy day at The Prepatorium.

Business commitments mandate brevity today (it is turning into “one of those weeks”), so we jump right in with a story about something near and dear to many prep hearts, embroidered critters on everything from clothing to key fobs.

“Not all critters are created equal: Dogs and waterfowl are popular, but cats barely make it onto the radar — at least when it comes to creatures featured on the preppy clothes and accessories that seem synonymous with spring.

Below, ties from LL Bean, the blue is decorated with a deer and the moss green is adorned with a trout.

The story is by Samantha Critchell, it has run in a number of papers already; here is a link to the piece in the Fall River Herald News.

“You also can’t go wrong with a whale or crab; girls love their ponies and butterflies; and boys have a thing for sharks.”

LL Bean design director Jim Hauptman shares his expertise in the article:

“Brown and black bears, however, which would seem natural for an outdoorsy brand, are tough because the embroidery can only get down to a certain level of detail. “Bears end up looking like blobs,” Hauptman said. A panda is the exception to the bear rule because of its definitive coloring, he adds.”

Below, our custom Key Fobs showcase some of the themes discussed in the story. (Still one of life’s all-time great bargains at only $6.)

PreppyPrincess.com

Shep Murray from Vineyard Vines is also quoted in the story:

“Color can’t be underestimated, said Shep Murray. Brights draw in critter fans, while traditional colors, such as navy, khaki and white, suit those less adventurous.“We find if we put a fish — on khaki shorts with the simple outline of a navy fish — most guys will wear it. You can get those people a little less likely to wear a critter to wear it if you don’t color it so brightly,” he said, “but the guy who is a ‘total prep’ wants it pink and green.”

A pair of men’s Embroidered Whales Club shorts offered at VV.

Mr. Murry talks about the company’s new Kentucky Derby collection in the story, explaining customers will be seeing a lot of horses this spring. Below, a belt from that collection.

Brooks Brothers is also offering whales this spring in the Clark pants, the Seersucker Capris are available for the ladies, embroidered with lemons.

Four-legged family members demand equal-opportunity when it comes to personal adornment:

Courtesy Tilly T. Bulldog

Tilly enjoys stepping out in her harness from the Princess; Scooter-the-Wonder-Cat was happy when we read her this next part of the story, sharing Mr. Murray’s opinion :

“He said he’s going to revisit cats at some point since he personally is a cat person, but, again, it’s the issue of shape and color.

We’re proud that our vendor for critter ribbon belts, key fobs and pet collar/leashes does an outstanding job. Below, just a few of the offerings demonstrating the attention to detail in the designs:

Can you tell a book by its critters, so to speak?

“Regionally, New Englanders are partial to golden retrievers, boats and bluefish, while Floridians prefer flamingoes, marlins, sailfish and palm trees, Ian Murray said. Midwesterners like anything that reminds them of a vacation, he added, so the beach motifs do well there.”

The article is very well done, to read it in its entirety, click here. We are curious, do you wear embroidered clothing or accessories? What’s your favorite critter?

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Next, a very quick update on what some refer to as a heritage brand, Eddie Bauer.  In today’s Women’s Wear Daily there is an interesting story about the company:

“Eddie Bauer invented the down-filled jacket, outfitted the first American ascent of Mount Everest and even patented the badminton shuttlecock — and the 91-year-old company that bears his name wants consumers to know that.”

An image from the spring catalog.

Eddie Bauer

Eddie Bauer faces a challenging environment, it is recovering from not just one, but two bankruptcies since 2003. Getting those of us once fond of the brand back into a store will be even more daunting.  For both The Consort and yours truly, this is a case of feeling like the brand left us, we didn’t leave the brand.

Below, a look at one of the newly reformatted stores.

Courtesy Eddie Bauer via WWD.com

Reclaiming lost customers while also growing new fans is a key part of the company’s strategy moving forward.

Courtesy Eddie Bauer via WWD.com

It is unlikely we will go out of our way to shop at Bauer, but knowing how hard the company is working at re-invigorating the brand, we may peek inside a store.

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We leave you with a bombshell.  In fact, a personal admonishment to TQM: please seat thyself before reading further, lest you tip over from the shock.

Are we ready?

ABC cancels ‘All My Children’ and ‘One Life to Live,’ replaces soaps with lifestyle shows

Or, as our neighbor to the north put it

ABC Cancels Soap Operas, Hates Us All

The headline immediately above is from Macleans, here is more from that story:

“Okay, the news that ABC is canceling One Life To Live and All My Children is not a stunning surprise. It’s been a nearly-confirmed rumour for a few weeks. But look what they’re replacing them with:

ABC will debut two new daytime programs this fall and winter: “The Chew,” a program about food news and trends, and “The Revolution,” about health and lifestyle transformations.

That’s just cold.”

From TMZ:

Via TMZ.com

One Life to Live has been on the air 43 years, All My Children for 41 years.

ABC

Good bye Erica. Goodbye Pine Valley.

Sniff.

Of Preps and Sloanes, Neiman’s New Bargain Stores, Nautical Notes

Hello, happy Monday!

We begin with an intriguing story from the far side of the pond, this one from the student newspaper at Oxford. Published Friday, “Sloanes versus Preppies: the rise of upper middle class cool” is just as it sounds, the piece examines similarities and disparities between the groups.

“Two social groups of upper middle classes have particularly captured the imagination of thousands, prompting the production of numerous books, articles and aspirational clothing. They are the British Sloanes and the American Preppies.”

For those not as familiar with Sloanes (originally Sloane Rangers), the term became popular in the 80’s. Princess Diana is frequently referenced as an example, there were also Sloane Ranger Handbooks, not unlike TOPH.

“Exclusive, wealthy and well-connected, Sloaneys and Preppies may seem superficially similar in their lifestyles. However, scratch the surface and you quickly realize that the conservative and intellectual bunch of Preps is miles away from the “casually cool” set of Sloaneys from Kensington and Chelsea.”

Marta Szczerba’s story delves into many facets of life, including how each group spends free time:

“For both Sloanes and Preppies, sports and second homes are an integral part of the lifestyle. Sloanes love entertaining in country homes in Suffolk, having lunch dates off King’s Road and play tennis or lacrosse. Kids probably had ponies when they were little (which have since been traded into Mulberry bags). Holiday destinations include Scotland, Cornwall, south of France and Monaco.”

“Don’t look for Preppies in the city on the weekends. They are not there. They go to the country, to their second home to cook, go antiquing, nap, recharge batteries and socialize in country clubs. They are sporty and with a natural competitive streak, but their preferred sports are, well, clubby. Golf, sailing, tennis, squash, polo, biking, fishing are sports preps adore.”

We enjoyed the comparison of fashion styles between the two groups, here is a bit of that perspective:

“Preppies scorn the messy look often worn by Sloanies. As the True Prep handbook states, “Sweat suits are for sweating. You can try to get away with wearing sweats to carpool, to pick up the newspaper, or to drive to the dump, but last time you were at the dump, the drop-dead-attractive widower from Maple Lane was there, too.”

This one is a fun read, if so inclined here is the full story.

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On the heels of our post about factory outlet stores and the merchandise they carry, word that Neiman Marcus is opening yet another line of discount stores, different from the existing Last Call stores.  The new stores will be called Last Call Studio; the Times has the story:

“The new Studio stores will carry lower-end products, bought directly from vendors, not the scuffed but still new pair of Manolo Blahniks (as high as $1,995 at Neiman’s) that can show up at Last Call stores (for about two-thirds as much). “

“A prototype of the Studio store in Dallas looks more like a career-wear store — an Ann Taylor or a Chico’s — than it does a Neiman Marcus or an outlet store. Clothes are simple and conservative, and muted colors like black, taupe and pink reign.”

Matt Nager for the NY Times

Last week we mentioned customers can now shop Last Call online; the Times story notes that Nordstrom Rack is also available online. We would caution anyone heading to the Rack online – the selection is fairly limited at this point, presumably it will be expanded as the days go by.

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Next, a few nautical notes we think our treasured readers may enjoy. The first is a line of sailcloth bags we weren’t familiar with from True Wind USA.

The company’s bags are made in the USA, and they are super-durable.  We like the Classic Tote Bags, but there is a great selection of sizes and styles.

Next, with apologies to any of our Facebook Fans who may have seen our mention already, the nautically inclined chair from Halo Styles caught our eye.

Keeping with the signal flags theme, Nautica is shooting next summer’s catalog, and sharing pictures as they go.

Click here to see the photos on Twipic, or on the company’s FB page to take a peek at the upcoming styles.

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There has been all sorts of chatter about the upcoming Lilly Pulitzer Furniture Collection that launches in the spring (most recently we posted about it here and here); we wanted to let everyone know there are a number of additional places to see more photos.

• Above we see pictures from Jamie at Furbish Studio, she has scads of amazing photos showing many of the eclectic color combinations, her description of the new line is perfect:

“…it was the perfect match of dorothy draper meets the sorority house meets jonathan adler meets delight.”

• Sophie Pyle has added some images to those seen in her original post
• Matters of Style actually supplied many of the accessories used in the showroom, they have some excellent pictures of the Collection as well

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We close with today’s Pretty in Pink and Green.

The Polka Dot Yoga Tote is just now in the shop, from the ever-so-talented Candi, who also does our Ribbon Flip-Flops and other accessories.  (Can anyone help a dopey Princess who can’t seem to figure out if “polka dot” is one or two words….?)

Goodbye until next time!

Earth Day at the Preppy Princess

Hello-Hello and welcome to another Earth Day!

We have mixed feelings about today’s post, as we are staunch proponents of abiding by environmentally responsible principles and policies every day.  A simple belief there is a big difference between doing things right… and doing the right thing.  Reducing, reusing, and recycling whenever and wherever possible. Sharing of your good fortune and of that which is most precious, yourself.

And we’re not crazy about discussing ourselves for many reasons, not the least of which is that we are a fairly tame (translation: b-o-r-i-n-g) collection of people and pets.  Nor do we find drawing attention to oneself to be good manners. But we are also dedicated to operating The Princess as transparently as possible, and as this blog is a big part of our public persona, we think people are entitled to know how we implement these philosophies in relationship to the shoppe.

For openers, we felt strongly about creating our Eco-Prep category of reuseable totes and market bags, believing that being green and being preppy should not be mutually exclusive terms.

EnV Bags at PreppyPrincess.com

We searched a long time for solutions to the “paper or plastic” dilemma that were also fun and fashionable. Above, our EnV Totes 3-bag set ($27)  and below, RuMe Individual Mini-totes ($8.50), all capable of carrying home loads from the grocery and also washable.

RuMe Totes at PreppyPrincess.com

The philosophy impacts the business in more ways than just offering a better solution to the market totes situation.  For example, all Princess brand stationery products are printed on 100% recycled paper. Below, some of our Note Card selections, $22 per boxed set of 10.

Additionally, we try to offer products Made in the USA, believing it is wiser to avoid shipping goods from overseas while also supporting independent businesses.  For example, our Custom Belts and Preppy Pet items are made in New England, and all items in our Preppy Home group are American Made in places like Boston and Pennsylvania and South Carolina.  Kiel James Patrick makes his accessories in Rhode Island, and Candi’s Ribbon Flip-Flops are created in Michigan.

We will soon offer a Made in America category so shoppers can search products with that specific trait.

Some readers know firsthand that we feel opening a package from The Princess should make you smile; every order is gift-wrapped at no charge. We use 100% recycled tissue paper for this.

PreppyPrincess.com

When appropriate we do use glossy paper from Lilly Pulitzer or Jonathan Adler.

PreppyPrincess.com

Additionally we are also able to recycle packing peanuts in most instances for shipping fragile merchandise. The question has been asked: “if you’re using recycled tissue and packaging, why do you then put things in a plastic bag?” Simply put, because we know it would be far more wasteful to have items damaged in shipping, returned, new product shipped, etc.

While not specifically Earth Day related, we also believe being responsible transcends conserving and protecting natural resources, it extends to sharing our good fortune and supporting other resources.  That is why we donate 5% of profits to two organizations: the Fisher House Foundation, supporting our military families, and Dogs for the Deaf; both are rated Four-Stars by Charity Navigator. To date our contributions are more than $400 to each organization.

As promised, a yawn-inducing tale, but information we think should be shared for those interested. Being good corporate citizens is important to us. And we think being good to the environment can also be fun, like Brittnee shows us with her Lilly Pulitzer Market Bags ($10) from the Princess.

Lilly Pulitzer Market Bags at PreppyPrincess.com

It’s up there with our belief that Life is Better with a Bow.

Happy Earth Day.

The Nautical Prep

Hello-Hello! We hope the gorgeous sun we are seeing here at the Prepatorium is shining for all of our cherished readers, but particularly for our drenched and sodden friends in those areas pounded by yesterday’s record-breaking downpours.

The sun prompts more thoughts of boats and beaches, so we gaze upon goodies in this genre today, beginning with items for the smaller preps in your life.

We think the Girl’s Nautical Capri set is darling, as is the Little Me Nautical Romper, covered in sailboats and anchors.

We’re somewhat taken by the Oceanside Sleep Shorts (for grownup girls) and your MOTH (Man Of The House) might find the Old Port Graphic Tee appealing, both items are from one of our faves, LL Bean.

We just love the Coastal Crab hooked pillow as well as the Embroidered Crab linen pillow, both can be found at Blue Barnacles.

The red, white and blue Anchor Duffle on the left is from Fred Flare, the Anchors & Stripes Vinyl Handbag on the right was discovered at a site called PlasticLand(?).

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Also popular looks, the Straw Studios Anchor Tote and the Heart Anchor Tote.

Because one can never have too many reuseable market bags, below left we show the elegant Tote Aweigh eco-friendly bag ($13.99) at ModCloth, our eco-prep Anchors Away ($14) market bag is insulated, often a plus for getting things home from the market.

If seeking heels with a sea-going motif the 56 Platform Mary Jane might be for you, or Alberta Ferretti’s Nautical Wedge Sandals.

Not for us, but then, the Maine Isle Flip Flops at LL Bean are probably more our speed.

Of course, when researching one of these little thematic posts one always bumps into thing things not completely in sync with personal tastes; the TUK Nautical Anchor Heart Striped Heel Platform Double Strap Maryjanes is in this category.

Perhaps we’re not seeing their full potential.

Nautically-inspired jewelry is always fun, below we share Anchor Necklaces at Cherry Red Boutique, only $9 and $10, quite the bargain for the younger set.

When it comes to home decor, Targét offers the Oversized Striped Wall Clock, along with some cute Double-walled Plastic Tumblers (à la Tervis perhaps?).

The Nautical Lamp is available at Posh Tots,while Land of Nod carries this “Totally Nautical Bedding, Dude“.

We head back to Le Boutique Targét for this final item:

Target

The Paws Aboard Doggy Life Jacket comes in a variety of sizes and is made of nylon.

We might just have to do another post on this topic, we saw oodles of goodies we would like to share, from clothing and home accessories to more jewelry….hhhm.

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A few quick hits:

• Our friend Lila (aka Madison Avenue Spy) has a wonderful interview with Lilly Pulitzer’s design director, Janie Schoenborn, found here.
• We have a gentle reminder for those interested in tomorrow’s Princess event:

DON'T FORGET....

Our ‘Not an April Fool’ special gets underway at midnight tonight: everything at The Princess is 20% off for one-day-only, ending at 11:59pm tomorrow (Thursday, April 1st) night. The promo code to enter at checkout is APRILDEAL, all one word.

The sale includes everything at the shop, from our brand new Jonathan Adler Nifty Gifties to our Lilly Pulitzer and Kiel James Patrick collections; our Greek Preppy paper and bag tags, the new monogramed Argyle Doormats and House Flags (talk about a great wedding gift!) in our Preppy Home Collection, and other preppy standards you have come to expect, our Ribbon Flip Flops, Custom Grosgrain Belts, and Scout totes, to name just a few.  We hope to see you there!

Anchors Aweigh Nautical Styles

Hello-Hello, and welcome to a one-topic Tuesday!

The title of today’s post provides ample insight on our topic, nautically inclined style. Always a favorite here at the Prepatorium, we can never achieve the nautical bliss found at the one and only Nautical by Nature, but we do make an occasional foray into the topic.

We begin with a look at the Brooks Brothers Nautical Triangle Silk Scarf in either navy or red.

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For the MOTH (Man of the House) Brooks offers a snappy Nautical Belt; we are also fond of our Princess Ribbon Belts (at almost two-thirds less in cost), both styles ideal with a pair of khakis.

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On the apparel front, Ralph Lauren’s Ricky Anchor Crest shirt may be found at Saks.

While visiting Saks (in a cyber sense) the Roberto Coin Anchor necklace caught our eye, as did the Sonia by Sonia Rykiel Nautical Sweater Dress.

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Technically sans anchors, we still thought the Navy Sailboat Dress from Parker warranted a look; it may be found at Revolve.

With temperatures more-than-a-little nippy, the French Sailor Scarf at LL Bean offers a snuggly boost to one’s wardrobe. (And it is only $19.95.)

LL Bean

Bean’s packable Anchors Umbrella could actually make a great gift for someone.

LL Bean

Not to be left out, Targét offers the Nautical Patch crib sheet.

Target.com

The Anchors Print Bikini Top and matching Bikini Bottom (also at Target) are sized for Juniors.

A perfect addition to almost any party, the anchor Beach Ball at Target.

Target.com

The next item prompts a query: how do parents resist purchasing hundreds of pair of shoes for the little ones with so many peaking the Cute-o-meter in the red zone?!?

The Anchor Shoes shown below are for 12-18 month-year-old children.

Babies r Us

The Sailboat Baby Shoes by Jack and Lily also pack an adorable punch.

EverAfterStore.com

Something fun for Mom, the Betseyville Baylee in pink or green; the anchor button decoration adds a nice touch.

The Betseyville offerings at Overstock also include the Brooklee and the Brinda.

The Anya Hindmarch Boat Tote at Saks is available for pre-order only, it has a nice, clean look.

SFA

One nautically inclined accessory we love, the Headbands from Kiel James Patrick. Not only are they very reasonable, we can actually wear them without contracting a major headache, a huge asset IOHO.

The goods Mr. Patrick creates are authentically prep; we enjoy his bracelets, like the Lackatough Stoughton Cog, featuring classic grosgrain ribbon layered over silk rep tie fabric atop a base layer of madras.

KielJamesPatrick.com

We appreciate knowing all the items are made in the USA, and also respect the classic materials used in each item.  The Consort is obsessed very fond of his Mariner & Cape Poge Bay bracelet.

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We first mentioned Mr. Patrick’s line way back in 2008 in this post; there are now fabulous Ear Knots available from this designer.  

The varying styles of bracelets are also tempting.

The site really is a fun place to shop, we could get into big trouble if dallying too long. Sigh.

We are off to our volunteer shift for the afternoon, we hope the sun is shining wherever you may be!