Budget Prep, SATC Wedding Gown Update, More Preppy Sales

Hello-Hello and Happy (oh-so-happy) Friday! We hope your weekends are going to be filled with fun and frolic, relaxation and perhaps even a break from the chaos of daily life.

We start today with the Sun-Times and a nifty little story they ran this week, Preppy on a Budget. The column is accompanied by a fun slide show called Preppy Shopper. The story by Jessica Sedgwick showcases several shops unique to Chicago as well as national retailers. From their slide show, the Spiegel signature stretch seersucker jacket.

“Those who enjoy rocking their inner Blair Waldorf (“Gossip Girl” queen bee of prep) might think the only way they can get that look is by spending big bucks. Not anymore.”

Collage Courtesy SunTimes.com

“Retailers such as Kohl’s, Old Navy and even indie-minded Urban Outfitters are unleashing affordable preppy pieces — many adorned with sailor-inspired buttons and crisp seersucker stripes…”

Also showcased in the story, the Unisa TammyLee Ballet Flat at DSW.

And these Chaps Madras Shorts for boys are only $18 at Kohl’s, originally selling at $30.

Chaps Kohls.com

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Other ‘preppy style’ retailers are discussed at length in an excellent story in yesterday’s Times;  it surveys the competitive terrain at midlevel stores like Ann Taylor and Talbots.

The always-insightful Eric Wilson (a big favorite of TP’s) wrote the story:

“… mainstream retailers like Ann Taylor and Talbots have been hiring new designers and sprucing up their looks to appeal to modern women who are now shopping for style within their means.”

As these stores become “recession destinations,” shoppers are discovering that they aren’t as fuddy as they used to be.”

Here is an Ann Taylor Jacket with contrasting trim.

AnnTaylor.com

The jacket is now on sale at $69.99, but with the additional 25% discount the retailer is offering, the price is about $52.

Mr. Wilson’s story focuses primarily on Talbots, Ann Taylor and the new Liz Claiborne line from Isaac Mizrahi. The writer’s perception of the inside of a Talbots store makes for a fun read:

“Walking into the Talbots store on Madison Avenue, with its festive red painted door, homey décor and piles of melon-colored cardigans, bamboo prints and safari suits, the change is only beginning to become apparent. You might think that Michael Kors and Tory Burch had wed in a year-round Christmas superstore.”

And when considering the Talbots Sale is now offering an Additional 25% off reduced prices, you know there are likely to be possible purchases under the red awning. Even ‘wear now’ basics show significant price reductions, and that is before the additional 25% discount.

Talbots.com

A good example of the price cuts is Talbots Pima Cotton Crew Tee, on sale at $8.99, in 21 different colors.

The Times story is a fascinating read, well worth a little investment of time, but we want to know your thoughts…? What is making you buy… or not? Has Talbots updated its inventory, do you like what they are offering? How about Ann Taylor? TP is just dying to know your thoughts on this topic.

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Hayden-Harnett fans may want to scoot into their Online Sample Sale running through April 5, with bargains like the Margot Eyeglass Case at $10, reduced from$30.

Hayden-Harnett

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Then we have one more preppish retailer offering price reductions, Brooks Brothers. The company is doing their Preferred Customer Event, taking 25% off prices if one uses their Brooks card or Brooks MonsterCard Mastercard, 15% off for other forms of payment.

Brooks Brothers

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We have an update for those fond of Sarah Jessica Parker’s wedding gown in Sex and the City.

PHOTO: Diane Cohen/Everett Collection

There is (was) a shortened version of the Vivienne Westwood dress available.

However, the shortened version selling at Net-a-Porter was gone almost as soon as it went up on the site.  But do not despair of owning this version, one merely needs to get in touch with Dame Westwood and be willing to part with about $9,900.  BTW, the release date for Sex and the City 2 has been announced; ask your social secretary to mark you as “busy” on May 28, 2010, if planning to see the film its first day in release.

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On a lighter note, two young gentlemen have a new take on an old, and much-maligned medium: the Jello mold.  Well, no one actually says the “J Word,” in all honesty. A NY Times story looks at the phenomenon and its creators, Sam Bompas and Harry Parr. (Below, the Madrid airport and aircraft in jelly.)

Photo: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

The wizards creating these masterpieces are definitely products of an ‘Old School’education, having attended both Eton and University College, London; they refer to themselves as ‘jelly mongers.’

On that creative note we shall take our leave! Happy weekend dolls!

St. John Launches a New Line, Runway to Change & Those Timmy Woods Political Purses

Hello-Hello and happy day! The Princess was delighted to learn today that St. John is launching a new line.

“SoCa” will hit stores in November. Aimed at a younger, hipper customer it will primarily feature a contemporary casual collection. St. John says the new line will be operated entirely separately from the existing brand. In fact, there are actually going to be separate freestanding SoCa stores, with the earliest opening in California at South Coast Plaza (in Orange County, one of TP’s Top Five Shopping Destinations) and in Palm Desert.

TP considers this is a sharp move by St. John; it will help the continued recovery from previous missteps the company made in trying to reach a younger demo. This line is targeting women aged 35-55 and is a clear departure from the company’s signature brand.

Here’s a bit more specific information from today’s WWD story:

“The line also will be available in 125 stores and displayed alongside brands such as Tory Burch and M Missoni in Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s. Retail prices range from $195 to $295 for tops and pants, and $395 to $695 for jackets and dresses.”

With the exception of the shorts and sequins above left (it just looks a bit…um… well, it looks a little ‘tarty’ for our taste) the pieces are solid, but also edgier, exactly what the doctor ordered to help in recovering the audience driven off by St. John’s previous efforts in this arena. Muffy Martini may want to check her social calendar for November 14th; the line will be part of a a charity fashion show benifiting Music for the Cure in Laguna Beach.

This announcement about the new brand comes on the heels of the launch of St. John’s renovated website. The rehabbed style is vastly improved in appearance and ease of use; it has what is called a “seamless link” to the Neiman-Marcus online store providing the site’s backbone for the time being.

Next year St. John will launch its own e-commerce site with a substantial social networking component. Things to look forward to!

As many of you are no doubt aware, TP has made, and will continue to make, every effort to keep partisan politics out of this ever-so-humble blogging endeavor. However, when appropriate events dictate we have, and will, feature relevant content, like today’s Runway to Change. As has been evident throughout the summer, the Obama camp has outmaneuvered the McCain-Palin ticket on mobilizing some of the fashion industry.

Designed by Tracy Reese

Readers may have seen some of these, as the official kick off for the effort was during New York Fashion Week. Runway to Change is a fundraising endeavor (well, “duh” as the younger generation is wont to say) selling items created by notable designers supporting the Obama-Biden ticket. The most publicized tee is probably the Tracy Reese design seen above, with a close-up of the logo below.

At the launch party many commented on the Nanette Lepore Hope Anchor tee with attached pin, below.

Designed by Nanette Lepore

Juicy Couture’s “Dude, Where’s The Hope?” was a crowd favorite at the party.

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Designed by Juicy Couture

Derek Lam’s Obama Flower Tote Bag has been a strong seller…

Designed by Derek Lam

Along with Diane Von Furstenberg’s Obama 08 Love Tote…

Designed by Diane von Furstenberg

On the Republican side of the aisle there has not been an effort with this level of creativity or cache. There is a broad selection of tees, caps and the like, such as this Students for McCain tee….

Or this one, with “John McCain is my Facebook Friend” on the front and on the back it simply says  “Seriously.”

One thing we like about the McCain-Palin store is the following:

Which is a surprise for TP, but we do appreciate the technicalities being spelled out.

“This store is operated by an independent, for-profit company. Proceeds from sales of merchandise do not benefit, and should not be considered a contribution to the John McCain 2008 campaign.”

There is also an Eco-Friendly product category.

Of course, if one seeks a more noteworthy and distinctive style statement, there is always the Barack Obama inspired purse, as created by the renowned Timmy Woods.

According to the website, the Obama bag is a ‘Limited Edition” of 100 and was added to the Woods Collection in late August. You remember Timmy Woods…the Sex and the City movie? The Eiffel Tower bag? Nordstrom has it, but only in the clutch or wristlet version which we have not yet seen in person. It is shown on the Woods website in a version covered with 6,300 Swarovski Crystals.

Well, she has also come up with the Democratic bag at $325…

Or the Republican Bag, also at $325.

If you don’t want to wear your vote on your sleeve, there is always the Flag II bag…

The chances one would you ever spot The Princess carrying one of these are slim and none; none is actually looking good as of this writing. However, *if* forced to name one as a favorite, we would select the following, because after all, we are all about the love. This is the Bipartisan Bag, at $315.

‘Night.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is a redacted version of the original post, corrected to reflect a gender error on our part.

Preppy GOOP, & Brooks Brothers Bonanza

Greetings and salutations from the sometimes strange land of the Preppy Princess, where today we start with GOOP.  Surprisingly, this is not a Princess cooking tragedy resulting from an experiment in the kitchen on Cook’s night off.  Rather, it is a website from über-preppy Gwenyth Paltrow. (Spence, three years.)

The GOOP site is being launched the same week as Ms. Paltrow’s cooking show on PBS with CelebeChef Mario Batali, “Spain… on the Road Again“.

Photo Frappe Inc./Courtesy of Public Television Series "Spain... on the Road Again"

GOOP still appears to be under construction, but in copy on the site Ms. Paltrow explains that while she has made mistakes over the years, she has also learned things and would like to share some of them with readers.

“I want to nourish what is real, and I want to do it without wasting time. I love to travel, to cook, to eat, to take care of my body and mind, to work hard,” she notes on the site. “I love being a mother who has to overcome my bad qualities to be a good mother. I love being in spaces that are clean and nice.”

Not shared is any info on the heels worn by Ms. Paltrow to the PBS show’s premiere Sunday night in New York. British tabloid the Sun is claiming the shoes worn by the star were studded with real diamonds on the heels. Please, please, someone tell TP this isn’t true.

In the “Thank God it’s Over” department we take a quick peek at the newly renovated Saks in Boston.  If you are going to be in Back Bay, this is worth the visit, although at times it *is* far easier to navigate to Natick where one can do both Nordstrom and Needless Markup Neimans without the parking issues at The Pru.

The Meghan Jones photos above show off the new and improved look, with the second photo featuring the Swarovski crystals above the escalator in the store.

Wasn’t it divine to learn that one of the few things we try and watch on television, Mad Men, won an Emmy as Best Drama Series? Oddly enough we actually remembered to watch Sunday evening (a rare occurrence) but naturally found ourselves switching between amc and ESPN in order to see the Yankees’ last game at Yankee Stadium. And how does one prepare to attend the Emmy Awards?

Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times

If you are actor Bryan Batt (he plays Salvatore Romano, Sterling Cooper’s art director), with a glass of scotch in hand while having your eyebrows plucked. Mr. Batt said he would be wearing a Thom Browne tuxedo from Brooks Brothers’ Black Fleece collection to the show on Sunday.  Below, a photo of the actor in a scene with Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olsen.

But it turns out Mr. Batt was only one of many gentlemen clad in Brooks eveningwear. Others included Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report and Rick Schroeder of A&E’s sci-fi series The Andromeda Strain. Mr. Colbert is seen below with fellow comedian Daily Show host Jon Stewart.

Others from the Mad Men cast expected to be in Brooks included Robert Morse who plays Bertram Cooper, one of ad agency Sterling Cooper’s founders.

In the picture just below there are four Mad Men cast members and all four are wearing Brooks Brothers:

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Aaron Staton far left, who plays Account Executive Ken Cosgrove…

Michael Gladis, second left in the photo above; Paul Kinsey is his character’s name…

Mr. Batt whom we have already shown in character, and then Rich Sommer, seen far right in the four-shot in his role as Harry Crane, a Media Buyer.

This does not include at least four other men who work on the hit show behind the scenes who were also expected to be in Brooks Brothers Sunday evening.  If the fashions of the era interest you, amc-tv has a weekly Mad Men fashion blog, and there is also a good read, Mad Men Fashion: Then & Now on Black Book Magazine’s site.

The sense that all manner of things are going on simply because one is away from home is accentuated by the lack of that portable office created by a laptop. Imagine our dismay during our long weekend to find the wireless not working!

It must explain our missing the news of “The Carrie Diaries,” from SATC (Sex and the City) author Candace Bushnell. It seems we shall have the opportunity to learn all about a teenage Carrie Bradshaw, that character made famous by Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City. Ms. Bushnell has a new contract with publisher Harper Collins for not one, but two books, on Carrie’s life before Sex and the City. A comment attributed to the author from the news release:

“Carrie in high school did not follow the crowd—she led it. It was there that she began observing and commenting on the social scene.”

Both books are due out in 2010, and will be published as “teen novels.” Some readers may recall our previous mention of something due out much sooner from Ms. Bushnell, One Fifth Avenue. It was released yesterday.

Following closely on the heels of this story is more discussion of the possibility of another Sex and the City film, conversation spurred as a result of the movie’s release on DVD.

Tommy Hilfiger Week, Gossip Girl Windows

Hello-hello… we are enjoying the extended sunshine and warm weather here in the Great Midwest!

Are you on the mailing list for one of Macy’s new Tommy Hilfiger catalogs? In advance of ‘Tommy Week” at Macy’s two million catalogs are going in the mail, presumably those homes where a Macy’s or Bloomingdale’s credit card holder resides. (The same company owns both.) Perhaps they aren’t even going to Bloomies customers, as one won’t be able to purchase the goods shown in the catalog at Bloomies.

That is because pretty soon it is all about Macy’s for the Hilfiger lines. For those who may not remember the news, soon you will not be able to purchase Tommy Hilfiger men’s and women’s apparel at any outlet other than Macy’s, at least that is how TP understands the exclusivity arrangement between those two entities.

Above we show a courtesy photo of a newly remodeled Hilfiger Women’s department at Macy’s. Below left we show the Melinda cable-knit sweater and the Abigail pants; lower right is a Menswear look for which we don’t know the particulars. (Both are courtesy photos via WWD.)

At any rate, perfectly timed to run in tandem with Fashion Week, ‘Tommy Week” starts this Sunday (the 7th) at Macy’s; it is a very big deal for both Macy’s and Tommy Hilfiger. (Which is actually owned by Apax, a Dutch company.)

Some of the festivities include the launch of a Men’s fragrance on Sept. 7, appearances by Tommy Hilfiger himself and special lighting at the State Street Marshall Field’s, it is Field’s dammit store in Chicago and Herald Square Macy’s will project Tommy images on the buildings. Here is more perspective on the brand itself from the VP of Marketing, Avery Baker, via Women’s Wear Daily:

“There’s a new sensibility of what Tommy is all about — preppy, collegiate, lots of plaids, trenchcoats, as well as long dresses and elegant pieces,” Reardon said. “There is more risk-taking with some pieces. The collection has a little bit for everybody, though it’s a little more edgy.”

We are fond of the Fall campaign, shot at Lake Tahoe and using what appears to be a vintage Chris-Craft or Century wooden boat; regular readers have been forced to cope with TP’s continuing love for these incredible relics of another time in previous posts. Back to the Tommy situation, here is a little more from WWD:

“Along with the quality, Apax has been elevating the price points, cutting jobs, bringing some of the licenses in-house and opening large stores in prime locations….”

If you have been inside a Macy’s lately you may have seen one of the 300+ renovated Tommy departments, most of which have been upsized. It will be interesting to see if the exclusive deal for the Hilfiger label will help boost Macy’s sagging sales, especially as a very tough economic climate looms over the critical upcoming fall season, not to mention the holiday season. Here are a few looks from the Fall 2008 runway show:

A reminder, these are from last February’s runway show for the fashions going into stores right now; this year’s Hilfiger show comes during Fashion Week, starting this Friday. A few more, this time Hilfiger’s take on the LBD.

Who goes to this show? Well, last year’s attendees included Anna Wintour, Nicky Hilton, Julianne Moore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and someone named Richie Rich. (Please accept our apologies, TP isn’t clear on that last individual, be they male, female, or anything else.)  

Apparently the Richie Rich person is seated next to Nicky Hilton, above left, whilst Virginia Smith accompanied Anna Wintour to the show last Febuary. Not that it matters, but The Princess is struggling with Ms. Wintour’s fur, as it seems more to be overtaking her face as opposed to framing it, which we presume was its original function in addition to looking smart and providing some warmth. Below, Mr. Hilfiger at the conclusion of the show followed by a photo of him with daughters Elizabeth and Ally Hilfiger.

The topic does remind us, we have never found the origins of this photo of Anna Wintour and Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps, clearly not this past season, but when? Where? An expiring mind is dying to know!

The Princess is invoking the ‘better late than never’ clause of her blogging contract on this next item, the Gossip Girl windows at Henri Bendel story, even if we are almost a week behind the times with it. They were done by Eric Daman, costume designer for the hit show, and made their debut last week at an enormous party inside the store. We don’t know how many scenes have actually been shot at the store as we were a little tardy to the G2 party, so to speak, but evidently Bendel’s is seeing a little spike in business from the added exposure.

Above we see Taylor Momsen, Leighton Meester and Eric Daman at the Bendel’s party. BTW, ShopDiary has an an interesting story on some of the show’s fashions, chatting about pieces from Marc by Marc Jacobs, Ferragamo, and others. It is their image showing a few of the Blair dresses that you see immediately below.  

If you have made it all the way through your summer reading list, you may elect to add a few titles, certainly nothing requiring deep thought, just a couple of ideas providing escapist delights from the realities of summer’s end.

In advance of Fashion Week we though you might enjoy This Year’s Model from model Carol Alt, almost precisely as you would expect from the cover images and the author, although it is our understanding this is not a flattering portrayal of the industry.

'This Year's Model' by Carol Alt

The book was just released last week, and is only about $11 at Amazon, should that tickle your fancy. There is also Candace Bushnell’s “One Fifth Avenue,” now available for pre-orders almost everywhere, including Amazon; it is out September 22. (You know, that Candace Bushnell, Sex and the City Candace Bushnell!) There is also an online interview with Ms. Bushnell at Amazon, should that pique your antennae.

Also, the fabulous Fug Girls have a book out! Definitely not for the weak of heart or those easily offended by salty language, “Go Fug Yourself: the Fug Awards” is already out.

Happy Reading!

Photo Credits:

• Our thanks to Racked for the Bendel’s window pix!
• Tommy Hilfiger Runway Shots: Imaxtree.com
• Tommy Hilfiger Guests: Getty Images

The New Tiffany Tote Bag + Preppy Needlepoint

Hello and aren’t we happy-happy-happy it is a bright and beautiful Tuesday?! Tis a privilege to be on the third coast where it is bright and sunny, low humidity and high excitement at the Merchandise Mart! We owe a ‘Thank You’ for the lovely weather to Erin (Third Coast Preppy) who promised the Princess Consort it would be this way!

After designing our exclusive placemats, napkins and other goodies, there is nothing quite so fun as buying trips to find the latest and greatest in preppy goodies for the Preppy Princess. That’s where we are, on the road looking for the ‘newest and coolest’ in personal and home accessories.

Speaking of new… has anyone seen these yet? We just stumbled upon them while looking up another item at Tiffany’s. (Yes, to be accurate it is singular, Tiffany, but we’re feeling slightly sloppy this morning.) These are new, at least to The Princess, canvas with leather trim, and only available online.

The Tiffany Tote (our name – Tiffany is simply calling them ‘Pink Tote,’ ‘Brown Tote,’ etc.) seems more like a handbag to TP; regardless of name, we must admit they actually seem kind of cool. The website describes them this way:

Carry yourself with style. Tote in canvas with pink leather. 15.5 x 7.25 x 15.5″. Available exclusively on Tiffany.com.

The totes don’t look like they are really 16″ square from the photos; they seem wider than they are tall, but they do look good-sized. At $395 they are not inexpensive but their lines are clean and timeless. (There is also a white patent leather version of the tote we do not show in the photos.) We’re pretty sure this is one that will be in style next year and the year after that and the year after that. In other words, a good investment if you love the look. Of course, we would remove these pesky things lest the LogoPhobia kick in:

Discounting the easily removable leather logo tag (at least it looks easily removable) this is one handbag or purse or tote or whatever we might be able to establish a relationship with, one we could learn to like, even grow to love. TP would even consider overlooking her bitter and hostile feelings minor concerns (minor?!) about the Tiffany Eyeglasses and think about acquiring one of these. For new readers this means overlooking Tiffany logos the size of Lake Michigan on said eyeglasses. (We have discussed the tedious topic in previous posts and don’t want to bore anyone else with the background.)

Does anyone else think this is reminiscent of other retailers who have branched out into new markets? Cartier does handbags in addition to other personal accessories, and Bulgari comes to mind as a jeweler that extended its brand into new markets, especially leather goods. As an example, we see the Baby Panther Mobile Phone Strap from Cartier below.

On the other hand Fendi started as a small Italian fur and leather company that expanded into more apparel. These are a few looks from their Resort 2009 RTW (Ready to Wear) Collection, so they aren’t commercially available.

Now because it held such a big role as Carrie Bradshaw’s bag in Sex and the City, we simply must show the Fendi Baguette in shocking pink on sale at Bluefly.

You didn’t really think we would pass up the opportunity to do the pink and green thing did you? Here is the green one, also on sale at Bluefly Batcave.

Now, having shown with great fanfare the Polo Ralph Lauren Kids Paint Your Own Polos we were amazed to learn about this: the Fendi Paint Your Own Baguette!

This one was released months ago, back in February or March. It was greeted with almost universal disdain and resentment, people were simply aghast at the thought of $1300 for a white canvas bag with 10 magic markers as they saw it. It is still available at numerous sites if you are so inclined, like eluxury.com and Needless Markup Neiman Marcus.

Everywhere we see stories about the renaissance of needlepoint, although it really never went away for some of us… did it for you? Anything promoting the art/craft is good and you won’t hear us denigrate the coverage. Besides, it is always fun to learn about new designs, including these from Jonathan Adler. The pillow in the top photograph is designed to look like very preppy grosgrain ribbon belts, and the smaller photo below shows Adler’s Ties Pillow, both really TDF (to die for) and great additions to almost any room at any of your homes.

Then we have these two, each of which is on sale, originally $165 and now $98, quite the bargain. We show the set, but the Queen of Hearts and Ace of Spades pillows *are* sold individually so the set of two would run $196.