Down to the Sea & Other Friday Fun

Happy, Happy, Happy Friday! Is it simply glorious where you are? Hopefully that is the case, spring has sprung in a major way here at the Prepatorium. The sun and gentle breezes are beckoning, and our resistance to stepping outside is waning. Rapidly.

Therefore today’s post is short, touching briefly on a few morsels that may hold appeal.  We begin with word of a fun post over at Refinery 29, “All Aboard for a Fresh Take on Nautical“.

Photo Montage by Refinery29.com

The story features all sorts of pieces with nautical influences, with some items coming from brands many readers enjoy, like Sperry and J. Crew, to others not commonly showcased in this space, such as Wren and Pixie Market.

Montage by Refinery29.com

We very much enjoyed their take on the look.

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Next is a post we mentioned yesterday on our Facebook page, from online style magazine Fashionista.  The story’s title provides the focus: “Who Does Preppy Classics Best? Lands’ End Canvas vs. L.L. Bean Signature?’

Author Lauren Sherman compares and contrasts several elements from each brand, a timely topic with LL Bean Signature officially launching over this week.

Fashionista.com

While not terribly in-depth, the story does make an interesting read.

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We close with a few images in our “Friday Fun” category. The first is of a delightful customer heading out the door with her Lilly Market Bags.

Thank you Brittnee!

Our thanks to Brittnee for sharing with all of us!

The second image is today’s Pretty in Pink, without a doubt, an item we originally learned about via our friend Bumby at the Preppy Chronicles.

Courtesy Photo via Luxist

This would be a new Fiat 500C, not the first Fiat in pink, but it is the first convertible in our favorite shade.

On that fun vision, we leave you with a reminder about our amazing Spring Fling Thing, and a hope that your weekend is utterly divine. You deserve it.

Snuggie Truth Revealed, and Sperry for Spring!

Hello-Hello!

A quick reminder to be sure and enter our Lilly Pulitzer Stationery giveaway, entries close at midnight tonight! All the contest info you need is right here; the winner receives both a Lilly Pulitzer Latte Da! coffee mug, along with the Take Note Mouse Pad that also comes with a pad of Lilly paper for handy note taking!

We have even coordinated the two prizes, the better to brighten up your desk! The pattern is the always-fun Cabanarama.

We will use Random.org to select the lucky recipient tomorrow morning and post the news midday. A gazillion “Thank you” sentiments to everyone who has entered, you make it too fun for us here at the Prepatorium!

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It seems there is a wildly popular cultural phenomenon we had been unaware of until recently. We are speaking of the oh-so-popular “Seen on TV” product more commonly known as the Snuggie.

Courtesy Snuggie.com

Somehow we weren’t fully versed in Snuggie-speak, so we were forced to do a little research. (Okay, a lot of research.) Little did we know how popular the creations are, leading the Times to do multiple stories on them in the last few weeks!

For anyone as sadly uninformed as we were, the Snuggie is essentially a blanket with sleeves.

The oh-so-popular item is sold primarily through television infomercials.  But according to this story in the Times, the Snuggie was not the first! (Gasp!)

Nay, nay SnuggieFans, not so fast.

“On CNN recently, a segment on the Snuggie — four million of which have sold since it began advertising in October — said it “has spawned all sorts of online imitators” and later mentioned the Slanket as one “of the other versions of the Snuggie out there.”

But it turns out that the Snuggie is actually the imitator.”

We offer Exhibit A, the Slanket, seen below.

Courtesy theSlanket.com

Gasp!

But the Times story digs even deeper, revealing news the Slanket was preceded by…are you ready? Enter Exhibit B, the Freedom Blanket!

Courtesy FreedomBlanket.com

The Freedom Blanket currently sells for $29.99, the Slanket is $44.95 and the Snuggie is $19.95, although one can apparently acquire one for only $14.99 at ‘select’ retailers like Walgreens.

All of this leaves us wondering if The Princess needs to consider pink and green blankets-with-arms? Will we be horribly out of touch with our customers if we do not carry them come next fall? Will there be anti-Princess protests across the nation if we do not add these to our inventory and keep a ready supply on hand?

The Times also ran a story by Allen Salkin, “Snuggie on the Street: Watch Your Back” investigating the merits of wearing one’s Snuggie on the street.

PHOTO: Christopher Smith for the NY Times

Above we see the Snuggie on Broadway. Below, we see one of the drawbacks to outdoor use:

PHOTO: Christopher Smith for the NY Times

There is no back on this item, creating more than a little draft when one steps away from the sofa. Hhhhmmmm.

The whole topic has us wondering if perhaps some of the womenswear designers were thinking of Snuggies or Slankets when creating next Fall’s looks….?

PHOTO: Mauricio Miranda

These photos from the Milan Fall 2009 RTW shows certainly bear a resemblance to a Snuggie, don’t you think?  These two creations are from Salvatore Ferragamo, the photos via WWD.

PHOTO: Mauricio Miranda

We are just saying….

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In our unceasing efforts to hurry spring we offer footwear designed to boost everyone’s spirits, starting with the Sperry Pelican Tall Boot in a stylized anchor motif.  Miss Nautical, do you approve?

The boot comes in a number of delightful colors and patterns; above you see the blue plaid. We looked at these this weekend at Nordstrom, and would have considered trying on a pair had anyone in the store’s shoe department indicated an interest in assisting us in that endeavor.

Another Sperry shoe we are fond of is the Women’s Print Bahama, available in three colorways. The green version has anchors, the pink features sailboats and the aqua-blue pair is adorned with a seahorse print.

Also new this spring, the Waterloo from Admiral in a seersucker and chambray look.

Courtesy High Snobiety

They will also be available in this classic blue seersucker and chambray.

Courtesy High Snobiety

We thank the bright minds over at High Snobiety for their initial story on these shoes!

Until next time dolls, have a simply splendid afternoon!

‘Patently Preppy’ and ‘Prepster Deck’ Shoes

Hello-Hello!

We start with an homage to the one and only Third Coast Preppy; when we saw this hat it simply shrieked TCP.

Courtesy Refinery 29

It may be difficult to discern because the photo is so dark, but the hat is a giant lobster.  The creation is by milliner extraordinaire Stephen Jones and was worn at a gala noting the opening of the V&A’s new show “Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones.”

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As always, we like to bring you news of ‘preppy perspectives’ around the world. Today’s comes via The National in Dubai.  Their story, Feet on the Ground, takes an in-depth look at the saddle shoe.

“…. think appliquéd college jackets, button-down Oxford shirts and rolled-up pants – footwear that wouldn’t be out of place at a boys’ boarding school circa 1950 is back in style. Two-tone saddle shoes – usually sporting a suede upper, contrasting leather and a red rubber sole – are a key look.”

Courtesy Paul Smith via The National

Red rubber sole? We think not. A number of interesting assertions are put forth in the story; we do not concur with all of them, but suggest readers may still find it an interesting read. Another point:

“The patently preppy saddle shoe has infiltrated the streetwear market as well.”

Almost every brand we can think of seems to be included in the story, from Sperry to Gucci to Fred Perry.  Happy Reading!  (As an aside, the Paul Smith website shows a number of Mens’ Brogues, but not the style seen in the photo accompanying the article.)

Regular readers know we are simply batty for Paul Smith, especially their socks with the little bow.

Adoration of these is not our fault, it is something in our genetic makeup, we are quite sure.  (Tee-hee.)

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Since we seem to be featuring shoes today, we’ll share a pair used in a story proclaiming the following to be *the style* to have this summer.  We generally wear a pair so beaten up they really are an assault on the eyes, but they are our favorites and we can’t bear the thought of discarding them!

Stephanie Prommer at the Teen Fashion Blog writes:

“This may sound crazy, but I predict that prepster deck shoes are going to be THE footwear choice of the summer. I’m personally crushing on these $60 Bahama Plaid Cuff kicks from Sperry Top-Sider, which come in five adorable color combos.”

They are available in a variety of delightful colorways, including this one:

We do adore the shoes, and think another blogger of a Prepalicious sort may have already featured them.

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Speaking of Prepalicious, Miss Nautical, did you see this one at Bergdorfs from Stella McCartney?

Net-a-Porter also carries it and there is a coordinating sail print skirt as well.

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We almost never-ever-ever do this, but today we post a springy message lifted directly from our electronic in-bin, compliments of Bergdorf’s.

Courtesy Bergdorf Goodman

The retailer was promoting their a pink theme.

On that note, ‘bye until next time!

Westchester WASPs Declining? Also, Classic Preppy Style and Argyle Update

Monday’s Journal News has a fascinating story “Westchester WASPs on decline, still prized,” one that is being printed out and hand carried to a few relatives who will find it more than intriguing. The publication covers the lower Hudson Valley, essentially Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties.

The story starts out this way:

“Fifty years ago, it was easy to tell who was on top.

The men wore suits from Brooks Brothers or J. Press, the women white gloves and pearls, and places like Westchester County were their natural habitat.”

It goes on…

“… it seems now more than ever the WASP has left its central position on the historical stage, even in places like Westchester and Putnam counties.

It may be time to send in a final thank-you note for all the memories.”

The story quotes author Susan Cheever at length; here is a brief excerpt:

“Preppy style is one of the few things this country has managed to export in fashion. You could argue that style is an echo of WASP elitism, and it’s huge in Japan and Europe,” said Cheever, 65. “The clothing also connotes a certain kind of ethic, the old preppy ethic. But it’s interesting to see what gets passed along with the clothing, and what doesn’t.”

Speaking of J. Press, they do have an inordinate amount of marked down merchandise available, like the Blackwatch button down, as well as the Madras shirt.

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And now we have an argyle update, as we follow up on the sweaters posted a few weeks back.  We stumbled across this Fred Perry Short Sleeve Argyle Sweater at Nordstrom whilst grazing the online pastures in search of a few holiday treasures to buy and hide away for TPC (The Princess Consort).

Unfortunately this one felt a little…well, a little “nerdy,” if that is the appropriate term we hear the younger generation use today? We also stumbled across these Perlina pumps (lower left) in a chocolate and pink combination at Zappos.  Lower rght, the Juicy Couture Margot slipper, which didn’t make us ga-ga either.

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Below, the Volcom Prepster argyle sweater for Men.

Volcom

It isn’t working for us, but then, Volcom isn’t exactly created with folks like TP in mind. It is more of a surfing, skateboarding brand, and while many of you no doubt envision The Princess barreling down the drive on a skateboard, that isn’t our M.O.  At any rate, what we really wanted to share was this, from the always-fabulous Rich over at Down the Line Tennis:

PHOTO: Down the Line

On the left we see the USA’s own Andy Roddick, and on the right in the photo Russian ace Nikolay Davydenko. Age 27. No, it isn’t his grandfather or even his father. Amazing what a little argyle can do for a guy. BTW, while visiting Rich, look for the feature on Rafael Nadal as fashion plate while receiving a major award Friday.

PHOTO: Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Next, a story from the Times you might enjoy, a piece on classic clothing entitled, The Fashion Report of 1920. Written by Guy Trebay, who frequently covers fashion and style for the paper, it really is a gem.  Kim France, editor of Lucky magazine is quoted:

“There are all these great standbys that don’t really have anything to do with the lifestyle we lead here in New York and are totally underappreciated,” she added, referring to things like Red Wing engineer boots, Aran sweaters, Barbour jackets, Sperry Top-Siders, Woolrich jackets, Alden cordovan loafers and Pendleton shirts.”

PHOTO: Greg Scaffidi for the NY TImes

The photo above features a flannel-lined wool shirt by Woolrich, white Hanes T-shirt, Carhartt pants and Hunter Wellington boots.  The column continues:

“Versions of this stuff are popping up everywhere from Ralph Lauren to Rag & Bone to the neo-traditionalist collections Alex Carleton designs under the Rogues Gallery label, Mr. Fielden said. Anonymous, eminently functional and reasonably priced, the clothes seem perfectly attuned to times like these. That they are cool besides seems to derive not from any sartorial irony or nostalgia for the manual labor fast vanishing from the American landscape or even from a conservative cultural atmosphere. It is more simple than that. They do the job.”

PHOTO: Issac Turner

Above, a photo of the Rogues Gallery store in Portland. Maine. You may read more about this wonderful establishment here.

And finally, for today’s Pretty in Pink photo, we share the darling Pretty Pink Princess Sky King Trike at Vivre. Created by Airflow Collectibles, it is too cute. Perhaps the only thing cuter from Airflow is the Princess Pedal Car, complete with chrome accents and a running board!

Happy almost-here Monday!