Lilly Goes Greek, Talbots & J. Crew Fall Early Look

Hello-Hello, and happy almost-the-end-of-the-week!

We begin with a look at the new Lilly Pulitzer Sorority line debuting this fall, including prints for Kappa Delta, shown below in pink and green.

Courtesy Lilly Pulitzer

The Collection was revealed this week on the Lilly Facebook page; pieces in each print include a Tote, Carry On bag, Makeup Bag and Pencil case, along with a new wallet style. Here are designs for two other sororities included in the collection, Kappa Kappa Gamma (L) and Delta Zeta (R).

We know TQM (the Queen Mother) will be partial to the fourth print in the series, recognizing the Tri-Delts.

Courtesy Lilly Pulitzer

Each sorority pattern is also offered in the wildly popular Murfee scarf, sure to be a hit at these four sorority houses!  Prices range from $28 to $148 for the collection.

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We know many of our treasured readers and friends are looking forward to fall and new fashions; we have to admit we’re just not there yet, perhaps our 100° temperatures are keeping us on the summer trends.

At any rate, the season will change and we have an early look at two lines, beginning with a few ensembles from J. Crew.  Below we show the Honey Tweed Jacket, Leigh Chiffon Cardigan and Cropped Ripstop Cargo Pant.

Courtesy J. Crew

Next, the Alpaca Cardigan, Sequin Tee and Cotton Skirt are seen on the left and on the right, the Wool Minnie Pant and Herringbone Work Shirt.

Here is the Ikat Bustier Dress and Brompton Satchel (L), and the Hooded Nomad Jacket, Sequin-Strip Tank and Vintage Matchstick Cord.

Hmmm. We would have to say that just about everything we see at this point is NFU. (Not For Us.)

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We also have an early look at some of the Talbots pieces for fall,

Courtesy Talbots

Several party frocks are featured, this one in black lace.

Here are more looks from the new catalog. (Note to Miss LPC, the ensemble on the right somehow shouts your name.)

As with J. Crew, the silhouette is slim.

The platform pump remains fashionable, as does the bootie.

Welcome spots of color are seen throughout the collection.

And chunky, statement accessories retain their popularity.

Classic pieces are also visible within the collection.

According to a WWD story, here is some of what to expect for the Holiday season:

“Strong outerwear and feminine details were the message at Talbots. The collection featured coats for every occasion, from tailored day looks to satin evening styles, as well as faux fur and puffer looks.”

We aren’t sure about the lumberjack look on the right, but there is definitely a younger feel to the catalog.

Courtesy Image via The Fashion List

We leave you with this image, as Tilly seems to exemplify how we are feeling heading into the weekend!

Hope yours is fab!

ADDITIONAL PHOTO CREDITS:

• Kyle Ericksen/WWD
• Robert Mitra/WWD

Lacoste Home Collection, Greek Life at one Ivy League Campus, Gwen Stefani Does Uniforms!

As the Princess and the Princess Consort are heading away from the Palace for an extended weekend, and the household staff doesn’t do posts, this one is a bit of what we used to call an “evergreen’ in the broadcasting industry, meaning it was always ‘green’ or good to go, not dated in anyway.

So we’ll start with a little update on Lacoste’s plans for its Home Collection, which is expanding on its still fairly new collection.  The growth is being driven by Philippe Lacoste, yes, son of company founder René Lacoste.

Some readers may be familiar with the two collections: the Club Collection with a more upscale emphasis and the Casual collection using brighter, more vibrant colors and featuring lower price points.  Above, the Cocoon bedding collection, and below we show the Madras Bedding Collection, both at Belk’s.

Trade journal Home Textiles Today reports Lacoste will start putting things like the single-unit golf and tennis towels in gift packaging and marketing them to golf clubs, spas, pro shops, etc. Additionally the Bath line which initially only included towels and rugs will expand to things like robes and gift items for the beach.

And perhaps most importantly for those of us disinclined to spend oodles of time at the local department store when considering bedding (and even less when traveling, preferring to peruse apparel and accessories if one is shopping), there will be a dedicated Lacoste Home website, a serious need as of this writing.

Moving on, those curious about Greek life in Hanover need only look at the Dartmouth Review for some insight. A couple of different articles talk about sorority/fraternity life on campus, albeit not in an entirely objective fashion. Monday’s “The Greeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Pen-Portraits of College Social Life” is rather entertaining, with fascinating commentary; some will provoke fond feelings of recognition for the traits attributed to specific organizations while other comments may cause irritation if they are not in sync with one’s personal perspective.

The Princess is using the Tri-Delt’s garb only because The Queen Mother was a charter member ‘back in the day’ at a MajorMidwesternUniversity (yes, that is all one word) and this mention will bring a smile to her face. BR as we see it. (Bloggage Perogative.) At any rate, Greek Life: A Freshman Girl’s Take by Katherine J. Murray is also enlightening, although probably not heart-warming for parents curious about Bitsy or Corbin’s first year on campus:

“My fridge was loaded with Jell-O shots and an oversized bottle of Malibu Rum. Wearing our very deadliest outfits, my new floor-mates and I assembled in my room to pre-game to the tune of “I Kissed a Girl.”’

Let’s all remain calm, it is merely one person’s experience, correct? Indeed.

How is this for a closing note? Word that pop star turned designer Gwen Stefani will be designing the uniforms you will see female bartenders wearing when you are having a cocktail at W Hotel’s upscale Gerber bars. The bars’ name comes from Rande Gerber, described as a ‘nightlife entrepreneur” on the Gerber Group’s website. Here is a glance at a sketch for the uniforms.

They will be made in a knit jersey, and they are black, not really evident in the sketches, probably because that color would not have shown the seam detailing on the dresses. Ms. Stefani, founder of the L.A.M.B. label says she wanted to uniforms to be “…sexy and comfortable…” no small feat for any creation. We don’t know your reaction, but we are holding our breath in anticipation of the men’s uniforms.

Until we next meet…