Modern Preppies & Their Values + Olympic Manicures

Hello-hello, and welcome to a new week.

Susan Cheever’s Newsweek/Daily Beast piece grabbed our attention, I thought you might be intrigued as well; it looks at ‘old school’ WASPS and values.

Newsweek/The Daily Beast

The column uses summer as a jumping-off point to compare (and contrast, very much so) previous generations with today’s WASPs.

Summering used to go with trust funds and prepping at St. Paul’s and double-barreled names that ended in Roman numerals. These days summer at the beach has become an American right that we hold to be self-evident. We are an intensely WASPirational society. Things that were once associated with the Protestant establishment—vacations; golf and tennis and fly-fishing; boats; schools like Andover, Harvard, and Yale; Lilly Pulitzer shifts and flood pants from L.L.Bean—are now what almost everyone seems to want.

A 1962 Lilly Pulitzer ad.

Lilly Pulitzer via Fashiontent

It was John D. Rockefeller who famously said: “Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege.” Below, the Rockefeller’s Seal Harbor cottage, one of several places where family members summered.

CardCow.com

Back to Ms. Cheever’s column:

…they were also often raised in a tradition of service—noblesse oblige it was called—that led them to give away lots of their money and to behave in ways that helped those who had less. John D. Rockefeller famously spent more time at the end of his life giving away money than earning it.

Below, Andrew Carnegie’s former summer cottage in the Alleghenies.

Patricia Lowry/Post-Gazette

More of the column:

He (Rockefeller) was not alone: the Carnegies, the Vanderbilts, and more recently the Roosevelts all established foundations that made the world an extraordinarily better place. When John Jacob Astor IV gave up his seat on a Titanic lifeboat, he was acting out of a tradition of gallantry and service that was rare then and is even rarer now.

Below, John Jacob Astor IV’s country retreat in Rhinebeck.

Via Luxist

Ms. Cheever does not gloss over the sins of old school WASPs.

The old-line WASP aristocrats were flawed in spite of their Harvard and Yale degrees and ability to set a spinnaker. They had little sexual tolerance, they thought women shouldn’t have careers, they were anti-Semitic, they named their children after themselves with sometimes hilarious results, and they often drank too much.

Nor does she ignore contemporary philanthropists like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and others, concluding the essay with a hope for future behavior.

Perhaps the old WASPs we are so slavishly imitating deserved to be overthrown, but they had an attitude about the world that it would be nice to adopt when we put on our pastels and belts dotted with whales to head for the beach.

The notion that certain traits have largely disappeared, like gallantry, generosity, courtesy, responsibility (the list could go on and on) has a ring of truth. To read Ms. Cheever’s entire piece, click here.

Thoughts everyone…. overly harsh or sadly accurate?

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Also today, a look at some of the manicures being sported (pun intended) at the Olympics. The Journal did a fun story today on the vivid nails being see at the London games.

Flag-inspired nail designs are showing up on the fingers of swimmers, runners and just about any athlete whose hand appears in a TV close-up. That’s partly because, for the first time, Olympians have a place to get theirs nails done.

Salons have been built inside Olympic Village for athletes to take a break from their grueling training regimens, and another in Central London also serves athletes, friends and family. All the treatments are free and include manicures, hair styling and facials.

The online version of the story offers quite a few photos, below, a look at Britain’s Laura Robson last week at Wimbledon.

Via Wall Street Journal

And archer Aida Roma of Mexico.

Via Wall Street Journal

French basketball player Emmeline Ndongue shows her colors during a game.

Wall Street Journal

Manicure specialists CND also shared photos from London.

CNN Twitter

Micheen Thornycroft, a rower from Zimbabwe did a patriotic pedicure.

Karen Murray Twitter Feed

Another rower, Australia’s Emma McCarthy added a little glitter to her look.

Via Jeni Smith Twitter

And last week we showed you US swimming sensation Missy Franklin’s red, white and blue manicure.

Via WN.com

Until next time, may your manicure remain unchipped!

“The Ivy League”

Hello and happy day to everyone, I hope your afternoons are going swimmingly.

Business pressures mandate brevity today, so we are going to offer another reading suggestion. Like so many topics we end up discussing, this one has been sitting on my desktop (literally) for many weeks.  We’re talking about a book still fairly new to the marketplace, Ivy League, from upscale publisher Assouline.

Assouline Publishing

Here is Assouline’s description of the book:

The Ivy League is so much more than a group of eight universities. Attending one of these prominent schools provides entrée into a world of exclusivity and private clubs—a membership that never expires. Through photos and text, The Ivy League admits readers to the world’s most revered institutions, portraying the character of each school and what sets it apart, from renowned graduates and dominant political stances to athletic rivalries, architectural styles, popular fashion, and more.

The volume is by Harvard alum Daniel Cappello, below we see the author at a signing party hosted by longtime prep stalwart Gant.

Assouline Facebook Page

Mr. Cappello is the fashion director of Quest magazine, a Princess favorite; for those not as familiar with the publication, it describes itself thusly:

Like the scion of a once-great dynasty, Quest is New York’s last magazine devoted to Society with a capital S, covering the socially prominent in New York, Greenwich, The Hamptons and Palm Beach.

The May issue of the magazine:

Quest Magazine

Back to Mr. Cappello, he also worked at George and the New Yorker. The new book looks like a fascinating read, more on the content from Assouline:

Representing the apex of academic achievement, the Ivy League is also a gateway to the socially powerful and elite, making it the wish of all parents for their children. But that’s only the beginning.

The always-wonderful Stacey at the Quintessence blog shares her thoughts on the new book:

Cappello starts with the “big three”- Harvard, Yale and Princeton –  and these schools also have the best and most varied selection of photos. The author has assigned descriptive subtitles for each school that I will leave you to determine if accurate. As a Harvard grad, he sums up his alma mater as “the Ivy’s Ivy.”

The photos alone are worth seeing.

Assouline Publishing via Quintessence

Many of them are classic, offering an eye on style that remains much the same even today (thank heaven).

Assouline Publishing via GQ

From GQ‘s review:

The result is a book that captures the back-stories and notable moments in each school’s history alongside some pretty great archival photos of student life (interested prepsters take note).

Obviously the book holds appeal for an intriguing crowd, here is how The Observer described a book party back in April:

It’s not every book party where you end up in a 5th Avenue estate, listening to a Columbia a capella group sing doo-wop classics.

Photographer and recent documentary subject Bill Cunningham mingled among the Upper East Side revelers which included Allison and Jay Aston, Charles Rockefeller, Punch Hutton and Chris Rovzar from Vanity Fair, Anne Vincent from Vogue, Robert Burke, Kelly Rutherford, and The New Yorker‘s Ben McGrath.

For an in-depth look at the book, Stacey’s post at Quintessence is a must-read.

The book is available at a variety of places, including Assouline, Amazon and your local independent bookstore. This one is tempting for any number of people on one’s gift list.

Preppy Back to School? & Brooks Brothers Collegiate Collection

Welcome to a one-topic Tuesday, it is another insanely busy day, so brevity guides our post.

Once again it is that time of year, when parents and children alike ponder the available back to school offerings. One can almost hear the conversations at local department stores:

• “No, you will not be wearing that to school this year.”
• “I don’t care what Olivia and Chapin are wearing the first day, I am not buying that.”
• “Well, then I guess you will be the only one at school wearing _________ .” (Fill in the blank.)
• “I said no and I meant no.”
•   “What do you mean everybody wears that? Name one person in ‘everybody’.”
• “No daughter/son/other of mine is wearing that. Put it back on the rack.”

It is also the season for media stories heralding “preppy” back to school styles.  The following is from a Bloomberg story entitled “Gossip Girl Couture is Back to School Boon“.

“Sears… also is featuring preppy fashions over casual wear, pushing back-to-school gear from MTV star Audrina Patridge and reality socialite Kim Kardashian.”

Because nothing says ‘preppy’ like the new Kardashian Kollection at Sears.

Kardashian Kollection at Sears.com

More from the Bloomberg story, still referencing Sears.

“The department store, which is offering $38 polo shirts and $30 Dockers pants, introduced a “Varsity Prep” line.”

A few offerings from the Varsity Prep collection.

Sears "Varsity Prep"

The line is for young men, not teenage girls or ‘tweens’ as they are now called. (Ahem.) Three more items are shown below.

Sears "Varsity Prep" Collection

Many pieces in the collection look fairly standard, polo shirts, tees and the like. But some are far removed from what readers would refer to as ‘preppy,’ that sleeveless t-shirt on the right is one such item, while the sweatshirt in the middle looks like it could have come right out of an Abercrombie & Fitch store. (Another Anti-Prep.)

The good news in the Bloomberg article is that many of the shoppers interviewed say they plan to move away from the jeans and tennis shoes look.

“Angela Ricci is shopping for lacy tops, ruffled skirts and floral dresses to wear when she begins her senior year of high school in Pittsburgh. One thing she won’t be buying: jeans.

“I want to show a new kind of style and make a better impression,” said Ricci, 17. “I think that my generation is inspired to dress up a little more.”

That might seem like a good thing to many moms, but there is one caveat, the impact on your pocketbook.

“Teens like Ricci are following the example of television shows such as “Gossip Girl” — in which actress Blake Lively prances to class in couture — as they head to stores to stock up for the new school year. Retailers, stung by slowing sales growth and record cotton costs, are obliging with blouses and dresses that sell for higher prices.”

The story makes for an interesting read, click here if you would like to read it in its entirety.

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Staying with the back to school topic, the new Brooks Brothers Collegiate Collection is now available online.

Brooks Brothers Collegiate Collection

In case the graphic above doesn’t show the schools currently part of the new line, here is a better image.

Brooks Brothers Collegiate Collection

Much of it looks like what we expected, sweaters and ties emblazoned with the school crest, like these from Stanford. (Where a tiny piece from my heart remains.)

Brooks Brothers Collegiate Collection

Or these from Notre Dame. (A sliver of TQM’s heart lies among the shamrocks at this university.)

Brooks Brothers Collegiate Collection

The ties are silk, made in the USA, they are $79.50. The polo shirts are classic Brooks, 100% cotton with the school crest on the sleeve, they are $69.50. These two are from the Boston College group of merchandise.

Brooks Brothers Collegiate Collection

The element that is baffling? The school name or initials on the dress shirts, as shown below right.

Brooks Brothers Collegiate Collection

We can’t think of one Princeton (or Yale or BC or Stanford or Notre Dame or…well, you get the drift) graduate who would ever feel it necessary to wear something like this:

Brooks Brothers Collegiate Collection

A dress shirt with your school name on the cuff? Once again we quote Nancy Reagan: “just say no.”

This clearly goes in the “Help Me Understand” category, as we are completely mystified by this aspect of an otherwise fine collection. We prevailed upon a friend for his opinion; here’s what Bumby of the Preppy Chronicles (also Princeton, class of ’87), had to offer:

“The only advantage of having the name of your school tattooed on your cuff: After the police, put you in the back of the car they know where to drop you off.”

Perhaps Christian at Ivy Style or Alexander Grant can pop in and provide a little elucidation on the topic, as yours truly is beyond baffled.  (Speaking of Christian, the topic of Friday’s post is related, looking at club ties and where one should/shouldn’t wear them. The comments are what really make the post sing, fascinating, all of them.)

Thank you for coming to visit!

Ralph Lauren’s New Home, George & Bar at Houston Fashion Week

Hello and greetings on a day filled with fun and surprises.

We begin with the announcement of our True Prep & Official Preppy Handbook Giveaway winner….

The lucky lady is Southern Sweetie Katie!  We used Random.org to pick the winner; the number chosen is actually for one of the additional entries Katie received for sending someone else to the contest.We want to thank everyone who joined in the fun, we admit being amazed by the number of entries.  If there were to be an award for the best effort in getting others to add entries in her name, that would go to Courtney. And the most delightful comment on Courtney’s behalf comes from her mother, Kathi, we were in stitches when reading this:

“My darling daughter, Courtney Rounds, has begged and pleaded with me to leave a comment. I’ve gently reminded her that a true preppy does not beg or plead. I fear having to remind her does not speak well of my influence during her formative years. I did try. Her nursery was green and pink. Her name, Courtney Elizabeth, offered numerous acceptable nickname opportunities. Her bedtime stories alternated between select readings from my well worn copy of “The Preppy Handbook” and Shel Silverstein. I was properly supportive when she pledged a well established sorority. From an early age she could immediately recognize her monogram. She knows that there is no such thing as too many Sperry’s, plaid shorts or headbands. She has never had big hair. She never will have big hair. Courtney Rounds has a Proper Preppy Princess Pedigree. She is, after all, the progeny of a Preppy Queen and an aging frat boy.”

Courtney’s father is equally creative, here is his comment:

“Courtney is to preppy as Nietzsche is to pietzsche.”

Honestly, we have more fun doing this kind of thing, we try to be restrained so it doesn’t become tedious, but the Fun-o-Meter was peaking in the red zone on this one.

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Next, a few quick tidbits we are overdue in mentioning, with linkage should any of the stories hold appeal:

1) Following a June story in the Times on the popularity of ‘heritage brands’ the Journal ran a similar piece at the end of September, “Is LL Bean Driving the Runway?”

“Besides the re-emergence of L.L. Bean and Pendleton, other vintage brands such as Stetson, Woolrich, Levi’s and Britain’s J Barbour & Sons are having second comings, either independently or collaborating with high-end runway designers.”

We love the illustration accompanying the story, “The Heritage Hipster Matrix“.

Wall St. Journal

2) Speaking of heritage, we offer this from the Yale Daily News:

“This November, American heritage clothing brand Gant will open a new store at the corner of York and Elm streets, almost 60 years after it opened its first store in New Haven.”

We have offered a number of post drooling chatting about the upcoming Gant womenswear line, it is wonderful to see the company opening a store back where they first started in 1941.

3) Women’s Wear Daily reports on the new Ralph Lauren women’s flagship store in the city.

Grand in scale and luxurious in its decor, the new store opens to the public tomorrow.

On the Upper East Side, the new digs are across the street from the recently reopened men’s store in the Rinelander Mansion (Madison & 80th).

The new store is also where shoppers will find the brand’s Home Collection.

4) Houston Fashion Week had its share of celebs on hand, including a rather famous set of grandparents.

 

Bob Levey/Wire Image

 

President and Mrs. Bush were in the audience for the Lauren Pierce show, granddaughter Lauren’s eco-friendly line, making its debut at HFW.

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Yesterday we updated you on Talbots‘ next celebrity model, today we have news that Heidi Klum is replacing Naomi Watts as Ann Taylor’s newest face.

Ms. Klum appeared in the retailer’s holiday campaign last year, but Page Six says she is ‘replacing’ Ms. Watts.

Thank you again to everyone who entered the contest, we are thinking we may need to do a similar project next month….hmmmm, that’s a thought to ponder.  Until next time, we hope you enjoy a lovely day!

ADDITIONAL PHOTO CREDITS: Ralph Lauren Interiors: Robert Mitra/WWD

 

Those Ivy League Scarves & Talbot’s Next Celebrity Model

Hello-Hello, we are smiling this morning as we are off to visit the Queen Mother for a day of meetings and shopping.

We begin with word of another delightful post over at our pal Christian’s site, Ivy Style.  The latest is another gem from Rebecca Tuite, she also did a piece on Vassar students and the Ivy league look. This recent contribution is entitled Tied Together: Ivy Guys, Vassar Girls, and the College Scarf, giving us a look back at a classic tradition.

““The most fashionable girls had a long wool scarf from a men’s college,” remembers a Vassar graduate from the class of ‘59. “These conveyed to other students that the wearer had a serious boyfriend at one of these prestigious campuses. However, a young woman might actually have bought it for herself.”

Indeed, such a student would never have admitted this fact: With the scarf, she now appeared to be not only effortlessly stylish, but involved with a guy from the Ivy League.”

Perhaps our favorite part of the post is this 1954 image from Vogue.

One of the few places we’re familiar with offering scarves in the vintage tradition is the UK’s Smart Turnout.

 

Smart Turnout

 

Below we see Smart Turnout’s Princeton scarf, crafted in 100% wool and hand pressed at $99. On the right we show the Women’s Scarf sold at the U-store on campus, made of 100% Kashwere and selling at $35. (We suspect Kashwere is not a naturally occurring fiber.)

The tradition of wearing one’s college colors started with British and Irish students, Smart Turnout carries accessories for every major school and regiment in the UK, while Ryder Amies offers scarves for Cambridge’s many colleges.

As in so many cases, there is no shortage of vendors offering merchandise, the trick is finding quality products. And we are sticklers for the unspoken understanding that one doesn’t wear the colors of an institution one did not attend.

Of course, there is always someone who doesn’t play by the rules.

 

Tilly T. Bulldog

 

Tilly admits she’s no Handsome Dan, but says she can’t give up one of her favorite pieces for snuggling when winter rolls around.

 

Does this make me look fat?

 

We’re thinking Handsome Dan might give Tilly a pass.

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One other item of note today, Talbots has announced their next celebrity model.

 

Frederick M. Brown/Getty

 

Actress Julianne Moore is set to start shooting for the retailer’s spring catalog this week. AOL’s StyleList has more on the selection, with this comment from the company’s CEO.

“She will make our brand feel modern, which is what the 40-ish woman is. She’s effortless — an effortless beauty.”

There was substantial buzz this summer about Ms. Moore’s nude ads for Bulgari.

 

Bulgari

 

Most recently the company used Linda Evangelista for its fall catalog and advertising.

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We leave with one quick reminder for anyone who might not have entered our Giveaway for copies of The Official Preppy Handbook and True Prep.

TP is Giving Up One of TOPH Copies!

You can enter until midnight tonight, we’ll announce the winner tomorrow. (There are lots of other goodies included from brands like LL Bean Signature, Vineyard Vines and Cole-Haan, do meander on over if so inclined.)

 

Giveaway Goodies

 

Until next time, g’bye!