preppy

The Classicist: Southern Proper's Timeless Style

Filed under: Apparel, Sports, Men's Style, The Classicist

Mint juleps, seersucker, stately plantations, belles in summer dresses and those F. Scott Fitzgerald stories where they go around saying "Good mawnin', Sally Carrol" -- all come together in the new spring collection from Southern Proper, a gentleman's outfitter from Atlanta now gaining wider recognition from natty northerners.

Tags: Atlanta, bow ties, croquet, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Georgia, golf, Kentucky Derby, mens clothing, mens style, mint julep, polo, preppy, sailing, southern plantations, Southern Proper, southern+mens+style, southernmensstyle, tennis, the south, ties

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Jack Spade x K-Swiss 'Take Ivy' Special Edition

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Books, Men's Style

Last month we told you about Take Ivy, the coveted style tome showcasing snapshots of classic Ivy League style from the 1960s being re-issued for the first time ever in the U.S. Now style maven Jack Spade is offering the iconic volume equipped with a K-Swiss x Jack Spade collaboration package featuring an old-school sweatshirt with preppy elbow patches and a retro leather belt for $245. The sweatshirt is a heavy gauge crewneck – just like the retro gym sweatshirts from the '60s. For a preppy flair, the designers silk screened orange patches on to the elbows; on one of the patches is the K-Swiss 1966 shield and "Jack Spade/Warren Street/New York" to note the brands' heritage and the collaboration. The belt was designed to complete the retro look and is modeled after a custom bridle leather book strap, artfully cinched around the book.

Gallery: Take Ivy: Jack Spade x K-Swiss

Tags: books, Ivy League, Jack Spade, leather, mens style, New York, preppy, Take Ivy

The Classicist: 'Take Ivy' - The Original Preppy Handbook

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Books, Men's Style, The Classicist

Take Ivy, with photos by Japan's T. Hayashida, is truly the original preppy handbook, first published way back in 1965 – in Japanese. In the early 1960s Kensuke Ishizu, the founder of an Ivy League-inspired clothing line called Van Jacket, commissioned Hayashida and three other Japanese disciples of clean-cut American style to go on a "fact-finding mission" to all of the States' eight Ivy League colleges – Havard, Yale, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Dartmouth, Brown and Cornell – chronicling every element of the students' style along the way. Hayashida took tens of thousands of photos at the colleges, then went on to document the stores the students patronized, the cars they drove and even Ivy League grads working on Madison Avenue. When first published in Japan the book sparked a huge trend for Ivy League fashion among Japanese youths who frequented Tokyo's hip Ginza shopping district.

In subsequent decades the book developed a huge cult following among sartorial connoisseurs, with rare original editions selling for thousands of dollars on eBay. The New York Times called it "a treasure of fashion insiders" and cited its influence on a number of men's fashion designers in an article last year, noting photocopied versions were being passed around design studios helping to spark a whole new trend. Now powerHouse Books is re-issuing the book this month, with a long-awaited English translation; J.Crew has also printed 300 limited edition copies in a special case in celebration to be sold in select J.Crew mens shops, the perfect accompaniment to the Ivy-inspired clothing on its shelves; J. Crew men's designer Frank Muytjens says he was "obsessed" by the book and it's timeless appeal.

Gallery: Take Ivy

While The Official Preppy Handbook, which came out 15 years later, is rather tongue-in-cheek, Take Ivy's approach to the subject is downright scholarly. The implications of 'Ivy Style' "go beyond the group of eight prestigious universities that belong to the Ivy League, American football, or the vine itself that covers the buildings of Ivy League schools," the authors note. "It is also not simply about Madison Avenue, Brooks Brothers, modern jazz and folk songs. They do play a part in defining 'Ivy' as a whole, but each of them is only a peripheral component.... In order to understand the spirit of 'Ivy', you must appreciate and master all aspects of American East Coast culture." Thus the back of the book features instructions on building the perfect Ivy League wardrobe including how to wear key items along with a whole compendium of the Ivy League ethos.

Tags: books, Brooks Brothers, clothing, coffee table books, eBay, Harvard, Ivy League, J.Crew, Japan, mens style, menswear, photography, powerHouse Books, preppy, Princeton, Tokyo, university, Yale

The Classicist: Barbour Goes "Britprep"

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Men's Style, The Classicist

Last month we told you about the super-cool new collaboration between Japanese designer Tokihito Yoshida (aka To Ki To) and famed British clothing company J. Barbour & Sons, known for their iconic waxed jackets. For spring / summer, Barbour, which was founded in 1894 and holds Royal Warrants from HM Queen Elizabeth II, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, and HRH The Prince of Wales, is further expanding on tradition in the form of a new "Britprep" collection. They hope to evolve as a lifestyle brand appealing to a wider customer base with the development of more contemporary products focused on rugged tailoring and fit.

With the collection Barbour "brings authenticity to a look that defines the lifestyle of a British summer." Layers for men and women are "worn with character and wit to create an individual style." As befits a company with such a rich history, Barbour's heritage, which continues to inspire these new designs and developments, lies at the heart of the new collection. So what exactly is "Britprep"? According to Barbour, the look is not quite as clean and crisp as American Preppy. Simple, stylish, and contemporary, the collection "pays particular attention to fashion, color and tradition capturing the essence of 'Britishness.'"

Barbour has never really gone in for logos, but with the Britprep collection (above) they're employing a new crest. Unlike designers who invent crests, it's an authentic bit of heraldry deriving from the original Barbour family coat of arms originating in Galloway, Scotland. It is seen in a few variations throughout the entire collection, from subtle prints on inside jacket linings to the bold emphasis directly on the chest of polos, rugby shirts, a blazer, and even a version of Barbour's classic quilted Liddesdale jacket (pictured above left and in the gallery).

Gallery: Barbour Goes 'Britprep'

Tags: Barbour, British fashion, BritishFashion, preppy, Queen of England, QueenOfEngland, Royal Warrant, RoyalWarrant, Scotland, UK

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Steinway by Lilly Pulitzer: A Very Preppy Piano

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Events

Only two more months until this Lilly Pulitzer'ed Steinway can find its home in your parlor. Nothing can better express the fact you travel the Nantucket-Palm Beach axis with the greatest of ease. The venerable design house rolled out this Steinway, among other 50th anniversary treats like a Lillified Jeep Wrangler, at a special preview at The Breakers hotel in Palm Beach back in June. In November, the pieces will finally hit market.

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Tags: breakers, lilly pulitzer, LillyPulitzer, nantucket, palm beach, PalmBeach, piano, pink and green, PinkAndGreen, preppy, steinway