BUT DADDY I WANT THE PINK ONE!

So I am online today looking stuff up about preps and being preppy. There are specific stereotypes that address Preps as some stupid, trashy, sleezy group of people that only vacation on Martha's Vineyard, get whatever they want, and only use their parents' credit cards. I decided that I am going to do a blog entry on the typical stereotype of what everyone thinks a prep is. Then at the end I am going to say all the false things and what really isn't part of the stereotype. Like ok?

So, OH MY GAWD. Like today, my daddy let me use his credit card at the mall! Like I was just there yesterday but he didn't really care. He's in Japan on business I think. And tomorrow I'm getting my new car! Well, its not REALLY new because I crashed my last one last month on the Cape. We were going to a picnic and I accidently hit the tree. Daddy didn't mind but mummy was mad. She said the insurance man was NOT NICE so she had to drink a strong one after their phone convo. So today like at the mall: first I went to Starbucks to get my 1/2 fat, non frap, lightmocafrappuchino, shaken, sweetened but no sugar, chai skim latte. It was soooooooooo good! Then I went to Abercrombie and Fitch, my FAVE store. OMG the boysss there are soooooooooo hot. Almost as hot at the boy who cuts the grass at our house in the Vineyard. Then I went to NORDY's to buy some more UGGS! Instead I got these flats from some designer and then daddy's card wouldn't go through so I had to call him and then he fixed it. So then I went to Hollister to buy some jeans but I ended up charging like $800 because I could not live without the lavender sunlight Verando beach henleyyyy! But then daddy called me to pick me up to go to the car dealer! Like then, I went to meet him but instead the driver picked me up in the Club Car. I was so mad and I called mummy and she said that daddy had a suprise for me. Then I got really excited so I went to meet daddy at the car place. He showed me this BIG land rover or whatever it was called and I didn't like it because it was too small. AND I wanted a pink one but the mean car place man said that that couldn't happen. I was yelling at him and my daddy for like an hour. Then mummy took me out of the car place and said that I had to be nice or I wouldn't get my car. She was being so mean to me so then I think I like called Shelly but she was away skiing in the mountains so she didn't pick up. I like left a message but she never called me back so we're fighting. Then I went home and changed so I could like go to Timmy's house. I put on the CUTEST jean skirt (duuuuhhh its a mini) and this pink polo but it was short so you could see like a little of my belly haha! Then Timmy wasn't home because he was at lax oops! So I went back home, grabbed my Chanel bag and walked Harry, my lap dog. It was such a busy day but now I have to go texxxxxxt the girls and get my like beauty sleep! TTFN, TTYL, LYLAS, LYLAB!

AHHHH! That was too painful (and too easy to write). Ok let's start from the beginning. This girl is not smart. She most likely doesn't know her left from her right. Preps go to school, they are usually smart, therefore they usually know a few things. Next, this girl only talked about "daddy's credit card". Preps may not always have jobs but they don't flaunt their money by talking about daddy's credit card 24/7. She then talked about the Cape. Well this could be true, Preps do vacation in New England. Then she talked about "mummy needing a stiff one", because Preps are notoriously known for drinking (there is an entire book on mixing drinks) but if you've ever seen in TPH you'll know that Preps do not drink to get drunk.

Then this girl goes to the mall. Prep inaccuracies abound. The whole starbucks thing-not true. Its a known stereotype and I've never understood. As I was looking up stuff online today, a YouTube video popped up today called "Preppylicious" (click to watch) and made fun of Preps to no end. (that's really where I got the inspiration for this entry) They mocked shopping, attitude, and polo popping but we're really wrong because Preps don't really buy polos at American Eagle or A+F. Most of my own are from Lilly or Polo and I have 1 from Lacoste but I don't think I have any from Hollister, AE, A+F, Aeropostale, or places like that.

Then this girl pulls a "MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEEN" moment: buying a car. She has a hissy fit in the dealership (which she calls the "place") and doesn't like her THIRD car. Then we also find out that she has a driver. I don't know anyone (prep or not) who has a DRIVER! Another stereotypical inaccuracy. PHEW, then this girl decides to go home and change her clothes to a jean skirt and short polo. AHH! This is not right again because Preps wear conservative clothing and show just about nothing. No tight jeans, no skimpy shirt, and maybe once in awhile a jean skirt (but from the likes of this girl, hers was probably more like a jean belt...) Then she decides to visit Timmy, her lax playing BF! OMG! No one says LAX, its lacrosse (as I learned when a lacrosse player repremanded me...I'll never make that mistake again).

Then this girl mentions the lap dog. If Preps have dogs they're typically big golder retrievers or chocolate labs (I don't have a dog...). NOT LAP DOGS (not now, not ever, not even in a polo). Poodles and lap dogs are some of the most un-preppy creatures. Then she used IM-speak (TTFN, TTYL, LYLAS, LYLAB, etc.)in regular language. I can't stand it when people do that. Not only did she use IM-speak but also the "xxxxxxx" in text. That makes me a little crazy too.

xx Katie

Read Up: A Guide to Books on Preppy-ness.

Alright, so we've all heard about the Preppy lifestyle. But how does it get passed down? From grandmother to daughter to daughter to daughter Preppy has been and will be around for generations. (Mark my words!) But besides word of mouth, is the life of a Preppie recorded anywhere? Well, to answer the question yes, in many places. Or should I say pages?

Thankfully, someone had the brainy idea to start publishing books on how to be preppy. (Note: I've only read a couple of these myself, I found the rest on the web!!) Some titles include:

• The Preppy Handbook (Duh. Will be abbreviated from now on as TPH for future refrences)


• Tipsy in Madras: An 80's Guide to Preppy Drinking (by Johnnie and Mitzy-kind of a sequel to TPH- and I just love the title)
  
• Essentially Lilly: A Guide to Colorful Entertaining (written by THE prep herself, or highess, Lilly Pulitzer, but is extremely sincere, since it is written more like a diary then anything else)


• Essentially Lilly: A Guide to Colorful Holidays (A guide to throwing parties?!? I want to buy this one! The Christmas season IS coming up everyone...)
  
• A Privlaged Life: Celebrating WASP Style (Maybe, I don't want to read this one..., it does however, come "Highly Recommended" from Gail on Amazon.com)


• The Catcher in the Rye (Holden Caulfield was the original preppy bad boy)


• A Seperate Peace (basically the written-but-unwritten code of rules for boarding school- just remember: don't push your friends or break their legs.)

Also, a preppy characterisic is liking to read. This is supposed to be ground into you in high school, but some HS's don't. TPH says, "The school hopes that, upon graduation, you will be a well-rounded young Prep, familiar with the right vacation spots and customs, articulate and witty in conversation, understanding of literary and historical refrences [Holden Caulfield is one of the MOST referenced characters in all of Literature, in my opinion], proficient in the Prep vocation you pursue, capable of making at least one astute comment on any given subject [leave that to your liberal arts colleges, that's why they have a core curriculum...right?]--in short everything necessary for membership at a good country club". Cute right? (Preps know how to write EXTREMELY long sentences...)

Try one of these books anytime soon. If your high school didn't prepare you for the real world, hopefully these books might. Give TPH a look first and it should guide you for awhile, if not forever, and embrace your inner prep!

xx Katie

The FUN with FUNdamentals

So who knew that there are "Fashion Fundamentals" of being Preppy? Ok, so most of us did. We all know that Preps don't dress trashy, or wear black (a lot. there is definitely room for black PIECES in a preppy closet.) The Official Preppy Handbook says that there are 10 fundamentals for both men and women. Thanks to a very preppy aunt of mine, I got my hand on a copy!! So the list reads:

• Conservatism- No low cut tops, revealing skirts, things of the like


• Neatness- a given


• Attention to Detail- Put on all the jewelery you want, then take something off


• Practicality- Do you really need those plaid shoelaces?


• Quality- Things should be built to last, preppy will always be in style


• Natural Fibers- Wools, Cotton, Silk/Cashmere- NO POLYESTER. NO EXCEPTIONS


• Anglophilia- Yea, I didn't know what this meant to begin with either- it means liking British stuff- Shetland Sweaters, Fair Isle knits, Burberry


• Specific Color Blindness- Bright Pink and Green (enough said)


• The Sporting Look- Tennis, Hunting, Fisherman wear


• Androgyny- Men and women CAN dress alike. What other style advocates that?!

Now, let's review. So conservatism, not really a problem thanks to high cut Lilly, and Ralph Lauren Oxfords. Check! Next is neatness, honestly, do you really see slob, frumpy preps? Dubious. Then, attention to detail: snag the pearl earrings, they are a classic, have been a classic, and will always be a classic. Next is practicality...I have a slight problem with this one. I really want these Chooka whale boots but it doesn't rain that often in MD, do I go with the boots or not? We'll figure that out later. Quality, well for the price tag that preppy clothes drag along, they better be GREAT quality. This is one to really consider, when really, preppy clothes don't ever go out of style.

We're about halfway through. Everyone still have all 10 fingers and toes? Great! Next we have Natural Fibers. This one is kinda if-y. Cotton is always good to have. Its versatile enough to wear in the winter as well as the summer. Leather makes great boat shoes. Silk and Cashmere, too rich for my blood like 90% of the time. Then there's Anglophilia, which I don't really understand. The English do make a nice muffin, and yea, we'll give you your teas but tons of American companies make nice stuff too (given its all actually made in Cambodia or China). Lilly, Ralph Lauren and Vineyard Vines all make quality products here in the states. Then we have specific color blindness. I think this can be taken 2 ways: blindness to some colors (like purple) and then blindness of wearing colors together (like cardinal colors like pink and green). Take this one however you want!

Finally we have the sporting look. Thank LL Bean for this one. This can range from sporting the "just back from tennis" to "just back from duck hunting". This can be whites to rustic, warm, Bean fleeces and puppies. Last of all there is androgyny. Why not dress like a man? The blue blazer, khaki pants, boat shoes look is easily versatile enough to be for a guy or girl.

See, how fun are these FUNdamentals? Most of them are easy to abide by and FUN too! Try following just a few or follow them all!

xx Katie

Preps for a Cause

These days it seems like every celebrity is signing on with some sort of cause. Some want to end global warming, so they drive priuses. Others want to help the effort in Ghana, so they adopt kids or fund commercials. Others want to spread the knowledge of HIV/AIDS, so they join knowledge campaigns. Not only are celebrities getting in on this action, but designers are as well. Both preppy brands Lilly Pulitzer and Vera Bradley are designing items for the Susan G. Komen Foundation to end breast cancer.

Since October is national breast cancer month, companies play up this effort. On Vera Bradley's "What's New" page, the main picture shows the items that give proceeds from their profit to foundations. There is a limited edition "candle of hope" with the VB elephant on the front that donates money. The "Ella Wristlet in Pink Elephant" also gives portions of the profit to breast cancer foundations. 50% of the proceeds of each of these items are given to the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer.



The "candle of hope" is $35 for a 9.25oz candle. It is a combination of "lotus blossom, cyclamen and sheer musk". The elephant emblem on the candle has its trunk raised "for good luck". The wristlet is a combination of several pink/green/black prints and runs about $28. Just remember half of both of the profits for these items are going towards ending breast cancer!!



Secondly, Lilly Pulitzer is designing the "Tied to the Cause" breast cancer awareness scarf called the "Komen Scarf". Both LP and Ford sponsor the scarf. 85% (or 30 of 35 dollars) of the profits go directly from LP to Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. (They are the same people who put on the national and state Races for the Cure!!) The scarf was also endorsed by Hollywood star, Sarah Michelle Gellar and really put onto the scene. These scarves sell out quickly so talk to your Lilly Pulitzer representative as soon as possible or go onto fordcares.com.





In 2005 alone, 2.5 million dollars were raised in the Lilly Pulitzer-Ford campaign. In 2005, TV morning show, The Early Show, gave away 150 scarves during their morning broadcast.



The Early Show features a photo essay on other companies designing items for breast cancer. The include:

1. Everlast (a fitness company)- Pink Boxing Gloves

2. New Balance- "Lace Up For The Cure" messenger bag

3. Red Envelope- Photo Collage Tote

4. Red Envelope- Chenille Pink House Coat

5. Sleepyhead.com- Pink "Shop Pink" PJ's

6. KitchenAid- Light Pink "Cook for a Cure" Appliances (food processors, their trademark mixing bowls, etc.)

7. Beanie Babies- "SpongeBob PinkPants" Doll

When you support any of these preppy designers you're supporting finding an end to breast cancer!!

xx Katie