SwiMen

After giving it some thought, I haven't done a guy-foucused post in awhile! I just did the swimming post for us girls a few days ago, so I thought I'd show y'all some of my favorite swim trunks for the boys:

Lilly Pulitzer

Tommy Bahama

Brooks Brothers

Ralph Lauren

Mahi Gold

Vineyard Vines

Ralph Lauren: these seersucker trunks are one of my FAVES!

Chubbies: Have y'all heard of these yet?

Brooks Brothers

Ralph Lauren

Columbia PFG

Where does your guy like his swim trunks from? Does he do the short ones (like the Chubbies) or longer ones?

xxKatie

The Frat Collection!

I'm really excited to tell y'all about The Frat Collection! About three weeks ago, this fun, innovative, new company contacted me about their fun merchandise. It is IDEAL for people who like to personalize their clothes. For those of you who don't like when a brand is all over your shirt, or when four of your closest friends all have the exact. same. thing. The Frat Collection is all about YOU!

These are just a FEW of the multitude of options!

Basically the way it works is you pick out your shirt color and pick our your pocket. 

Some of my favorite pockets include:

The Cindy for girls (doesn't this just SCREAM LBP?!)

The Clayton for boys

The Hardee for boys or Jaclyn for girls (I have this one!!)

The Laura for girls

The Ambrose for guys--I HAVE to like this one since my sister's going to be an Auburn Tiger in the fall! WDE!

The Kelly for girls or Edward for guys--and on that note, this is the PERFECT Gamecock pocket!

This was a phone close up of my shirt! I ordered a Jaclyn pocket on a Gulf Tides long sleeve shirt! The minute I wear it for the first time I'll be sure to post a proud photo of it!

One of my favorite parts about TFC, is that a portion of the price gets donated! I donated mine to the American Red Cross and you can donate to any charity of your choice!

I am SO excited to be showing y'all the Frat Collection and fully expect to be seeing them all over the SEC schools! 

xxKatie

Classic Preppy

While shopping around a little in Nordstrom with my sister, there was this AMAZING display of men's shirts. She had already started going up the elevator when I stepped back to check them out. Wondering who made them, I did a little investigating and found that it was Brooks Brothers! Naturally! Check out some of their new shirts that I'm in love with:

Madras elbow pockets? I mean come on, how cute are they!?

It comes in a clean white with a navy/red plaid combo too! What's not to like?

This was really the shirt that caught my eye though! I love button downs and actually have all the different components of this shirt myself: blue stripe, pink, blue solid. I LOVE this shirt and would buy it in a heartbeat! It would look great paired with regular jeans and boat shoes--a staple outfit in any guy's wardrobe!

Do y'all like these two looks for guys? I'm a big fan and I love that Brooks Brothers did a few pieces like this!

xxKatie

Gameday Central: Smathers & Branson

So as the SEC child that I am, I'm excited for the first day of school as much as the next girl, but what I'm really most excited for is our FIRST GAMEDAY! Needless to say, I'm always always always looking for good gameday dresses, accessories, and general Gamecock stuff!! One of my favorite places to look for Gamecock stuff is Smathers and Branson! (They're a BIG deal in the SEC, as I'm sure any of my Southeastern Conference readers can attest to!)

I mean really, no matter WHO you root for, this is PERFECT! The neutral backing would go with literally everything in your closet!

Y'all know I'm a sucker for anything Garnet and Black. Of course this key fob is great for any current, future, or alum Gamecocks! Pop this badboy on your key ring and everyone already knows who you cheer on (and who ya don't...Clemson...or shall I say, the school-that-must-not-be-named?)

For the rest of my readers who aren't SEC guys (which how fun is this, a post for the boys!!) or gals, here are a few of my other favorite picks:

This Bonefish belt is my all time favorite needlepoint belt that S&B makes! It is so fun and whimsical and perfect for any guy out there!

This Elephants and Martini needlepoint belt is certainly more whimsical and fun! Fun fact: the martini glasses are actually silvery! SO fun--y'all know how much I like extras like that! Plus, let's be real, pink elephants enjoying cocktails...I'm all about it!

Now this pick is for the girls! This Houndstooth would be perfect to transition into fall! I can pair this with so many Gameday outfits!

How fun is this stuff! Perfect if you're a guy or a girl! Keep your eyes out for ANOTHER fun pairing with Smathers and Branson coming up soon!!

Anyone else out there S&B fans? Count me in!

xxKatie

"Abandon all hope, ye who gaze upon these pants..."

For any of you who didn't know, Brooks Brothers writes a wonderful blog called "Of Rogues and Gentleman" (for all my fraternity readers out there, you BEST start reading this ASAP.) I recieved many comments about these pants via Twitter (P.S. edit: most notably that from Miss Skyler Elizabeth inquiring why there hadn't been a post about these yet. Well  sCe, consider this YOURS. I moved it up a few days just for you!) and email. As a native Annapolitan and transplant South Carolinian, these pants are nothing out of the blue for me. I'm used to critters all over, various colors like you wouldn't believe and the shirts that match. A boy in colored chinos or critter pants already has my heart--cue swooning.

Here they are, the infamous "Go to Hell Pants":

They have critters--and for those of you who don't understand the idea of critters, we don't mean bugs; it's a collective term for small embroidered "critters" on preppy paraphernalia, like these:

The "critters" can be anything from whales to rowing oars to skull and cross bones to life preservers. The chinos can vary in color too. I've seen green, pink, khaki, white, you name it!

My favorite section of the Brooks Brothers post was toward the end of the post titled, "WHY YOU’D WEAR THEM":

Usually this would be a “where to wear them” section, but the wearer of go-to-hell pants is usually more concerned with “why” than “where.” That’s because, aside from the fact that wearing them is just plain fun, wearing go-to-hell pants can be treated as a game of style chicken with your friends. Except instead of going over a cliff in a ball of flames, you’ll be seen as the most daring dresser around.

...And I couldn't agree more!

xxKatie

Carolina Cup Week: The Results!

Well, I am beyond exhausted from Cup, but man-oh-man was it fun!! We got up at 6am (YIKES!) and left around 8:15 to head to Camden and the race fields. We found our big ol' tent a little while later and set up shop shortly after that. Here are some of my favorite pictures of the day:

We hit up the Vineyard Vines tent pretty much as soon as we got there! Honk if you love patchwork!!

Me and my FAB date, Dan

Sara, Michael, Derek (my best dressed choice of the entire event!) and me!

More of the brothers

Two of my favorite people in the entire world!

Most of the Beta Theta Pi brothers from USC!

We were busy bees all day long! I will be sleeping in as long as I can on Sunday!

xxKatie

Carolina Cup Week: The What + Where

So, you heard it's time for Carolina Cup, huh? Well, what is Cup might you ask? And how cute is that Lilly logo for Carolina Cup this year?!

"The Carolina Cup race-meeting is a time honored South Carolina tradition that has achieved premier social event status. The annual 'rites of spring' draws over 65,000 fans from throughout the southeast, to enjoy the thrilling sport of steeplechase horse racing amid a flurry of spring fashions and elaborate tailgate parties. From our Hospitality Terrace to College Park, old friends meet and new friends are made during the afternoon of six races."

It's in Camden, SC and is one of the biggest tailgates in South Carolina!

Fraternities tend to take advantage of the day and turn it into a big ol' date function. All of my guy friends in frats have their outfits picked out, know who their dates are and are all looking forward to the day!! I just went shopping with a friend of mine to pick out his pants and his matching bowtie in his fraternity colors (look for a post about it tomorrow!!). We had such a fun time choosing all the different options in the store and they were even having a special Cup trunk show!!

Girls get ALL Lillyfied or wear their favorite BRIGHT colors and wear BIG hats and all the guys don their best seersucker, plaid, madras or colored chinos! Bowties are a MUST--again, I'll have advice coming up this week for all of it!!

Carolina Cup is on April 2, who's going?! Better question: WHAT ARE YOU WEARING!

Anyone have GREAT photos of last year?! Submit them on the Let's Be Preppy Facebook Page or email them to letsbepreppy@gmail.com!

xxKatie

Beach Music

My shagging class is full up class-ic up's and down's and Colleen (my saint of a friend who is taking class with me) and I have gotten pretty into the music. We've been to Jillian's for their shag night and it was hilarious and not a bad time. Colleen got a few photos of our "abilities":

Some of the "older" men there who we met early took us under their wings and helped us out. They were SO nice and their wives were happy to give us pointers and help us get used to it!

Clearly I felt a little silly at times but we had good attitudes and kept it light!

This was my favorite shot of the night. Colleen being dipped by our friend Derek after a complicated move called "the pretzel"!!

I'm working on a list of all the fabulous songs that I can figure out and adding a few of my own picks to shag to. We typically dance to serious motown music that doesn't always have lyrics or are still on cassette tapes. Our professor has a few a-track tapes that she carries with her, but none of the machines are able to play them anymore! Some of my favorite songs include:

1. Loverboy by Billy Ocean
This is a song we dance to EVERY class. Colleen and I joke around each class and lip sync the whole thing while partly laughing AND making fun of ourselves, but everyone around us seems to enjoy it! As much as we make fun of this song, it's totally my favorite to dance to while we're in class.


2. This Magic Moment by Ben E. King and the Drifters

We've never danced to this one, but it has the right count and would just be SO CUTE to dance to! Confession: I always think of Andre (the movie about the seal...) whenever I hear this song. I feel SO old, and still so young at the same time!

3. Stand by Me by the Drifters

Classic beach song, you can't go wrong.

4. Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy by the Tams

We got a CD a million years ago from Pier 1 believe it or not, but I still love it. And what a great message for all of us college kids!

5. Under the Boardwalk by the Drifters

If this doesn't say beach music, I don't know what does!!

I'm really enjoying the dancing that we do in class and am excited to hopefully do it soon or over the summer!!

xxKatie

Annapolis Heather

I was browsing the Ralph Lauren website over the weekend and I'm not sure if I've ever had such a big smile come across my face while online browsing. I was looking at a men's half zip (an essential in a boy's closet as I've been advised by the always sagacious Skyler) and one of the color options was "Annapolis Heather":

First of all, hello mister model. Second of all, how great is that color? Quintessential Annapolis summer sky right there in color.

Look at that WONDERFUL color choice! I was SO excited to see it!

All my Annapolitans out there have got to be just excited as me!! What a perfect color for a half zip too!

xxKatie

Her Campus: A Collegiette's Guide to Life

Alright, so I don't ever really trust advice websites. I go to my closest friends when I need help with problems. I don't try to READ about the issues I'm ALREADY having. And when it comes to college advice guides, they're pretty much never ending! Until I found this great advice site all for college girls. It talks about everything from relationship issues, girl issues, budgeting, what and how to eat in college, and I honestly feel like they could be writing to me. They have representatives writing from a bunch of different schools so you get a great perspective from girls from the North, South, Midwest, East Coast, everywhere. I'm SO excited to see the Her Campus edition for USC and it debuts this week on the 15th! Some of my recent favorite posts they've had are:

1. 5 College Trends That Won't Go Away: this talks about the crazed trends that we've all seen (or may still be seeing) on campus. Too bad they forgot the Norts...

2. 10 Easy Ways to Save Money in College: my momma will be happy to see that I read this one!

3. Five Rules of Etiquette That Every Collegiette Needs To Know: I wish I could mass text/facebook inbox/email/tweet this article to most college girls I know. A little bit of polish and being polite goes so far in college.

4. The Craziest College Classes: 2010 Edition: From Star Trek to Nascar, you can find all the craziest sounding classes here!

5. How Technology has Changed the "Game" of Dating: Amen sista.

These articles are well-written by smart Collegiettes! They're real and I know many girls who read this website, if for nothing else, just for fun. Some things you can take seriously and some you can just laugh off. I definitely recommend checking this site out for any of my fellow fabulous college ladies!!

xxKatie

Guest Post: Bowties and Boatshoes

Thanks to Ryan over at one of my favorite guy's guy blogs! They offer so much great insight into dressing well, having a good attitude, and just being an awesome guy! I'm sure you'll agree!


Bowties & Boatshoes is not only the name of our blog, but it perfectly sums up our view of the East Coast Prep way of life, and two of the most basic versions of each are pieces that should be in everyone's collection.

First, let's talk about the bowtie.  The first thing you need to know is how to tie one.  If you don't know how, check out this video from Bows & Boats co-founder, Ben Meredith.  Second, you have to commit.  If you are going to wear a bowtie, you can't be shy about it.  Own the look, and have confidence in it.  If you don't, you are just going to feel awkward all day.  While there are a ton of great options out there, we think the perfect "starter" bowtie is the BB #1 Striped Bowtie from Brooks Brothers.  Brooks Brothers is one of our first stops when looking for simple classics, and this bowtie will look good for any occasion. If you want a more cost effective, less mass produced option, check out Ben's handmade bowtie shop at www.StarboardClothing.com.

While there are multiple pairs of boatshoes in our rotation, the one that we reccomend for everyone is the Authentic Original Boat Shoe from Sperry Top-Sider.  Sperry is credit with originating the boatshoe over 75 years ago, and their products remain some of the best out there.  No matter what type of boatshoes you own, there are three rules you should always abide by: 1. No Socks, this is not negotiable.  If you have to wear socks, wear a different pair of shoes.  2. No black soles.  If they soles are black, they are going to leave marks on deck.  3.  No complaining if they get wet.  Seriously, they are called boat shoes for a reason.  Don't worry, the leather can take a beating.

Obviously, this is just a small start to living the East Coast Prep lifestyle, but if you want to understand a little more each day, make sure Let's Be Preppy, and Bowties & Boatshoes are daily stops while you are cruising around the web.

xxKatie (+Ryan)

Be sure to check them out on Facebook! Shoot them a LIKE and you won't be sorry!

Outfit of the Day: Shagging Class Choices

January 24 by letsbepreppy featuring handcrafted jewelry

This was the outfit I wore to shagging! My shirt was a little different, but the color and sleeveless style from J. Crew was spot on! My shirt had a big rosette instead of the ruffles, but you get the idea. Our room was so warm that I can't imagine ever wearing anything besides sleeveless or MAYBE a cardigan. Anyway, it was super functional and the dress "code" was a pretty big range. A few of the sorority girls came in like 80's workout gear which looked a little out of place, but their leggings and t-shirts were comfortable for our "workout" type parts of class. Boys had all kinds of clothes on, but the most popular outfit of choice was a t-shirt and khakis with legal shoes (which ended up being, for most of us, socks). I had SO much fun and I can't wait to go back! I'm really looking forward to starting some of the harder moves and one of my close friends is pretty much a shag expert who even teaches at a local Jillian's! Depending on the weather and other variables Monday, I'll probably end up in a similar outfit!

xxKatie

Day Trip to Charleston: Major Success

So everyone knows that I was interviewing up in Charleston from when I asked for food recommendations! We had a WONDERFUL day on the coast and I absolutely cannot wait to return once it gets warmer!! This was my OOTD:

December 13 by letsbepreppy featuring microfiber tights

We left Columbia about 10:00 am and drove, rocking out to some pump-up tune-age. It took us (and I say us because my friend Aly and I went together...I needed a little moral support for the 4 hours of driving time) 2 hours to get there--such an easy drive! We found a parking spot right on King Street (how lucky were we?) right by an heirloom jewelry store. I managed to parallel park, thank you Annapolis' skinny streets built circa 1700. We walked around looking for a place to eat breakfast/lunch and finally settled on King Street Grill:

It was DELISH, but we sat right by the door and were chilly! I kept my coat on for a little while. The menu was pretty big and you could certainly satisfy most palates. 

We left lunch around 1:45, drove to Daniel Island and arrived to the interview destination around 2:20. I was a total geek and wanted to get there plenty early (my interview wasn't until 3:00) and I went inside and checked in at 2:30. Within a few minutes I was interviewed and done and I was out by 3:15!

We headed back to Charleston (King Street) after the interview and were parked and ready to get our shop on by 4:00! We shopped until about 6, when most of the stores closed and went to seek out a place to grab some DELISH dinner. We hit all kinds of stores! We popped into Palm Avenue, M Dumas, Oops!, the Finicky Filly, and a few others! (Sorry these pictures STINK, they're all from my BlackBerry!)

Palm Avenue was one of the prettiest Lilly stores I've ever been in, and I've been in my fair share. Everything was so meticulously organized and the Minnies section was massive! They had a great sale rack and the sales associates were darlings.

If only I was a boy...

(how cute are these!? Williams & Sonoma for the win!)

Aly snagged these unbelievable shoes!!!!

This coat was TOO much fun not to snap a photo of! If only I could remember where it was from...too...much...shopping...

You probably can't even see this picture because it's so grainy, but we were on the corner of King and Queen! SO CUTE!

After checking Christmas gifts off for everyone on my list, Aly and I headed to dinner right around 6. Places were EMPTY around then and the entire staff of Bocci's (an Italian restaurant) hopped-to when we walked in.

The food was great and our waiter was too sweet! I'd definitely recommend this place to grab something delish and super affordable to eat!

All in all the day was SUPER SUCCESSFUL! I can't wait to go back as soon as I possibly can!!!

xxKatie

P.S. In the words of Eloise, Merry Christmas EVE EVE!