Carolina Cup Week: Today's the Day!

BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!

Can't wait to see everyone's well-dressed, hat-covered, CAROLINA CUP LOVING faces!

For tips, tricks, and photos, follow me on Twitter (@letsbepreppy) and Instagram (@letsbepreppy) for updates all day long!

xxKatie

Carolina Cup Week: The Dress

Girls take a long time in choosing an outfit, we know that. Imagine Christmas plus warm weather plus a day long tailgate plus mimosas plus hats and you've got the beginning of the gist of Carolina Cup.

Choosing a dress for Cup is no easy task. I take awhile in deciding my dress. Carefully evaluating all my options. Trying on tons and tons and tons of different styles. Do you go strapless? Straps? Stripes? Solids? Prints? Ruffles? Longer hems? Peplum? Embellishments?

And that's only after you've made the choice of designer. Lilly is the obvious choice, and 95% of stylish Cup attendees will be in a Lilly Pulitzer dress dating back to 2003 until the last 3/25 shipment.

There are so many choices! After having worked a full Cup season, these are the front-runners of dresses:

The Lowe Dress in Pretty Pink Tootie was hands down the most popular dress that people were buying for Cup! It is SO stinking cute on, and we even suggested monogramming the seersucker part on top!

The Payton Dress was second ONLY to the Lowe Dress. This sweet strapless number was so popular, and I have to think it's due to all the faaaaaabulous colors in the print. They really knocked it out of the park with this floral look.

Although a late arriver to the game, the Lonnie Dress was another big player! This dress was really elevated when you added a belt. Knockout!

Valentina Dress--pink seersucker, TDF. Done and done.

The Sandrine Dress in Shorely Blue Tossing the Line was an early front-runner. There are fun embellishments and the back is a big V. So so so cute, but definitely better for the shorter gals!

The Adeline Dress in my book is a "life dress". I have this from last year and I was elated that it was brought back for Cup '13--apparently so was everyone else! This was snatched up SO quick!

The Nina Dress in Tootie was another popular choice! As you can see, the best part about this shift is the ADORABLE back and zipper!

I have also been TIGHT-LIPPED about my own dress, but I am SO excited to announce that I am wearing the Lowe Dress in POP!:

As soon as I saw this dress on the back cover of the Spring catalog, I knew this was going to be my Cup dress! I ordered it and had to do a bit of altering to make it Cup-ready, but I. Am. In. Love. I look forward to taking LOTS of pictures with anyone who has made the same choice as me, because, we all know that great minds think alike! This dress and print are one of my favorites I've seen in recent years, and I am THRILLED to be wearing this number!

What are you wearing? Is you dress on the short list? Do spill the beans...I did!

xxKatie

Carolina Cup Week: The Course & Races

Carolina Cup takes place at a quaint racetrack in Camden, SC at Springdale Race Course. It's about 35-45 minutes out of Columbia and attracts attendees from Florida to Virginia! I've actually met students from as far away as Virginia Tech and Florida State University. I've heard rumors of a bus of Arizona fraternity brothers making it for the weekend this year as well!

Taken from the Carolina Cup website, here's a little bit of the Cup history:

Springdale Race Course is situated just on the outskirts of town, and hosts two of the most important steeplechases on the yearly calendar – the extremely popular Carolina Cup in the spring and the prestigious Colonial Cup in the autumn.  Interestingly, in a state where pari-mutuel betting is not allowed, more than 60,000 people routinely show up and have a wonderful time at the races. Clearly, going racing in the South is not just about the chance to win a bet.

Camden is well known as a training center for racehorses from the Eastern part of the U.S., and throughout the world. With its spacious, well maintained grounds laid out in the European training style, there are a variety of places in which to train and exercise the substantial horse population. Hall of Fame trainers have habitually sent their horses to Camden for a winter rest, or some rehab following an injury. It is also where young Thoroughbreds can begin their early training in a relaxed atmosphere away from the sometimes frenetic and more confined space of the racing facilities in major urban cities, such as New York and Miami. Many champion racehorses have called Camden home at some point during their careers, including the incomparable Ruffian.

There are also several areas of Springdale including the Grandstand (pictured above), Infield, Rail areas, Paddock and College Park. When you think Carolina Cup, depending on your age, you'll think of any of these locations. College Park is the big college area filled with tents while the Grandstand is your nicest area of the course. 

Where is your group staying? Do you want to see any of the races?

xxKatie

Carolina Cup Week: The Hat

It's no secret that Carolina Cup is an event where a mantra is "Go big or go home." This is perfectly understood in your choice of a hat!

Last year I had that pink striped floppy hat, and two years ago I had a plain straw hat from Belk with a bow that I added myself:

It actually came initially attached with the most heinous zebra-y/giraffe-y scarf that I took off and then added the bow in place of! Keep that in mind while searching for hats--most attached scarves are removable with scissors and a little elbow grease!

The most important part about your hat is matching it with your dress of course! There are so many different options for Cup hats that you can choose!

Marley Lilly has certainly become a force to be reckoned with as far as Cup hat choices go! They have SO many different color options that you are bound to find one that will match your dress. They even offer monogramming too to make it personal!

Target has great options in-store if you need a hat in a pinch! What's great about a plain, straw hat like this one, is that you can add a ribbon to match your dress. Like I said, that's what I did two years ago and it was great! I tied a false bow, and glued it down with fabric glue--I even added a few staples in invisible spots to make it REALLY secure!

Yet again, the bigger the better! This hat from Amazon has my name all over it! I'd even love to rock this one AFTER the Cup!

What does your hat look like? Are you added fun accessories like a bow or sash?

ANYONE have any good suggestions on how to avoid hat head also? LET ME KNOW!

xxKatie

Carolina Cup Week: The Bow Tie

Carolina Cup is not for the long tie. Sorry to those guys who insist on no-bow ties, but it's just the way it is. You wear a bow tie. Not only that, but you wear about as festive of a bow tie as you can find. This might mean:

Southern Proper's Topless Beau

High Cotton Ties' Spring Four Way Bow Tie

Social Primer's Sea Island Bow Tie

Southern Proper's Mint Julep Beau 

Lilly Pulitzer's Resort White Spring Fling Bow Tie (Lilly or louder, right?!)

Bow ties are the single most important MUST-HAVE for the guys on the day of Carolina Cup! For the gals, you must insist that your date dons his best beau so that you can boast  you've got the best lookin' date of them all out there!

xxKatie

Carolina Cup Week: The Holiday

Carolina Cup is the biggest party of the spring in South Carolina!

It's our version of the Kentucky Derby in Camden, SC!

It's a horse-race that starts with mimosas in the morning, party busses to the race course, and popping from tent to tent throughout the day!

Students from almost all the local schools attend, with some making a weekend or entire 24-hour event of the day. It's one of my FAVORITE events each spring and is THE place to see and be seen!

Last year, it started out in the POURING rain, but eventually the day brightened up!

One of my favorite excerpts about the Cup, from Columbia Living Magazine says, "The label “clothes horse” may have been first applied at the Cup; seersucker and madras plaid make new debuts there each year. And Palm Beach shades, especially Lilly Pulitzer’s signature pinks and greens, are sported by sorority sisters and once-preppy matrons who, in the ‘60s, affirmed the venerable Florida designer’s belief that tropical colors and patterns make posh resort attire of simple sundresses."

This Cup week will cover EVERYTHING you can think of about the Cup! Any questions? Tweet them at me @letsbepreppy!!

Will you be there?

xxKatie

Carolina Cup Week: Opening

You know the famous Andy Williams song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"?

Well hum that as you read posts for the next week! Because, y'all it IS THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR! 

It's Carolina Cup week! Carolina Cup is on Saturday and I for one, am SO excited!

Last year I had the opportunity to be a part of the Lilly Pulitzer corporate team of workers who helped man the Lilly tent at Cup! I will be returning again this year to be at that same post, so I can't wait to see some Cup-loving familiar LBP faces again! We had so much fun last year, even if the day did start out with pouring rain--I swear my boots were famous that day!

This week will be devoted to all the different aspects of Carolina Cup for those of you who may not be familiar--you will be fully educated in Carolina Cup by the time it rolls around on Saturday!

xxKatie

Giveaway Monday: Southern Beaus

I love finding new brands, and I especially love finding new brands that have owners that are tied to the University of South Carolina. Ashlyn, owner of Southern Beaus, is a fellow Gamecock! She has so graciously offered to giveaway any bowtie to a reader who wins this giveaway!

With Carolina Cup right around the corner, I don't think this bowtie giveaway can be more perfect!

Ashlyn sent me this clutch a few weeks back and without spoiling my Cup dress, this matches PERFECTLY. I don't know she knew, but she did and it was too perfect! I am SO excited to have this with me on the big day!

In order to enter the Southern Beaus giveaway use Rafflecopter, and if you can see it, click on the title of today's post!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Entering!

xxKatie

Bows on Toes

"Bows on Bows" was a post that my friends enjoyed talking about for awhile and even ended up as chatter at a bar one night, so I figured I'd bring it back since it was popular!

Bows seem to be a big trend this year--color me a fan! I love bows whether they're an addition to a piece, an extra decoration or on the tips of your shoes!

Starting off with a BANG, these Ferragamo flats are the flats that made bows on shoes a staple. It doesn't get more classic than Ferragamo patent flats and these will ALWAYS be in style. Treat them right, and they will certainly treat you back! How could you not start with these shoes when you're talking about bows on toes?!?

I am SMITTEN with these bow pumps by Butter! I love the shimmer yet neutral characteristics about them and they are just girly enough! These would be great for Christmas, a wedding and anything and everything in between!

The reigning Queen of Flats, Tory Burch herself has even come out with a bow laden shoe great for fall and winter! This caramel color will look great with any bottoms of your choosing for fall and winter. I get so much use out of my TB Reva's that I'm sure I'd be able to find a time for these to add into the rotation!

What's not to love about these Kate Spade pumps? The mesh is a new look, but these would be TDF for the spring and if I was bold enough and confident enough, I would L-O-V-E to wear these to Carolina Cup or the Kentucky Derby!

These flats are so darling and have LBP written all over them! I'd pair these with SO much of my closet, not to mention basically ALL of the newest Lilly Pulitzer Resort 2012 sportswear. I'm obsessed with the multi-layer bows on these toes!

I have had a few pairs of Enzo Angiolini pumps in the past that I have LOVED. These are great work pumps that would go with so much since it has both black patent and neutral tones on it!

Do you like the bows on toes trend? I do! I do! I do!

xxKatie

Foul Weather Wellies

It was POURING last night. The kind of rain where I feared time and time and time again that my car window were open (they weren't) and I got nervous anytime I saw a sky-filling bolt of lightening.

I have these tall, candy pink Hunter Boots (Wellies) that I love! I sometimes hope that the weather will be bad, just so I can wear them! They gained a good bit of fame at Carolina Cup, when I was featured on the Lilly Pulitzer Instagram:

I love these boots and got them NEW for a HUGE steal on eBay! (I then made the mistake of accidently sending them home to my house in Annapolis...not South Carolina...)

As I type this post and it's raining cats and dogs, I'm secretly hoping that it's still not so nice weather in the morning so I can rock these boots!

Here's to foul weather wellies!

xxKatie

Carolina Cup: It's A Wrap!

CAROLINA CUP WAS A BLAST!

(Photo thanks to the Lilly Pulitzer Instagram, seen here!)

I can't explain how much fun I had! I spent about 2/3 of the day working and the other 1/3 popping around from tent to tent making the rounds to say hello to everyone!

As you can see, the day started out a little wet. And by a little I mean a few raindrops less than pouring. I had my fabulous pink Hunter boots on to stay dry and un-muddy! It worked out perfectly for the morning, but thankfully it perked up a bit and our weather majorly improved!

This is another view of my outfit:

As you can see, once the weather changed for the better, I slipped into my Platinum Jacks and was good to go!

And my Carolina Cup bangle stack:

It was a combo of bangles from my own collection including J. Crew and KEP Designs!

The dress on the left, the Lilly Pulitzer Lottie Dress in the Multi State of Mind Patch was probably the most popular dress that I saw! I don't think I could ever get sick of that patch though because I always learn new things when I see it!

Some of my favorite parts of the day were meeting LBP followers and Twitter friends, like sweet Morgan here! I felt like I knew her already and we both go, "I'M SO GLAD TO FINALLY MEET YOU!!" when we saw one another!

I was also SO excited to meet Sally, our fabulous Lilly rep who has made SO many of my important outfits possible (read: Cup, 21st Birthday, etc.)! How cute does she look in the Ricci shift in that same patch!? Kathryn and I had to snag a picture with her!

I was able to sneak off for a little while to find some of my friends and we all snagged a few pictures together!

All in all, Carolina Cup was a HUGE success! I don't know how I can beat it next year! I can't say thank you enough to all of the wonderful Lilly ladies who took me in as one of their own, LBP followers who came up and chatted, friends who paid me visits, and everyone else who made this such a fun day! This was TOTALLY the BEST CUP EVER!

Until next year, Carolina Cup!

xxKatie

Merry Cupmas!

Katie's Recipe for a Great Carolina Cup:

1 Part Perfect Dress

2 Parts Platinum Shoes

1 Pinch of Patterned Hat

5 Cups of Koozies 

2 Parts Pearls

10 Parts Party

1 Pinch Posse 

_____________________________

ADD and BAKE at 81° with a 30% chance of rain for best consistency for Carolina Cup 2012!

It's here y'all! 

Merry Cupmas!

xxKatie

(Side note: I will be working at the Lilly Pulitzer table and would love to see readers! Please come say hello so we can get a photo together!)

0 to 80

This is one of the commemorative Carolina Cup posters in honor of the 80th anniversary!

This poster is by Robert Ariail and is currently on his website, here! We got a copy of the poster in the store, and were OBSESSED the minute we saw it!

I love the illustration of the generation gap: you've got the college guy and gal on the left, totally plugged in and rocking their new-school Vineyard Vines and Lilly (presumably). You then see our next characters, rocking the fur stole and tuxedo! I even love the dogs checking out the food in the corner.

This poster is too much fun! It may have to be the beginning of a fun collection if you know what I mean!

xxKatie

Getting Closer!

Carolina Cup season is close to that of a holiday. There's this big build up for a day long event. There's special dress, a special place it's celebrated, and fun, food, and drinks are all involved. All the makings of a holiday. Clearly there's a special order of steps necessary for Cup:

Step 1: Dress

The dress is the most important part. From the dress you can decide everything else: hat, shoes, accessories, cooler, date's outfit, etc.

Step 2: Hat

People don't mess around with hats, we mean business. I wore a simple, small hat last year with a white bow that I made myself. It really looked good and matched my dress. It was a popular hat, and my friend and Cup buddy (we both slightly ditched our dates, which we can now admit to, almost a year later) Colleen and I actually ended up with the same hat:

This year I'll be wearing the hat above. Would you ever guess it's from FOREVER21?! I know, crazy right?

Step 3: Accessories

Your accessories totally depend on your dress and hat. If you have a plain hat, dress it up with bold accessories? Have a loud hat or dress: keep it simple or go without! Last year I had a bright dress, plain hat and went with a standard string of pearls. This year I'll have my hat and dress with that funky neckline, so I'll have to work on the rest very soon!

Step 4: Jacket

Often forgotten, a jacket or windbreaker of some sort is ESSENTIAL. Our bus got to Cup on the very early side and the grass was still dewy and it was windy. I was also glad I had my jacket when we got closer to going home as well. 

How  many Cup steps have you taken so far? The big day is getting closer and closer!

xxKatie