Monday, Monday...here you ARE. And here I am.
I know I posted about Tommy H's preppy family vignette campaign last week,so sorry to extol the virtues of all things prep once again today, but it
must be done. Sunday's New York Times (Sunday Styles to be exact) had a
great article about the amazing photo book "Take Ivy" with photos by T.
Hayashida. The book is a tour through the eyes of a Japanese team through
the Ivyed Northeastern campuses of the late 1960s, and it's been a style
stalwart ever since. Apparently every designer from the J. Crew folks to the
Band of Outsiders peeps worship at the alter of this tome, which was out of
print for years and had all of the mystique of the Mona Lisa, if Mona was a
moneyed Wasp and a legacy to Harvard, naturally. I love peeping into this world and can very easily see why this book would
inspire American sportswear for years to come. I may have mentioned my
rather sordid case of Wasp envy- as a descendant of Eastern European folk,
my body simply can't handle a preppy thing, in any way. Once in a while I
may rock pearls, or a sweater over the shoulders, or maybe an LL Bean tote,
but that's where my preppy penchant ends, and trust me, it's for the best. I
shudder at the thought of myself in a polo collared shirt- I look rather
like a high school gym teacher in one of those so must avoid. It just
doesn't work for me. And Lily Pulitzer makes me look positively deranged. Aside from a tropical print and a house in Palm Beach, I have always envied
the lack of emotion (or display of such), penchant for afternoon gin and
tonics, and distaste for flashy shows of wealth. (Croquette anyone?) Yes of course I blogged about Keith Richards yesterday, and a prep he ain't.
(Though he lives in Greenwich, CT so riddle me that). I am influenced and
inspired by many movements, but the preppy thing is one I truly dig, because
it's decidedly American. I grew up during the publishing of "The Preppy
Handbook" and I remember it being some sort of Jewish porn- nobody in my
synagogue was named Muffy or Biff. Who were these creatures of reedy or
"athletic" builds and even temperament? The mind puzzled. Not to say there
was no such thing as a Jewish prep- my father was a major Ralph guy and my
first boyfriend drove an old BMW and popped his collar- though he was more
of what we used to call "sloppy prep"- which was tots cute. (Think baggy
khakis, shirts untucked under sweaters, and maybe some beat up LL Bean
bluchers or Diadoras). Oh and let's not forget how much we LOVED Jake Ryan
in "Sixteen Candles". So so cute. And am I crazy to find an old Volvo
station wagon kind of sexy? Cause I do. (Perhaps you remember an old post of
mine about a particular pair of LL Bean duck boots and the boy who would be
wearing them? That's who's driving the beat up dark green Volvo wagon PS). Powerhouse is republishing this little gem of prepster visuals and it will
be available in late August. I am getting in line as the summer winds down,
though I won't be wearing anything preppy when I queue up. I'll leave that
to the slim hipped and naturally blond amongst you. And that's what's up this madras plaid Monday in the MIA. Have a lovely day.
XO
