Do preppies still exiat?

I see them in Geneva Switzerland.

Why do you ask OP?

I imagine you've never been to Connecticut.

Um, yes....it's a visually identifiable way of life that's nothing new.

At least by the time I was in college (small, private liberal arts school in New England) we didn't wear LL Bean. That was seen as old people clothes.

Interestingly, Zac Posen does the womens clothes for Brooks Brothers now.

It's always been more expensive preppie line than LLBean, which is just a sportswear catalogue.

Sorry fornthe typo in the thread title.

Because I just got through re-reading The Preppy Handbook, R2. That ‘80s clothing thread made me think about how big preppy fashion was, filtering down to the unwashed masses.

There are many Italian, British, French, and Dutch "Preppies" too. They can come from other origins besides NE. Some of the best men's clothing Italy has to offer is quite preppy. I would say the same for Ricci Club by Nina Ricci.

“For the.” I give up.

R3 I met one this summer in Michigan at a yacht club from Connecticut . He even wore a sweater draped over his shoulders

Interesting R8. I never thought of preppy coming from France. I always think "chic" when it comes to French fashion.

R11 Well, look how many Frenchmen wear button-down Oxford shirts...they're even wearing them with suits now as Americans do. In France's defence, one shall never see a Statesman, or a CEO wearing them with suits. Nina Ricci is a nice French example, but there are other as well. An old American favourite of Preppies used to be GANT, which is a Swedish. It is still very popular in Britain. It has been awhile since I've shopped for clthes in France, but is a trend that comes and goes like all others.

The Portuguese label “Lion of Porches” is basically European preppy

Google French Preppy

BCBG. Never went away. What R8 said.

Preppy style was quite popular when I lived in Japan too in the nineties.

Yes. And they still think they're better than you and me.

R11 Lacoste is VERY French, and preppy ... How could I have forgotten?!

Lion of Porches Spring/Summer 2018

Yes, we do. We summer in Maine.

OP, Though perhaps not as popular, preppy style has devotees in Germany too. When I would travel there on business, I liked to shop at S. Oliver. Think better quality GAP meets Land's End.

R12 there's still a GANT in New Haven, CT, which only goes to show

R13 that brand name cracks me up.

Fan of Squirrel Island R20?

R22 I used to shop at one here in Chicago in my neighbourhood. (Wicker Pk/Bucktown) It sadly closed awhile back. JFK and Jackie were fond of GANT. They were photographed numerous times sporting it sailing.

r19 Ugh. I hope that flight hits a shitload of turbulence.

I always liked the preppy look. Especially when compared to the way most Americans dress today.

Preppy cock.

If you grew up in coastal New England in the 1960's, it wasn't a look. It was just the way we dressed. Blue blazers, khaki pants, Nantucket reds, Bermuda shorts, Sperry Topsiders, button down Brooks Brothers shirts and (small-p) polo shirts, usually LaCoste, were things you wore, not a "look" or a style.

More recently, La Paloma in Buenos Aires. Near the inevitable Ralph Lauren store.

They still exiat, but only when they exfoliate.

R28 I beg to differ from a broader sociological POV. People have always strove to emulate their "social betters", hence all the aspirational preppy brands like GANT, RL, J.Press, and the numerous catalogue companies synonymous with preppy style. The popularity of many of these brands, such as GANT began much earlier than the sixties. (founded by a Jewish immigrant in 1949). Many other famous "outsiders" have been accused of "ripping off" or "riffing on" the style of high tony WASPS ever since: i.e. Ralph (Lipschitz) Lauren, Martha (Kostyra) Stewart, J.Crew, etc. You may not have realised it was a look, but everyone else around the world seems to have! Preppy clothing offers people tasteful classic tailoring, which can be timeless. For those of us who do not embrace frivolity, designers, or fashion in general, it remains a safe and economically sound choice.

Uh... you really need to get out more. The entire neighborhood of Lincoln Park is all this type of bonobos and boat shoes and oxford shirts. And this is just one tiny neighborhood of one city. Not to mention, the Trunk Club was started here (and heavily sold / grown here) before Nordstrom bought them. It's hard to get more preppy than that. Do you think everyone is a hipster or greasy millennial or something? I am confused.

Yes. But in more flavors now.

R32 that actually flatters Kanye as nothing else has. There is hope !

OP's question was: Do preppies still exist? (I corrected the typo.) Are we discussing the people who are known as "preppies" or the clothes? Now, to answer OP's question. Yes, preppies still exist because we still have prep schools. OP, I shared your question with Mumsy. Her answer? NOKD

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: no God, no.

Check out the Knickerbocker Club, the Harriman Cup, The Frick Collection, the Central Park Conservancy, the National Geographic Society, Millbrook, NY, and the American Friends of the Louvre for details.

R31 Good evening fellow Chicagoan! I also wonder if the OP has ever visited down South. They seem even more stereotypically preppier than New Englanders from the eighties. OP should tune into the TV show [italic] Southern Charm [/italic].

Short answer, 'yes.'

Is that not Kanye 1.0? The Kanye that dressed in fitted shirts and sharp suits and ended the gangster wear overly baggy trend?

Of course they do!

That is exactly the "off" look popular in The South.

I like the preppy look and incorporate it my look from time to time.

What kind of tattoos do hot real preppies get? Hotchkiss or Choate. Or in college. Do they get tatted up like all other young men?

I have one royal blue Lacoste polo shirt that has been in my closet since late middle school, if you can believe it. The thing is, it won't wear out. It still looks good. I wear it regularly every summer and it still looks good.

I remember when Ralph Lauren's things used to be like this. You could wear them for years and years.

...And I'm 49 - dammit that was the whole point. I'm dumb.

I'm a rare bird...a Black Preppie before A Better Chance Days...a day when Black preppies were often the 2nd generation to go to boarding schools. It always amazes me how today, people think Ralph Lauren is the preppie look. Real preppies look like the Bush Presidents...even the Kenney brothers, JFK, RFK and Teddy...these guys, none of them were ever fashion plates or color coordinated. . In my day the fashionable thing for a preppie was Bass Weejuns with athlete tape wrapped around a tear in the stitching....When I got off the train from school, with this fashion statement , my mother was embarrassed and angry...

I think Jackie met JFK at a formal Washington dinner party with him wearing black tie with Bass Weejun brown loafers typical...George Bush admitted to not having a trendy gold AA Express card he still had the basic green AA Express card, and somewhat proudly displayed it....again these guys were never fashion plates... didn't care...about fashion.

I would hope only silly girls at Pomfret are getting tramp stamps R42. (or other third-tier American boarding schools) I'm too old, so I'm really out of the loop.

Hey R45! Yes, know a lot of black preppies. Have warmed up to the fashion/social scene somewhat as in the Hudson River Valley it was always balanced between both political factions and was very gay and lesbian friendly.

I grew up in Boston in the 60's, and pretty much just wore the khakis and Brooks Brothers button down shirts. My sense of style has not changed one bit. I'm 61, and still wear pretty much what I wore back then. I also wear bright colored pants -- lime green, red, yellow, etc -- which is a hallmark of typical New England dressing. I never thought of it as preppy. It is just what everyone I wore.

I live in the south now, but the preppy here is not the same as the preppy in NE. It is more Tommy Hilfiger than Brooks Brothers. Southerners iron their oxford cloth shirts, whereas someone from Boston wouldnt be caught dead in an ironed shirt.

[R45] So Hudson Valley has a cluster of us? Been looking for someplace to relocate, maybe I should look into it. Had friends in Tappan...is that the Hudson Valley? My friend said she watch one of the planes follow the river down to NYC on9/11...and couldn't figure it..Thanks!

they exiat on cak and graxy

R49, we're Rockefeller Republicans and (FDR) Roosevelt Democrats. Or is it the other way 'round?

No matter!

Most of us, young and old, have dropped dead of sheer rage within the last two years.

Can't think why.

The epicenter of preppydom is Murray's Toggery on Nantucket.

They are famous R52. I ordered my Reds shorts from the Tog Shop. I'm British, but love American prep style. I just cannot embrace Oxfords button-down collars with suits, or loafers with suits though.

Bitch is even called Muffy:

Preppy wear is mainly boating/nautical wear and Mass. guys still like their Nantucket red. If you're on the deck of a boat, you need the right shoes. If you live by the sea and it's a cold season, you need chunky cable knits/fisherman sweaters. If you're going to a school that requires a uniform, you have to wear the uniform. Form follows function in New England.

New England preppie wear is almost identical to classic Scandinavian styles because both regions have a major maritime heritage and both regions have cold winters. Sometimes bitterly cold. You'll see similarities with highland Scotland wear, too. Pea coats serve a purpose.

So what is tasteful, classic sportswear outside of those regions, R55?

R56 Preppy is kind of a New England thing; though obviously, prep school wear can come from anywhere. But then you have more of the horsey Kentucky "blue grass" and Texas kind of Prep look, a bit more rustic and for women, leaning towards Southern belle flouncy. Midwest is more tennis and golf Preppy, light slacks and pastel collared shirts. Preppy isn't really a West Coast thing, though it was adapted to the surfer looks of the 60's. Surfer hair, khaki board shorts and untucked pastel shirt is West coast preppy. Again, boating wear but more tailored to a warmer region.

R56 Obviously, you can adapt the preppie style anywhere but it's a distinct nod to East Coast culture, particularly New England.

R56 Baby boomers grew up during economic boom times and many were the first in their family to go to private schools and colleges. That's where the preppy influences of the 80's came from: The East Coast, West Coast cultural exchanges between students who went to school together and swapped style ideas or associated fond memories with a school uniform.

R59 ...and most of those schools are in New England.

R57, I agree with your assessment of Midwest preppy, but it should also include the sailing set. The Great Lakes are loaded with yacht clubs and some can be fairly preppy. Deck shoes and Bass Weejuns were huge when I was growing up. Lots of khakis and even Nantucket reds once in a while.

I like classic lines, so some prep works for me.

Good shoes, nice wristwatch, clean lines, quality fabrics, no 'busy patterns,' classic -

When I was attending Choate in the mid 60s if you unbuttoned the collar on your Brooks Brothers shirt it meant 'my frenulum is available'

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Of course we exiat!

R65 Egads, he's discovered the password!

Prep Rap

Must get.

R32 Kanye looks fantastic. I have never seen him look even close to that good.

Basic is the new preppy. There are a ton of basics out there.

JUDGING you.

Tyler The Creator should go full preppy. He'd look so hot in it.

HOT.

Good Lawdy.

Um Have any of you ever been to DC? Entire fucking city is preppy .. it would fucking cease to exist if preppy clothes werent available. There’s not one ounce of creativity or interesting clothing sold. 20 yr old nerd girl dress like Barbara Bush.

Michigan is mentioned somewhere upthread and I can vouch for a surprisingly large preppy contingent. All that water means sailboats and the clubs to keep them at. Preppy style is about not trying too hard and bonus points for old clothes or wearing someone else’s. Ralph Lauren Polo was never preppy—too calculated and totally lacking the I Don’t Really Care spirit that makes prep style so appealing.

Sweater tucking is unpreppy.

R76 is right. Old money types wear whatever they like safe in the knowledge they don’t have to impress anyone or dress like they belong because they *do* belong.

A clothing style isn’t defined by people who wear whatever & don’t think or care about it.

How does Kanye look so great in that pic? Is it photoshopped or just ancient?

Yes. Not exactly full-on, but 75%.

Hey {47] I goofed and sent this reply to myself. Hope you see it anyway. So Hudson Valley has a cluster of us? Been looking for someplace to relocate, maybe I should look into it. Had friends in Tappan...is that the Hudson Valley? My friend said she watch one of the planes follow the river down to NYC on9/11...and couldn't figure it..Thanks!

Preppy has less to do with clothes and outfits and more of a type of person / mentality!

[quote]The entire neighborhood of Lincoln Park is all this type of bonobos and boat shoes and oxford shirts. And this is just one tiny neighborhood of one city

People seem to be confusing preppy style with preppies. My question is not whether people still wear the clothing, which they obviously do. My question is whether preppies as a type—outdoorsy, old money, usually with Europe lineage, drinkers—still exist. Like those described in The Preppy Handbook.

I looked at some of the colleges listed as preppy magnets in the Handbook. Whatever these once were, many don’t appear to be bastion for rich white people anymore. It got me wondering whether preppies as a type disappeared as well, or what they’ve become. I know that Lisa Birnbach wrote an update to the Handbook, but it’s gotten bad reviews. The first one was clever and fun.

Down here in Naples, FL ( where you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a multi-millionaire) there is the untucked Oxford, khaki shorts and expensive leather loafers. My friend calls this look preppy, I call it rich douchebag.

R84 here- bonus points if the shirt comes from Vineyard Vines.

Yes, they still exist. Go to Deerfield, Hotchkiss, Groton, Portsmouth Abbey, you will find them. Bonobos and Vineyard Vine may have supplanted Brooks Brothers khakis and Lacoste, but the scions of old monied families still attend. You will find them at colleges and universities. Many are legacies at those institutions. They gravitate towards one another and effortlessly fit in.

Spend a weekend in Nantucket, Southampton, Lake Placid, or Bar Harbor and see them in Madras and Vilebrequin.

In Palm Beach during the season, you may see them at the Everglades Club or the Bath and Tennis Club, but never, never Mar-a-Lago, unless they are slumming to snicker at the portrait of the owner in tennis whites.

You may catch them in Hobe Sound in Florida.

And they are all dull, insufferable snobs! Not an ounce of wit or intellect to be found in the lot of them!

So R86, you see that in younger generations as well as older?

Of course preppies still exist. We just intentionally fly under the radar. It’s annoying the way our sartorial selections have been hijacked by interlopers so we have taken to buying more expensive clothes from places like Loro Piana which we still wear for years and years. The mentality is the same.

Everyone knocking the "Old Money" dames for being difficult, when they were actually the disciplined ones who kept generations of rich, privileged people from becoming unknowingly evil. The bad rep comes from younger generations who wanted to have fun as rich kids and groaned over the "rules" of not being a terror with your familial windfall.

Don't invite people to parties just to humiliate them, don't be obnoxiously ostentatious because that's insensitive of people who have less means. Don't be reckless with resources a family has worked and sacrificed for, over generations. Don't throw money at every whim based on emotions instead of intellectual discernment, where you unknowingly financially foot a human trafficking ring, even though you thought you were giving relief after a disaster. Be aware of people trying to use you and/or your children for your money and name, instead of being with you because they wanted YOU, love you and not your stuff.

Does anyone disagree with any of this? Sure, there were some bad rich people who were racially prejudiced and were obsessed with linking up their children with privileged, legacy named mates like mating dogs. Sometimes they were a bit TOO stern and disregarded the true love of their children over the wealth investment of joined families. But why couldn't we have just gotten rid of the bad stuff while keeping the good?

If today's SJW's were being honest, what they're truly pissed about is the loss of an honored concept of "Noblesse Oblige".

OP, I think people are confused about you meant because you said preppy STYLE. Style, to most of us it seems, means clothes and fashion, and, well, style. I think you meant old money preppy people, not style. The style endures, and the people? Of course they do. I think a lot of the breeding ground at colleges is diluted now because of the schools' desire for diversification, but it still exists. I went to grad school at Dartmouth, and there were old line preppies all over the place. They don't quite dress the way you would imagine, because everyone follows the lead of their classmates and not their parents, but they are there.

R90 again. OP, if you're really curious about the elite class, which includes those you are referring to, read Charles Murray's Coming Apart. It is brilliant.

[quote]r53 I just cannot embrace Oxfords button-down collars ...

I sometimes create a winsome, windswept look by leaving one of the collar buttons undone.

Call me a fashion renegade.

Preppies DO wear RL, especially foreign-born prepsters, and ypunger Americans. It just so happens they almost always select items without a Polo pony, or other visible trademarks.

So sorry, R88. That must be so difficult for you. Hugs.

[R87] I think the whole prep school culture has changed, like everything else. Firstly, the student body is mixed with girls/women so that's a major change. I remember talking with a guy at Taber Academy. We spoke at length because the Headmaster at my prep who was a graduate of Taber ...Taber has a beautiful campus on Buzzards Bay in Marion, MA. Anyhow he said the environment has completely changed, far more civilized because of the presence of girls. Certain environments are no longer considered remote environs for the elite...things change...even Ivy league and 7 Sister colleges. Again being an old black preppie before A Better Chance, attitudes and things have changed. Not knocking ABC, Gov. Patrick of MA was A Better Chance guy at Milton...he's a great guy

Private schools, Ivy and Seven Sisters are not new to my family...I had an older cousin who went to Dartmouth, then Yale Law in early/mid 50s...he lamented how today, Black Alumni at Dartmouth are different today...didn't ski, were often on scholarship etc For Blacks from the 30s and 40s (not my age group...not that old yet) where you applied was by it was word of mouth.

Valerie Jarrett went to Northfield before Stanford...a childhood friend was in boarding school in Switzerland, when her parents came back to the States, they enrolled her in Northfield, it was all girls...Like Jarret's parents her parents were professional diplomatic types as well...BTW far from an APE...

Cheshire was founded in 1794, and has seen better days, the school had a history of having black boys mainly from DC …, but then there was W.E.B. Dubois' grandfather and his brother who went there between 1815 and 1820...their white physician father enrolled them...they were from the West Indies.

But again, there has been a change, at least among black middle and upper middle class preppies...I still maintain that fashion wasn't a focus...Have to admit the Ralph Lauren look is hot, but most of the guys black and white I was in school with were more like the images in the old version of the1972 film A Separate Peace...take a look at it, more authentic than School Ties and so it goes. .

Interesting R95

Hey r84 I spent a couple weeks in Naples FL, it was like heaven in some ways but then it seemed like everyone was 100 years old - is anything happening there for people who aren’t ancient?

Connecticut casual is for real.

We shaped culture.

Please don't hate us because we're beautiful.

R72 Tyler's sense of style is pretty great overall.

Cornell Crew, 1897 - which one do you want?

standing, 2nd from left, slight smile, seems like a pleasant young man.

also the blonde coxswain looks game

The Japanese used to fetishize it, but maybe its finally fading.

White jeans has a healthy basket.

A tangent: From what I remember, some preppies also wore hippie stuff. Those Baja pullovers and the girls would wear Indian block prints - both sexes would do bandannas. And moccasins. That’s kind of a New England preppy thing. The Southern ones didn’t wear moccasins.

I want a preppy-themed wedding.

R110 I don't think actual preppies do theme weddings. A bit gauche.

^ that looks like a bunch of Hill staffers headed out for lunch in DC

Don't kill my buzz, bitches.

There have been bohemian preppies for a few decades. Stoners. South American woven clothes, hacky sac, vegetarian, grunge. Lots of prep schoolers were Dead Heads at one time.

R97- It’s either old people or young families. Off season the town closes up around 7pm, in season around 10pm and that only because there are so many people that you have to wait forever for dinner reservations. People don’t know how to drive, the humidity during the summer is killer and the wildlife will try to kill you. Having said that, I still love it.

R115

Do the Italian women from Chicago still wear mink to church on the 80 degree Sundays in February? (It’s been a while since I’ve been to Naples but it struck me as a bit odd...)

Even longer since Edmund Wilson was there in the early 1970’s when he referred to it as “This pastel hell, this sunlit nightmare.”

R116- There are no Italian women in Naples.

Jackie was the only Catholic who knew better than to wear fur before 6PM.

R84

Have you been to the shop Castaways (I believe it's called) in downtown Naples? Run by a branch of the Nantucket Murray family. Every other guy seems to be wearing knock-off Nantucket red trousers or shorts these days.

R98

The Nantucket Yacht Club is the epicenter of preppy in Nantucket. Wealth so old their bank accounts are in Babylonian drachmas.

Ultimate prepwear are those four color trousers - front, back, left and right different.

R119 I've seen the colour block shorts on Cape Cod many times. Shirts too. I've always been a fan of rugby shirts like that too, patchwork madras too.

I hate the way the stitched seams feel on my chest and back in those shirts, r120. I can't wear seersucker shirts for the same reason.

Some people are sensitive i suppose R121. If you are keen on the look, try a larger size and wear an undershirt maybe. I once owned a top-notch pair of patchwork madras trousers that were 3/4 lined... however buckram in the waistband irritated me each time I bent over. If my memory serves correct, I believe they were from The Custom Shop.

I've been looking for a pair of those panel pants that someone mentioned upthread. Each leg is two different colors. I've tried every shop I can think of, but cannot find anyone who sells them. Does anyone here have a clue where to get them? Thank you.

R123 Have you tried Murray's and J.Press? Try GANT too. Another rather preppy Italian line I like is Cesarani, though I believe the man behind the label may be Canadian.

I did, R123. It surprises me that i can't seem to find them anywhere!

R125 How about Vineyard Vines? They do custom orders, so perhaps they can make you a pair or two.

Preppy never was "in style" because it's never been out. The only thing that went out was using the word Preppy as a tag. For a certain people, typically those who avoid trends, tweeds, khakis, blue blazers, button down collars, loafers, etc. are just normal wardrobe staples. Subtle and classic. The key is in the quality of the tailoring.

R42, Establishment pillar George Schultz (still hanging in there at age 97), former Secretary of State, Treasury Secretary, Labor Secretary and Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Loomis-Chaffee '38 and Princeton '42, has a small, tasteful tiger tattooed on his left butt cheek.

R127 Cool you were able to find that pair. I remember the red, khaki, navy, and green combo.

I plunged my hand into his Madras shorts. We could hear Brett hitting tennis balls against the wall just a few feet away. "Mark!" he gasped. "It's okay, Trevor, I won't tell anybody"

[quote]Do preppies still exiat?

No, the AODS wiped them out.

[quote]People have always strove to emulate their "social betters"

A shame they haven't striven to emulate their grammatical betters.

Brooks Brothers filed for bankruptcy yesterday.

Prep schools are not full of WASPie preppies and haven't been for over 2 decades. My brother went to Andover, and 30 % of the student body were Asian/Indian, and another good portion Jewish. I think that is great, by the way.

I went to Harvard in the mid 80's and true WASPie old money preppies were few and far between. Except for one of my roommates, a Phipps. His girlfriend was black.