Summary
Skull and Bones .Although imitating Freemason rites, they are in reality only a means of forging links with closed groups , people called to be future leaders in their respective categories. This spirit is further reinforced by university codes: sports, common dormitories, traditions... All this contributes to the prep's feeling of being members of an elite , within a culture of exclusivity .
As good conscious members of an aristocracy, the first followers of preppy strove to instill this whole system of values in their children, taking as a model what they knew: Brown's oak-panelled bookcases, the courts of Deerfield squash, or the nights at Choate Rosemary Hall.
This education was perpetuated from father to son by powerful families, until, like any elite, they were copied. Hence the democratization of the preppy look as we know it today, which has become yet another mainstream trend. Even so, his clothing fundamentals have remained unchanged.
© Credits: urbanbible.com
START OPENING OF PREPPY STYLE AND SOCIAL SATIRE
In 1980 , The Official Preppy Handbook was released, a work by Lisa Birnbach. The book, originally intended as a subtle parody of prep's, missed its goal with the public. It has thus become a kind of reference manual for good manners and upper class taste, definitively establishing preppy culture among ordinary mortals.
Chris Hogan, founder of the blog Off the Cuff , explains it this way:
"You don't wear rain gear over your blazer because you're an elite who wants to look accessible to the masses. You do it because you're that elite who tells your Latin teacher that like, technically speaking, you haven't broken any rules, there's nothing he can do to stop you from dressing like that.
And your rain gear is actually sailing gear, because – oh yeah – your dad owns a yacht. This “rebel in uniform” side has become the trademark of the democratized preppy style, and in particular of Ralph Lauren, who mixes formal and functional clothing.
The students in the film "Le Temps d'Un Week-End", secondary characters who wonderfully illustrate the "privileged, but rebellious and insolent" spirit which is inseparable from the preppy style.
CONTEMPORARY REINTERPRETATION OF PREPPY
Its current return (after a gradual abandonment in the 1980s), is symptomatic of the renewed interest in men's fashion , and is part of the same trend as Ralph Lauren has become the flagship brand of this culture , it is originally J.Press and Brooks Brothers ( the official tailor of American presidents , with its famous navy blue suit / red tie combo) which held this status (they established themselves directly on the campuses of Ivy League universities) .
The meaning of the term has, however, been diluted: from the very Ivy League rigid formalism of the 1950s, it now refers to anyone who is dressed in a slightly chic/classy manner. As we try to define the essence of a style in a practical way here, we will remain attached to its first definition: the irony of upper-class young men .
“PRE-TAKE” GETTING STARTED: MASTERING THE PREPPY STYLE
The preppy style corresponds to an “outdoor” style, that is to say a style designed for outdoor activities (initially: hunting, boating, golf, cricket, polo, garden parties): it remains comfortable and allows a certain ease of movement, while projecting this very “world apart” stilted elegance of the bourgeoisie.
We find the outdoor influence in the colors used: khaki, or on the contrary quite bright colors (stripes, field jackets, rust-colored straight pants and nautical or equestrian references).
The cover of Take Ivy, the legendary preppy book, the first edition of which is almost impossible to find.
Technically, there are two styles that we group together under the name “preppy”.
First: the traditional Ivy League style, and second: the current preppy style, with the excesses that we know (yes, we're talking about polo shirts in crazy colors and with huge embroidered logos).
PREPPY “IVY LEAGUE” STYLE
THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THIS STYLE
If it is this style that interests you, there is a bible released in 1965 in Japan, and almost impossible to find today: Gloverall , large, thick, with patch pockets and large frogs (= the iconic fasteners of this piece ).
Or a classic winter wool jacket, similar to a Harrington (beige canvas jackets with tartan lining), straight three-quarter length, single button placket, always in traditional colors and materials (wool, cotton, etc.). An occasional twist can be added with a teddy (the famous screen-printed jackets of American football teams, very popular on campus). Even the quilted Barbour jackets (the famous “ Red Wing . ”
Tops and shirts
A round neck sweater or cardigan, shawl collar or not, in the same basic colors, or in jacquard if you want to have a little fun. The advantage with preppy is that since it's classic, anything basic goes, as long as it's well matched. All that remains is to make it something fun, or something a little different from the norm.
Another Fair Isle sweater, not necessarily easy to match, which, with the socks, breaks up an outfit that would otherwise have been very sensible.
A simple, monochrome or striped shirt, in light tones (sky blue, salmon, pearl gray, off-white, etc.). And obviously, the Oxford shirt is a must in this style!
© Essential British credits
Blue shirt with white stripes that we would probably not normally recommend, but which he managed to match perfectly with this Two Guys' Bow Ties suit), rope belts, fabric belts (grosgrain is a classic of the preppy aesthetic) or in woven leather. Or even brightly colored socks ( Daniel Crémieux : for costumes with a preppy DNA par excellence. The prices are quite high but it's rather high quality overall.
THE FINAL WORD (AND PONY BONUS)
Now that you know this style full of codes, you can proudly strut at Yale University, displaying your mastery of preppy and its codes .
And as a bonus : here is a pony in a Fair Isle sweater, a means of student transport perfectly suited to asserting your belonging to the social elite while bringing out your rebellious equestrian side.
© Credits: The Featured Creature
