Preppy style
Sporting new twists on the old look
By Meghan McEwen
Following the lead of fashion conductors like Bill Blass, Calvin Klein, Gucci, Marc Jacobs and Prada, this season’s stars are hitting the high notes with shirt dresses, ribbed turtlenecks, Shetland sweaters, v-necks, sweater vests, plaid skirts and argyle prints. It promises the English elegance of Burberry with none of the stuffiness—and a lot more creativity. This fall, preppy is in, ladies—collars up!
The new preppy
Proven again and again with trends like surfer-chic, punk and most recently, preppy, style makes quite a stretch to imitate life—at least for the majority of us. Don’t be fooled by the false pretensions of preppy wear—you don’t need a thoroughbred to wear riding pants, an Ivy League education for sweater vests, nor an exclusive Country Club membership to get away with plaid trousers. In starched contrast, this trend playfully pokes some good humored fun at the very notion of high society.
There are some new twists on the old preppy look—and they don’t include pennies in your loafers or roll neck sweaters. This time around, preppy is a retro look, and most of its impact comes in the form of nostalgia, complemented by a post-millennium fashion sensibility. Izod polos are back, but they’re shorter, more fitted (sometimes with a little bit of stretch), and do not, by the grace of the twenty-first century, hang longer in the back than in the front. Penny loafers have been replaced by schoolgirl-style Oxford pumps, and turtlenecks have been ousted from underneath sweaters in the name of this season’s ubiquitous white collared shirt.
How to wear it
The best advice for going preppy this fall is to take it one or two pieces at a time, rather than coordinating an entire Town and Country ensemble. Mix and match with other styles to avoid looking like a fashion phony—an Izod with cargos instead of a pleated skirt, a snug sweater vest with worn jeans, not golf-like plaid trousers. Make a creative effort to incorporate traces of your personal style.
An easy way to prep up an outfit: wear a crisp collared shirt underneath a cashmere or Shetland sweater or the even preppier sweater vest. Spice up the collar-revealing look with a patterned shirt, or by exploring work well over collared shirts: cotton shirts with three-fourth length sleeves, ribbed silk tanks, and shift dresses.
Another simple, classic look for fall is the tweed skirt—from pencil to pleat, you can’t beat it for instant sophistication. Wear it with rounded toe pumps and a sweet and dainty tailored blouse. Plaid and argyle patterns should make regular appearances in your fall lineup—they’re tons of fun to wear, not to mention the most recognizable trademark of any modern-day preppy.
Where to shop
Most of us can’t afford the preppy-couture making its way down the runway, but luckily there are plenty of places already selling the kinds of styles you’ll need to pull it all together. For a stylish selection of creative-conservative clothing this fall, start scouting New York & Company, MaxMara, Barneys New York, Anthropologie, Club Monaco and even the Gap (selling a great tweed skirt for $58).
Other obvious options for preppy-ward consumers looking for classics: Ralph Lauren, L.L. Bean, Eddie Bauer, and J. Crew.
While much has changed since the last time everyone was mad about plaid, many of the styles still share a common thread: head to local thrift shops for authentically preppy garb. The '80s weren’t that long ago!
How long will it last?
Luckily, many of these preppy-right pieces are classics that will still be wardrobe staples long after the diehard prepsters stop putting pennies in their loafers. Turtleneck sweaters might not make the runway again next fall, but they’ll keep you toasty-warm for winters to come. And, let’s be honest, does cashmere really ever go out of style?
By Meghan McEwen
Following the lead of fashion conductors like Bill Blass, Calvin Klein, Gucci, Marc Jacobs and Prada, this season’s stars are hitting the high notes with shirt dresses, ribbed turtlenecks, Shetland sweaters, v-necks, sweater vests, plaid skirts and argyle prints. It promises the English elegance of Burberry with none of the stuffiness—and a lot more creativity. This fall, preppy is in, ladies—collars up!
The new preppy
Proven again and again with trends like surfer-chic, punk and most recently, preppy, style makes quite a stretch to imitate life—at least for the majority of us. Don’t be fooled by the false pretensions of preppy wear—you don’t need a thoroughbred to wear riding pants, an Ivy League education for sweater vests, nor an exclusive Country Club membership to get away with plaid trousers. In starched contrast, this trend playfully pokes some good humored fun at the very notion of high society.
There are some new twists on the old preppy look—and they don’t include pennies in your loafers or roll neck sweaters. This time around, preppy is a retro look, and most of its impact comes in the form of nostalgia, complemented by a post-millennium fashion sensibility. Izod polos are back, but they’re shorter, more fitted (sometimes with a little bit of stretch), and do not, by the grace of the twenty-first century, hang longer in the back than in the front. Penny loafers have been replaced by schoolgirl-style Oxford pumps, and turtlenecks have been ousted from underneath sweaters in the name of this season’s ubiquitous white collared shirt.
How to wear it
The best advice for going preppy this fall is to take it one or two pieces at a time, rather than coordinating an entire Town and Country ensemble. Mix and match with other styles to avoid looking like a fashion phony—an Izod with cargos instead of a pleated skirt, a snug sweater vest with worn jeans, not golf-like plaid trousers. Make a creative effort to incorporate traces of your personal style.
An easy way to prep up an outfit: wear a crisp collared shirt underneath a cashmere or Shetland sweater or the even preppier sweater vest. Spice up the collar-revealing look with a patterned shirt, or by exploring work well over collared shirts: cotton shirts with three-fourth length sleeves, ribbed silk tanks, and shift dresses.
Another simple, classic look for fall is the tweed skirt—from pencil to pleat, you can’t beat it for instant sophistication. Wear it with rounded toe pumps and a sweet and dainty tailored blouse. Plaid and argyle patterns should make regular appearances in your fall lineup—they’re tons of fun to wear, not to mention the most recognizable trademark of any modern-day preppy.
Where to shop
Most of us can’t afford the preppy-couture making its way down the runway, but luckily there are plenty of places already selling the kinds of styles you’ll need to pull it all together. For a stylish selection of creative-conservative clothing this fall, start scouting New York & Company, MaxMara, Barneys New York, Anthropologie, Club Monaco and even the Gap (selling a great tweed skirt for $58).
Other obvious options for preppy-ward consumers looking for classics: Ralph Lauren, L.L. Bean, Eddie Bauer, and J. Crew.
While much has changed since the last time everyone was mad about plaid, many of the styles still share a common thread: head to local thrift shops for authentically preppy garb. The '80s weren’t that long ago!
How long will it last?
Luckily, many of these preppy-right pieces are classics that will still be wardrobe staples long after the diehard prepsters stop putting pennies in their loafers. Turtleneck sweaters might not make the runway again next fall, but they’ll keep you toasty-warm for winters to come. And, let’s be honest, does cashmere really ever go out of style?
