Going with the flow of my last post, I'm sharing one of my favorite books on one of my favorite styles of dressing. Preppy! And, to be honest, this is the category of dressing I often fit into the best. Aside from purple, my favorite color is navy blue. I have two bathing suits, a sweater and a cover up all in the same anchor print and my favorite summer dress has navy blue anchors all over it. My rain boots are plaid and I seek out any reason to wear them. I am from New England after all!
So this book, Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style by Jeffery Banks and Dora De La Chappelle Forward by Lilly Pulitzer of course found its way into my collection of coffee table books.
I absolutely love this book for so many reasons. For one, it really does represent so many of the elements I incorporate into my own wardrobe. I love pieces that will defy time and will last me years and years to come and preppy clothing often does just that. So much of fashion today is all about speed, trends and how much can be sold and bought, but preppy style is totally opposite.
The "preppy" look can be traced back to the 1920s and even before that, first spotted on campuses of Ivy league schools where fortunate students were looking for a more relaxed way of dressing. Think F. Scott Fitzgerald and his book This Side of Paradise or a character like Tom Bucchanan from The Great Gatsby. Students incorporated more causal ideas, such as any pieces identifying them with a prestigious school, club or even sport, into their wardrobe with the formal norms of their time. With a enough flair to make it seem effortless, preppy style was born.
The book is filled with many wonderful pictures, dating back to the early 1900s and going all the way up to the 2000s, showing the evolution of the style. In many ways though, not much actually changes. Sure, the silhouette of a jacket, the width of a tie, the colors of a dress, how may polos can be worn at once, but the classics still remain. A smartly cut blazer, a neat button of shirt, a classic string of pearls, plaids, stripes and nautical references never go out of style.
So, if you consider yourself a prep-ster, have a love of history or just of fashion, I highly recommend Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style. It has just as much to read as it does photographs to look at, so you really get the best of both of worlds! The book really gives you an an appreciation for the style and how it has adapted to current events, yet remained timeless through the ages. My love for all things classic and preppy was really renewed after I read this and inspired me to wear and design with more stripes!
Thanks for reading!