Last night Jeffrey Banks (pictured above) and Doria de La Chapelle signed copies of their new book “Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style” at Saks Fifth Avenue. It was a full house, though hardly a Prep-a-Palooza. Besides your humble blogger in rep tie and pinned club, there was just KJP and sweetheart:
Ironically, Saks sells us very very little clothing that’s preppie or trad or what ever. The 6th floor has Ralph Lauren, but the rest of that floor is all around Italian suits most of which are conservative but not discernibly Anglo-American in style. The 7th floor is of course the fruitcake floor for the most part.
I say we all get together and send our gently and not-so-gently used hosiery to Mr. Castleberry. We could splash some paint on them first before sending it to him.
Seriously, I admire the guy’s style, but sockless when it gets cold? I’ll pass.
I just bought a copy of their new book last week and wish I’d known about the signing last night. It must have been a lot of fun. Oh, well. Maybe another time.
Zach, I do think a collar gap is an unpardonable fit sin — far worse than many other flaws people fuss about — but one shouldn’t judge fit from a photo from a single angle not taken expressly to judge fit. Besides, in this particular case Castleberry’s pose guarantees that the jacket will ride up, and I assume in normal situations his jacket fits just fine.
You mean “prole gape,” I think, à la Paul Fussell? @bucephalus is correct, it just looks like that because he’s got his hands in his pockets.We can’t all look like RL catalogue models all the time.
Cool. I will most likely buy this book. Jeffrey Banks is one of the players in the unofficial Ralph Lauren biography Genuine Authentic. I would definitely like to read more about his point of view on things.
The last fellow is wearing a tweed jacket, not a blazer. Which photo do you mean: “An old Choatie” (the gentleman wearing a blazer and bar stripe tie) or “#1 on the American Hosiery Association’s Ten Most-Wanted List” (the young man wearing a brown tweed jacket)?
shame, becuase the guy in tweed seems to have one of those faces which are distinctive and claw at a memory at the back of the mind, to no avail. by the by, in regards to anoymous’ question the tweed jacket looks like michael bastian for gant – the square elbow patches suggest that – and the tweed on FEC probably is rugby ralph lauren if its the same one he usually wears. However, in regards to the blue blazer i couldn’t tell. either i did not recognise the buttons for the brand which they are advertising or they are personalised thus making the blazer an add to those in the know.
Ironically, Saks sells us very very little clothing that’s preppie or trad or what ever. The 6th floor has Ralph Lauren, but the rest of that floor is all around Italian suits most of which are conservative but not discernibly Anglo-American in style. The 7th floor is of course the fruitcake floor for the most part.
Holy crap; where was this? Whick Saks?
The Saks on Fifth Avenue.
My copy of Preppy just shipped… do you know if they’re going to be in MA (it doesn’t make sense if they don’t) by any chance?
I love it when readers assume I’m omniscient.
It blows my mind how uber-preppie KJP’s gf is. She’d look preppie in beat up coveralls.
Was it more than drudgery? The article reads almost like you were forced to write it . . .
Now if they were only wearing LL Bean Rubber boots…
then the UK folk would consider it to be “Ivy”.
/sarcasm
Sarah Vickers looked lovely as always, and your moniker for Fred was hilarious.
FEC looks great. I wonder how many Tumblrs will crucify him because they think throwing around terms like “collar gap” makes one a tailoring expert.
Got my copy of Preppy via Amazon yesterday and done with it today. Check Amazon reviews. Average ratings at best. Underwhelmed. Now table top.
Cultivating or capitalizing? Can’t possibly see how True Prep and Take Ivy can be topped
zambonesman – will be interesting to see what you think of Hollywood and The Ivy Look!
I say we all get together and send our gently and not-so-gently used hosiery to Mr. Castleberry. We could splash some paint on them first before sending it to him.
Seriously, I admire the guy’s style, but sockless when it gets cold? I’ll pass.
Buddy Holly lives!
I just bought a copy of their new book last week and wish I’d known about the signing last night. It must have been a lot of fun. Oh, well. Maybe another time.
Zach, I do think a collar gap is an unpardonable fit sin — far worse than many other flaws people fuss about — but one shouldn’t judge fit from a photo from a single angle not taken expressly to judge fit. Besides, in this particular case Castleberry’s pose guarantees that the jacket will ride up, and I assume in normal situations his jacket fits just fine.
“Collar gap.”
You mean “prole gape,” I think, à la Paul Fussell? @bucephalus is correct, it just looks like that because he’s got his hands in his pockets.We can’t all look like RL catalogue models all the time.
Cool. I will most likely buy this book. Jeffrey Banks is one of the players in the unofficial Ralph Lauren biography Genuine Authentic. I would definitely like to read more about his point of view on things.
Anyone know where the last fellow’s blazer is from?
Anonymous,
The last fellow is wearing a tweed jacket, not a blazer. Which photo do you mean: “An old Choatie” (the gentleman wearing a blazer and bar stripe tie) or “#1 on the American Hosiery Association’s Ten Most-Wanted List” (the young man wearing a brown tweed jacket)?
please excuse my ignorence, but who is the dude in tweed as well as the man from choat?
Afraid I’m as ignorant as you.
shame, becuase the guy in tweed seems to have one of those faces which are distinctive and claw at a memory at the back of the mind, to no avail. by the by, in regards to anoymous’ question the tweed jacket looks like michael bastian for gant – the square elbow patches suggest that – and the tweed on FEC probably is rugby ralph lauren if its the same one he usually wears. However, in regards to the blue blazer i couldn’t tell. either i did not recognise the buttons for the brand which they are advertising or they are personalised thus making the blazer an add to those in the know.