By Matthew Longcore
“For decades, arguably the store that best outfitted the preppy culture.” – Muffy Aldrich
In an article titled The Way of the WASP: The Darien Sport Shop, Darien, Connecticut, Muffy Aldrich of Salt Water New England describes the Darien Sport Shop as follows:
“The suits and more formal items were in one area, with skis and lacrosse sticks in another, and a lot of pink and green throughout.”
Having grown up in nearby Westport, I have to agree with Muffy about The Darien Sport Shop. Each town in Fairfield County had a hometown clothier. Fairfield had The Fairfield Store, Westport had Mitchells, New Canaan had Family Britches, and Greenwich had Richards.
Each of these stores had their share of preppy items, but the overall aesthetic of The Darien Sport shop was by far the preppiest. If the pro shop at your country club expanded and became a department store, it would look a lot like this.
The Official Preppy Handbook describes the preppy culture of Darien perfectly:
“There are some nationally established Preppy frats, where most of the members are from Darien and almost all went to Prep school in Massachusetts – Psi U and St. Anthony Hall fit this mold most consistently.”
My alma mater, Trinity College, had plenty of Darien preppies in Psi U and St. A’s, just as described by the Preppy Handbook. They all shopped at the Darien Sport Shop. It was a rite of passage.
Founded in 1946, the Darien Sport Shop continues to thrive. Along with the Noroton Yacht Club and the Tokeneke Club, this place is an institution.
Matthew:
I am a big fan of this web site.
Recently, I feel that it has taken a decided turn away from the inclusive “The Classics are for Everyone” approach. Darien, Yale, yachting, country clubs, fraternities. I understand that this is the foundation of Ivy Style, but, unless you want Ivy Style limited to folks with a roman numeral after their name (or call themselves Muffy), perhaps the content could focus on a wider appeal.
James, thank you for the feedback. I appreciate your input. Ivy Style welcomes articles from contributors. There will be a few coming online soon. You are welcome to make suggestions about ideas for content and you can also share an article of your own. Perhaps we could chat more. Please contact me at matthew.longcore@yale.edu.