Themed Parties

My graduate program holds an annual Back To School Bash to help get our partying out of our systems before the real "fun" begins of stressful nights and just-barely passed exams. This year the theme was nautical influenced, so I pulled out my inner Yachting Captain's personality and went full out, sailing the 7 drunken seas and coasting along the Isles of Memory Lapse.

Full blast required:

Don't be that lame guy who comes to every themed party wearing a t shirt, jeans, and a I'm too cool to dress up for this look on his face. Use themes to your advantage to compliment your personality (or break out of the mold every once in a while). Just so happens that this was a nautical themed party, and a great excuse for preppy attire and worth mentioning on this blog, but for times like these I say to hell with your sartorial rules and just let loose. Go for fun and creativity instead of trad.

I used Pierce Hawthorne (played by The Chevy Chase) as my inspiration, minus the Ascot / Pashmina Afghan since I didn't have time to find one as cool.

Attached my professional name tag on my captain's hat that I got from Party City. Everyone called me Cpt. ____ Sparrow by the end of the night. I am wearing my old shitkicker Anderson-Little blazer since I didn't want beer spilled on my nicer J.Press one. Ralph Lauren short sleeve pink polo, popped naturally. My Volunteer Traditions state belt since I actually don't have the common nautical flagged ones that every fratter owns but can't interpret let alone know the difference between starboard and portside. Duck Head stone chinos and my sockless Classic Brown Sperrys, not pictured. Test drove my new Smathers and Branson monogrammed flask, which got a lot of approving nods and high fives.

Glow in the dark frogskins for added measure. The croakies prevent your shades from falling into the turbulent water, or in my case, beer. My date / friend / first-mate with matching sailor's hat.

Such a simple outfit got me a ton of compliments. Other guys wore boring swim trunks and flippy floppies, or those flimsy life jackets (was thinking of doing this along with a martini glass too, to satirize the typecast drunken rich yachtsman about to be evacuated, but oh well will save that idea for next time). Most of the girls wore Saint James-esque meridian striped shirts. But no one looked baws like me!


Believe me when I say I f*cked a mermaid.

Chubbies

You guys know I'm all for short shorts. If you have the busting quads then get a pair of Chubbies. They're about to become really popular and some of their styles have already been placed on backorder since their recent launch. 5" inseams are nothing new but it's their designs and the fratty-approved GTH impression that makes these "wear with anything, do anything" shorts appealing. More so for walking down Bourbon St. with the boys or stumbling to the post-game party than for anything else. Fratstars rejoice in your pasty legs and "Thighs Out, Brahski!"

Canyon of Heroes

I'm not necessarily a Giants fan but I do like Eli Manning and his seemingly underrated career. And he's one of us as a southern prep alum, with his Sigma Nu brothership (legacy from his dad Archie), Isidore Newman and Ole Miss alma maters, and his family's southeastern conference roots. Not saying he is a model trad man since he usually dresses like any other grown up fratter would with tucked-in extra large polos and pleated khakis, but he does have some highlights. So if futbol players dress in high fashion across Europe, then I guess the Mannings are football's answer, cut from an All-American cloth.


Sockless boat shoes

Deciding on the Rebels cap

Even all grown up, Eli loves his fratshag.

Clean cut casual.

Eli and his beautiful wife at their summer wedding. Breezy khaki suit preferred over the hot tuxedo.

Eli and Abby enjoying courtside on date night. Topcoat, button down, chinos, suede bucks.

The odd jacket that's unfortunately too long, but hey, think of the children damnit.

Another mishap. Suit is all kinds of trouble. But I'm not looking at the suit.
The Mannings showing their school spirit by wearing Smathers and Branson needlepoint belts of their respective alma maters. Eli looking great in his button down and chinos.

Leading up to this year's Bowl. Tom gets more of the fashion spotlight, and rightly so, but Eli looks great in traditional American tailoring.

He's wearing a Vineyard Vines polo under there. I promise.

After the big win? Going to Disney World of course.
The Letterman interview the night after the win. Blue blazer, conservative light blue spread collar, repp tie, grey flannels, chocolate suede loafers. And a change of clothes...that he wore that morning with Mickey Mouse. No rest for a champion.

Parading down the Canyon of Heroes. Nice wool coat, which funny enough looks almost exactly like the last time he celebrated a Bowl win.

Say NO to cargo shorts

I'm sure it's an April Fool's Joke, but this SMU fraternity may be on to something. I personally think the rule should be in every university's honor code.

All in the Name

There are many synonyms and variations of our style. Classic East Coast Clothing or Traditional American Clothing (Trad) serves as the forefather of the Ivy League Look and later on Prep. Then enter in locational differences of East v. Midwest (or do the boys at Stanford have anything to add?) and the ever popular Northern v. Southern Prep. And how about our Fogey cousin across the pond? Or Japanese Trad, which without we would not have rediscovered Take Ivy, the Old Testament to The Official Preppy Handbook’s New Testament. These are just to name a few and each has its own history and influences amongst each other in the grand picture.

If the Ivy League Look had a baby named Prep, then Prep had a bunch of bastardized children that fall under the 3rd generation of present day American collegiate clothing.

Since I am focusing on up-to-date college styles on this blog, here are my general interpretations of what I have come to know. It’s hard to accurately describe each as its own presence since they are all pretty much cut from the same cloth, but I’ll give it a shot.


Mainstream Prep

To start things off, this is the largest and most popular genre that most college students can relate to and probably at least half of your campus wears. The majority of them shop the mainstream brands at the mall. Ralph Lauren is the big one, a relic of the latter end of the original Prep era when Ralph’s polo shirt took over Lacoste’s reign. Tommy Hilfiger and Nautica followed but lost street credit a long time ago, but both and other similar department store brands still serve a place although not the weapon of choice that RL Polo is. Fitting ranges from so-so to horrendous and more than likely you will see pants that are too long, untucked tails, and Abercrombie and Fitch may still be considered cool (unfortunately). Mainstream Prep is everywhere in some shape or form across the nation and it is what the general public sees as today’s default Prep style.

Sample Staples: Black North Face Denali Fleece Jacket, Rainbow Flip Flops, Ralph Lauren Polo Shirt, Pre-Distressed Levis 559, 11” inseam shorts from Gap, Oakley Sunglasses

Boston cap, North Face jacket, and a white crewneck underneath an unbuttoned shirt (bad). Yup.



Neo-Prep (Northern Prep, Trad)

Heavy in Trad influences and clothing fundamentals such as chinos and OCBDs, Neo-Prep is the truest form and direct evolution from the Ivy League Look to Prep and from Prep to now. What separates it from the umbrella of Mainstream Prep is that it is cleaner, simpler, and mature. There is no need for graphic shirts and skinny jeans and instead opt for polos and button down shirts for daily wear. Neo-Prep is not totally Trad however because it is updated with relevant approach and incorporates synthetic fibers like fleece and thinsulate that Trad purists resist, but the bare principle of practicality and function remains. Attitude wise, there are the GTH elements that many Mainstream Preps may not understand or dare to wear like pastel shorts and emblem belts. Another big key is the attitude towards how clothes are worn. Chinos are worn often and have little to no break. Fitting should compliment your build but not noticeably. Barefoot in boat shoes or loafers in warmer weather and never sandals unless at the beach. Neo-Preps shop at the Trad brands that most Mainstream folks may have never heard of, as well at even lesser-known specialty shops and regional brands. The real prep students from the Northeast Academies and Universities match closest to this style.

Sample Staples: Jansport Rightpack, Brooks Brothers OCBD, Patagonia Synchilla Snap T, Stock Levis 505 and 501 (naturally distress over time), Bass Penny Loafers, Paul Stuart Engine-Turned Silver Belt Buckle, Ray Ban Aviators

Casual with a Tattersall button down and lightly faded denim. Cute girl.

Southern Prep

Very similar to Neo-Prep and made popular by the SEC universities. A lot more GTH colors and warmer textiles like seersucker and poplin. The outdoor culture has a large impact. Costa Del Mar sunglasses polarized to protect you from the lake water glare and croakies to save them from falling off-board. Columbia PFG technical attire for when you wheel in the next big one. Visor hats and shorter inseam pleated shorts for the sunny hot weather at the links. Hunting cap and oiled field coats for quail hunting. Bow ties. Madras. Justin Roper Boots for the gentleman farmer. Coat and tie on gameday, white bucks for church in the summer, and Skoal…lots of Skoal. Vineyard Vines, Ben Silver, and Lily Pulitzer (for the girls) along with the many recent startups like Southern Tide or Southern Proper. Heritage is a big thing in the south and thus they have risen up to the dominance of traditional clothing that was once associated only to the Northeast.

Sample Staples: Perlis Crawfish polo, Patagonia Stand Up Shorts with 5” inseam, Sperry Billfish boat shoes, Orvis Shot Shell Belt, Costa Del Mar shades and Croakies with your university or coastal destination of choice printed on it

Straw Gambler Hat, Del Mars, OCBD, Red Pleated Seersucker

Fratty (Laxbro)

This varies a lot depending on the area. In the south, Southern Prep and Fratty are basically the same but with more jock mentality. Random mix and match like OCBDs with athletic shorts or chino shorts with white high top athletic socks and Nike Air Max sneakers. The Frocket and the Fratshag or Alamaba Swoop (and Flow for the Laxbros.) Lacrosse and Soccer are the sport of choice and collected lax pinnies and futbol jerseys from years of summer camps and grade school teams end up keeping your nipples soft when you step out of the jacuzzi to get another Coors Light.

Sample Staples: Worn-in The Game College Bar hat or Flat Billed baseball hats, Frocket with fraternity letters, Adidas Soccer Shorts, Clarks Wallabees or New Balance 993 barefoot, Emblem belt with Lax sticks, Oakley Frog Shades

Exaggeration but you get the picture

Urban Prep

Fashion’s answer to Prep and Trad. Clothing is more fitted. Lots of Cardigans, skinny ties, and tailored chinos. Same old stuff, updated look.

Sample Staples: See J.Crew, Band of Outsiders, Michael Bastian

Plaid OCBD, Patterned slim tie, Tie Bar, 4 block colored pants, suede slippers. Legit.

There are undoublty more sections, subsections, titles and so on about Preppy clothing...but let's not get overly methodical about this. And if you're like me then you dabble between all of the above. I've made a special section for "Fratty" on this blog to make a distinction between my Tradly attire and Fratty excursions, so I will leave it at that!

Game Day

While rewatching last week's Duke/UNC basketball game on ESPN3 the other day, the camera panned the crowd and I caught the guy pictured below. He has a typical fratty outfit, with the douchey go-to-hell attitude exclaimed by wearing the aviators indoors, but I certainly admire his game day attire.

A lot of people won't understand the tradition of dressing up to sporty events. For most, catching a ball game is the most casual thing you can do besides lying on a lazy river sippin' on a bloody mary. Dressing up to a game is the prep's retort to slobs wearing over-sized jerseys and cheesehead hats. It exudes class and respect for the sport, which feeds into why football games in the south are huge events that one should wear their Sunday best to. But it doesn't necessarily mean you should wear a suit and instead you can opt for fun combinations (i.e. a bow tie in your school's colors). You will see fraternities and sororities dress up at football games, especially schools in the SEC. Another example would be any horse race or golf tournament. College basketball doesn't usually receive the same kind of attention but it's nice to see guys like below pull it off.

Worn-in college block lettering baseball cap, point collared shirt, Duke Blue motif bowtie