Decoding "preppy"

<p>Southern prepsters are different from those in the north, as Niquii says. And they definitely fall into the “religious right” category a lot of the time. </p>

<p>What strikes me about the “look” (rather than the mindset, which may or may not also be this way) is how conformist it is. Seems sort of boring and uninspired.</p>

<p>And I am not just judging preps on this score–every time I go to NYC I can’t believe the conformity in how people dress.</p>

<p>College kids who wear sweatshirts and jeans all the time are also boring and conformist. I think it is typical for young people of college age to want to fit in, attire-wise. </p>

<p>That said, there are subtleties in all styles of dress that can set one apart. But the untrained eye probably won’t pick that up. </p>

<p>I think what the OP is trying to determine if there is a particular culture associated with preppy, aside from the obvious clothing choices. My view is that most people who dress in a preppy style are not actual preps - they just like the clothes, or even more likely, they are just conforming to what they see everyone else wearing. Actual preps are WASP old money folks who actually attend/ed prep school, and who adhere to a certain lifestyle/set of values that stems from that background. There aren’t really all that many of them around anymore. When I visited Duke with my son a few years ago, even he commented on what appeared to be almost a uniform of long-sleeved button downs, colored shorts, and top siders worn by a majority of the boys - many of them minorities and definitely not the typical prep profile. It actually put him off and struck him as ridiculous. In the northeast, certainly at the two Ivies my children attend, this look is far less common and you see a mix of styles. Back to the question if there is a culture associated with prep clothing as a uniform…you can safely say that these are students who like to fit in and belong to a group, so perhaps individuality is less embraced. However, I think most of them would switch to jeans and a t-shirt just to fit in if they somehow landed at Brown.</p>

<p>^yes yes yes yes yes</p>

<p>ETA:
Recently I walked into a large exhibit opening with a friend (a southerner, who attended prep school, and who wears seersucker in summer because his father and grandfather wore seersucker in summer and that’s just what you wear, mainly because it’s cool in really hot weather) He looked around and commented, “it looks like the country club crowd is here” Sometimes when people talk about “preppy” campuses, I wonder if they mean the same thing he did by “country club crowd”?</p>

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<p>At any college where the students are dressed similarly, the same can be said about the student body. I don’t think it is fair to single out those who dress in “prep” style.</p>

<p>^well, I already said it reminds me of punk. : ) I am pretty interested in the idea of normcore.</p>

<p>Isn’t normcore just one big joke?</p>

<p>I think there are lots of unconscious “uniforms” that kids look at on college visits when they’re trying to figure out if they’ll fit in. I’m pretty sure for D it involves scarves, skinny jeans/leggings tugged into boots, and glasses. Not sure what “tribe” that denotes, but she knows her own. :wink: </p>

<p>Isn’t every fashion look just one big joke?</p>

<p>Living in a very southern city as an 18 yr old, I’ll just give my interpretation of the prep culture. Here, there is definitely a Southern/Delta prep vibe among the majority of middle to upper class families. Young people from middle, and upper class families wear a lot of Southern Tide, Vineyard Vines, Lilly Pulitzer, Southern Proper, Over Under, Sperries, Tory Burch, Patagonia, Southern Shirt Co, and some Ralph Lauren, etc. Only upper middle, or upper class adults dress in a southern prep clothes. It definitely speaks of a culture (albeit a sometimes shallow, materialistic one) and seem to say that one is popular, wealthy, works hard, and “perfect.” Guys who dress this way are normally aspiring or current business majors, popular, frat-types. Girls who dress this way are normally popular, conformist, pearl girls who fit the Vandy stereotype to a T (smart, fit, socialites, etc.). They are normally politically conservative and do sports such as lacrosse, football, volleyball, etc. Boys go boating, mudding, fishing, and other outdoor activities, and the girls…go shopping. Economically, it’s pretty much split into two groups; kids who come from truly wealthy old money families, and kids who wish they came from truly wealthy old money families and are trying to fit in with the former. </p>

<p>The clothes are definitely worn to send a message of some sorts to peers and potential connections.I know one highschool senior whose single mother works extremely hard in her nursing job to be able to afford to buy him southern prep clothes. Before he had the clothes, he was a nerdy pianist, afterwards, you can see his facebook page take a dramatic turn…suddenly he’s a popular socialite with JFK hair and 2000 fb “friends.” The clothes either seem to speak of success, or send the message that that person is ready to move up and become successful. At highschools, the southern prep kids are normally the popular kids, and the clothes almost serve as a “pass” to be accepted into the group. I personally am homeschooled, but this is coming from multiple school going friends, both in the southern prep group and not.The kid I mentioned before wants to become a doctor, the attitude seems to be that by dressing the way wealthy southern preps dress, he’s showing that he’s socially capable, a hard worker, and ready to join their circles in the future…it’s hard to explain. I guess it’s equivalent to employees in a corporation dressing one step up to show they’re ready to move up the corporate ladder. </p>

<p>For many insecure highschoolers, it’s also just a way to fit in and conform. Even lower-class and minority kids will try and at least get “the look” with a mix of the aforementioned brands and off brands. The “uniform” for guys seems to be southern prep t-shirt with chubbies shorts, and sperries. For girls it’s much more varied, but they all wear the same outfit combinations. I come from a solid middle/upper middle class family. My dad came from Baltimore, MD, and my mom’s an Asian immigrant, we could afford the clothes, but personally, my parents won’t even let me wear Vineyard Vines and a few other brands because they hate conformity and materialism and say that only extremely wealthy people or people trying to “look” wealthy wear those brands. Kind of a pity, as I’m not one to conform, but I do genuinely like some of the Vineyard Vines t-shirts. Point being, here, the clothes are a big part of southern prep and definitely make a public statement indicating a certain lifestyle and socioeconomic status. Sorry for the mini novel.</p>

<p>And sometimes people just wear clothes because they like the the look.</p>

<p>Interesting post, southerncharm.</p>

<p>I feel the same way about Tiffany’s jewelry as I do about ostentatious clothing brands. Everyone knows exactly how much it costs (and that it never goes on sale). Some of it is nice, but it lacks originality and often seems to be used as a “marker” of wealth (or wannabe wealth), in my opinion. Same goes for designer handbags.</p>

<p>@blankmind yes, if I wear any of those clothes, it’s just because I like the way I look, however , here, it’s near impossible to separate “the look” from the cultural and personal assumptions people will make of you because of your look. I personally don’t want to scream “rich popular conformist kid” or the wannabe of that, so I try and avoid the look as much as possible. I aim for a sometimes relaxed, always put-together look which often overlaps with the southern prep look, but I’ll do so wearing off-brands or unique accessories so I purposefully don’t look like carbon copy of everyone else. I’m no granola crunching hippie, but I have no desire to be on the other end of the spectrum either. I personally think preppy is, and was, more indicative of how one carries themselves than how one dresses. Unfortunately, very few here seem to share that opinion. </p>

<p>Just thought of something, if you really want to get a feel for what the “culture” seems to be for many upper middle/upper class families around here, just watch a few episodes of the Bravo show “Southern Charm” it really hits the nail on the head. The lifestyles and attitudes displayed in the episodes seem to be the goal or the reality of a lot of young people here.</p>

<p>Conforming attire exists on every campus, but one particular style may be more dominant on some than on others, which may have a variety of conforming styles.</p>

<p>My D who loves clothes was completely turned off to one good college when we walked around the campus and seemingly every single student was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. Booooring, as far as she was concerned. She didn’t even own the type of sweatshirt most were wearing (grey athletic type with a hood, or some variation thereof). I don’t think she would have liked a campus where most wore only preppy clothes, either, but at least it would have provided a wider range of colors and pants/skirts/dresses/shorts to choose from.</p>

<p>She ended up at an Ivy League college, and don’t be fooled that dress conformity doesn’t exist there, either. Being from CA, it was quite obvious to her that there was a Northeast vibe prevalent in the dominant attire. Barbour jackets, Northface jackets, running shoes with khakis and jeans for men, boots all the time for the women, and typical CA attire (skinny jeans for men, surfwear, Vans and Rainbows) was definitely not “in.”</p>

<p>whoa – fast moving thread : )</p>

<p>responding to Sally: Yes, but in particular social circles or “tribes” those markers can signal something different depending on context and become ironic statements. And thus a joke. The first time someone does this it is original. After that it’s something very different. I think.</p>

<p>I agree, @sally305. And so does D, but she’s still “into” fashion. It’s just a different take on what’s “fashionable.”</p>

<p>I was surprised to see so many comments in her yearbook last year about her clothes and fashion sense because she’s really pretty anti-label and doesn’t spend that much on clothing. But she loves thrift stores and vintage anything and has fun putting “looks” together. (She used to be addicted to Polyvore but has moved on to college Tumblers.) “Fashion” is surprisingly important to her; but “designer” and “namebrand” are not really part of that. </p>

<p>On every campus someone started the trends we see, even if that person imported the look from elsewhere. It’s not indigenous dress. You aren’t required to wear the norm. You might start a new trend.</p>

<p>I liked southerncharm’s perceptive comments about dressing for the position one aspires to…probably very true. The issue may also be that when it is the majority who looks a certain way, it can be a problem for those who don’t want to or can’t join in. There are definitely looks on Ivy League campuses as well, although they are much more varied so most people wear what they want and any “markers” are more subtle and probably only picked up by fellow members of the same “group.” </p>

<p>I also agree with alh that this is really a “country club” look, not traditional preppy.</p>

<p>I think some people would be more likely to start new trends if they didn’t feel they would be judged negatively for it. I also think most people do not have natural fashion sense or desire to learn it, so they copy the styles of others that they think look good.</p>

<p>My S said that “Canada Goose” jackets are very popular on his campus…I had never heard of them. $1,000 drab pedestrian looking parkas that could pass for $200 jackets from Land’s End. They must send out some sort of signal about understated wealth.</p>