<p>@momofthreeboys I didn’t even know croakies were made to float. They make even more sense now. I think most still do float, although I recently got LP ones made of fabric that I doubt do. </p>
<p>Btw the way @dadx, commercialized prep is the perfect way to describe Vineyard Vines. It does have a very commercial vibe to it. It’s definitely not true prep but it’s what has seemed to replace true prep down south. As a young person, I can’t say I dislike them and similar companies. The sea of pretty pastels, the put togetherness of it all, and the almost beachy feel they have to them is very appealing to college girls (and guys apparently), myself included. Plus most of the clothes are very comfortable and made for relaxing making it practical for most college students. I think they are clever marketers who found their niche (wealthy or wealthy-wanna-be college students) and designed their clothes to appeal to them. They’ve obviously succeeded, but I don’t think they can ever be considered truly preppy.</p>
<p>The preppy kids at my college wore like 3 layers of collared shirts in different colors (two polos under a button down). Probably not old-line preppy, more trendy preppy. That is what VV is- trendy preppy. </p>
<p>MOWC - not only did I wear Bass Weejuns, but I put pennies in them - one with the year of my birth and one with the year of my boyfriend’s birth.
And don’t forget monogrammed Bermuda bag covers that buttoned on and off to match your outfit! </p>
<p>Yes. I didn’t do it myself, but other girls sometimes did. I graduated from h.s. in 1965 in Texas. Boys wore button down shirts and “wheat jeans” to school. The loops on the back of the shirts that girls pulled off were referred to as “fruit loops.”</p>
<p>I have a pearl circle pin with great sentimental value that I really should repurpose, but don’t know how to do so without looking like I’m at a 50s sock hop. Suggestions? </p>
<p>Oh yeah…we also called them fruit loops in the north country…have no idea why. Sure had nothing to do with the common slang meaning of “fruit” Pizza I had DIMES in my penny loafers </p>
<p>The funny thing is I still have a couple pairs that survived college…so for almost 40 years – and people always think they are “current inventory.” Not. I just blithely rolled through the “polyester ugly 70s” and “flash dance ugly 80s”…preps don’t care what other people wear :-)</p>
<p>I truly think Muffy Aldrich’s blog The Daily Prep sums up what I think of when I hear prep. It’s not necessarily fashionable, and can look a little frumpy and unfeminine if not managed right. And the clothing isn’t necessarily all that expensive (in the context of how expensive clothing can be).</p>
<p>The guy who founded Vineyard Vines is a Lafayette College grad (and former English major!) who grew up in New England. He started out making those tongue-in-cheek ties (which had to be a sly reference to those funny “whale” and “lobster” cords Old Money New England folk used to wear) and then branched into a full line of clothes. I greatly admire him because he had a dream and followed it and, from what I understand, his clothing is well-made and he’s very charitably oriented. And all kinds of famous people wear those funny ties.</p>
<p>“Preppy” style comes in and out of fashion and is primarily what marketers call “aspirational” clothing* (or something like that). But the VV guy is a legitimate prepster from CT. (Old Money, “summered” on Martha’s Vineyard, etc.)</p>
<p>*In my day, it was Ralph Lauren (born Ralph Lifshitz) who popularized this look for the masses. Things go in and out of fashion, and there are clear regional differences, but until a kid opens his mouth and actually speaks, you’ll never know if he’s a true prepster or just dresses like one! </p>
<p>A few years ago I convinced my then 13 year old S to wear a madras blazer to an informal wedding in California. He leans towards preppy, so I thought it would be perfect for him. He wasn’t really feeling the madras, but he wore it after a lot of last minute cajoling on my part. He looked incredibly cute - wore it with shorts, button down, bow tie and boating shoes (he’s a dishwater blonde with a dusting of freckles across his nose…very waspy looking kid). He was so cute that all the ladies at the wedding wanted to hug him and take his picture. He took the jacket off half way through the reception and never wore it again…and I lost all credibility on boys’ fashions from that point forward.</p>