Welcome to the premiere of The Preppy American™ Blog. Please join me on this Preppy-journey about preppy lifestyle, preppy people, preppy history, preppy design and just about anything Preppy!
My first Preppy Blog is being Christened with this post about the new book, entitled, of course, Preppy!
On the evening of Thursday, December 15th, I attended the book-signing for the publication Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style. Brooks Brothers in Palm Beach, Florida served as host for the gathering of preppies to meet the book's co-author, fashion designer Jeffrey Banks. Preppy was written by both Banks and Doria de la Chapelle. Banks autographed my copy of the Rizzoli published coffee table book.
My first Preppy Blog is being Christened with this post about the new book, entitled, of course, Preppy!
On the evening of Thursday, December 15th, I attended the book-signing for the publication Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style. Brooks Brothers in Palm Beach, Florida served as host for the gathering of preppies to meet the book's co-author, fashion designer Jeffrey Banks. Preppy was written by both Banks and Doria de la Chapelle. Banks autographed my copy of the Rizzoli published coffee table book.
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| Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style by Jeffrey Banks and Doria de la Chapelle |
The book's foreword is by Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau who was absent at the book party but it was fun meeting Colleen Orrico of the C.Orrico boutique chain of stores that specialize in Lilly Pulitzer clothes and other preppy styles too. I thanked Colleen immensley for the gift bags and Lilly fashion apparel that was modeled at the Preppy American Birthday Brunch hosted for Lilly's 80th birthday at the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion in Boynton Beach, FL. Mrs. Mary Lane served as Chairperson for the sold-out fete back in November.
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| Here I am with Colleen Orrico of the Lilly Pulitzer/C. Orrico Stores (left) at the Preppy book-signing at Brooks Brothers in Palm Beach, Florida |
According to what's printed in the pictorial, Preppy is a 21st century look at the roots, growth and offshoots of the quintessentially classic and quirkily-collegiate way of dressing...from its pragmatic WASP origins and its presence on East Coast (Ivy League) campuses to its ultimate evolution as a global ambassador of clean-cut American style. The new generation of preppy-designers mentioned in the book include Kiel James Patrick, and the Band of Outsiders.
Preppy's co-author Jeffrey Banks is a native of Washington, D.C. Eventually making his way to New York City to pursue a fashion design career, he studied at Pratt Institute and graduated from Parsons School of Design. One of his first jobs in New York City was as the part-time assistant to Mr. Ralph Lauren. So the story goes, as a teenager, when Banks was working as a salesman at the menswear store Britches in Georgetown, Mr. Lauren was to visit D.C., therefore Banks was given the duty of providing transportation to Ralph Lauren when he arrived at the airport. Impressed with Bank's style, Lauren invited him to apply for a job once Banks made it to New York for school. In 1977 and 1982, Jeffrey Banks won the coveted Coty American Fashion Critics Award. He co-authored his first book for Rizzoli in 2007, Tartan: Romancing the Plaid. The Business ventures of Banks included Jeffrey Banks Ltd. and Jeffrey Banks International which became exceedingly successful multimillion-dollar fashion empires.
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| I'm wearing head-to-toe Lilly Pulitzer pink-and-green standing with fashion designer and Preppy book co-author Jeffrey Banks at Brooks Brothers in Palm Beach, Florida |
