<p>I don’t think of any of the ‘typical’ stores as preppy.
I think that the closest would be American Eagle, since they have many…classic items. I’m on their website right now looking for examples, and I see embroidered skirts, (good lengths…), lots of leather sandals and puma trainers, linen pants, cardigans, etc.
Abercrombie and Fitch…
I think that they occasionally have some preppy items, but for a lot of them the fit is kinda trashy.
Meaning, even if a typical women’s size medium buys a size Large polo at Abercrombie, it would be too tight to look ‘nice’. I also think that Abercrombie and Hollister are too logo-oriented.</p>
<p>Oh, and how people are saying that you need to be wealthy to be preppy…
I think people are taking that in the wrong way.
They’re not saying that if you’re not rich, you suck.
They’re saying that most preppy brands are a bit more expensive than normal brands. So, logically, it would require being a bit more wealthy.</p>
<p>AE has the same amount of branding as Abercrombie and Hollister… the only exception is their basic tee’s, which if i’m correct still has branding on the bottom right corner.
Preppy = j.crew, ralph lauren, lacoste</p>
<p>I know this is an old thread, but it caught my attention… it’s an interesting concept. Let me start off by stating that I recently turned 30 (I know, OLD). My fiancee (who is 26) and I had a discussion about this very subject a while ago. Being somewhat more “old school” than her, I had always thought the brands mentioned in the beginning of the thread (Aero, AE, Hollister, A&F, etc) were “preppy” or in my words, “pretty-boy” clothing. She disagrees, saying that those (with the possible exception of Abercrombie) are just “normal” clothes. After looking around a bit, she seems to be right… the “preppies” lean more toward J. Crew, Ralph Lauren, Banana Republic, etc. I wouldn’t be found dead in any of those, but that is another story. </p>
<p>Another thing is that it isn’t always WHAT you wear, but HOW you wear it. For instance, if someone wears an A&F shirt that actually FITS (instead of being 2 sizes too small), then it looks pretty normal. Same for the other brands mentioned. I recently bought a Hollister shirt on clearance for 8 dollars; I had to buy a size XL so that it wouldn’t look painted on ( I normally wear a Large). </p>
<p>Last of all, if any of the “older” folks out there (like me) have encountered this problem… I sometimes think I’m too old for some of these “younger” clothes, but there doesn’t seem to be much selection out there… it’s like there are “kiddie clothes” and “old fart clothes”, and nothing in-between. So, I tend to wear the younger brands, but I don’t wear the shirts tight or the jeans around my knees… I’m not quite ready for my dad’s clothes and wouldn’t wear RL, J. Crew etc if my life depended on it! Anyone else run into this?</p>
<p>Abercrombie, Hollister, American Eagle ect. are by no means preppy. They are mainstream mall brands that a prep would never wear.
A true prep sticks to classic pieces from ralph lauren, rugby, jcrew, lilly pulitzer, vineyard vines, burberry, and longchamp. Pieces like nantucket reds, sperry’s, oxford shirts, cardigans, ribbon belts, and blazers complete the prep wardrobe.</p>
<p>Yeah let’s rage on how being a true prep shows your elite status in America so we can feel more important. It’s great to be sitting on this lonely pedestal.</p>
<p>I have to agree with Ali12. She is basically 100% right. Abercrombie and the like were made as affordable clothing brands for those who cannot buy Brooks Brothers, Vineyard Vines, etc. And, the real preps don’t prefer to wear apparent or obvious labels. It’s consider tacky and a quality of the nouveau riche. Others of the equivalent status will know by the quality and well-cut design of the clothing that it is a high-end article of clothing. A large logo print is not necessary for a status symbol. Preps also wear designers too, but mostly not the designers that are advertised and well-known to the general public. Gucci and Burberry and Coach are on the border of tacky, since they have recently become readily available to the general public at lower prices that are considered a bon marche to the real preps. Coach, Dolce&Gabbana, etc. are considered unacceptable, cheap, tacky, and of low status to the preps. The only way that one can wear one Coach, et cetera is if it has no logo on it, which is very hard to find.</p>
<p>I would just like to emphasize this wise post. Some of the people saying “this is preppy, that isn’t; I would never wear that brand, I’ll only wear this one.”</p>
<p>–Need to deeply consider getting over yourselves. </p>
Um, what? Coach is nowhere near Dolce & Gabbana. It’s not even near the discount D&G line of Dolce & Gabbana. Yes, Coach is, at least in my estimation, rather cheap and tacky, though some pieces, especially vintage, are okay as they aren’t covered in that horrible monogram. However, Dolce & Gabbana is hardly a cheap brand, in terms of quality, and is nearly as unlikely to cover its products with its label as are the likes of Hermes and Bottega Veneta.</p>
<p>I do agree with you a bit about Gucci. Its monogram is horrible. </p>
<p>
Have you told this to Louis Vuitton or its customers? Their non-logo lines, including Suhali and Epi, do not have the popularity of their monogrammed lines. Nor does Damier sell as well, despite the fact that the pattern has become synonymous with LV. Their most recent “it-bag” type, Mahina, was covered in LVs. Despite this, there has not been impetus to lower the price point and LV has no sales.
Anyway, it’s incredibly difficult to argue that by avoiding labels one appears more modest. Top brands are obvious without labels. Especially after that Sex and the City episode, who can’t spot a Birkin? Or tell Hermes silk by its distinctive weight and texture?</p>
<p>Uh. Dolce &Gabbana is definitely not considered a “preferred” designer. It’s cheap enough for almost anyone to acquire- especially with recent pricing. You can get a purse for only $100 at Nordstrom that sports a D&G sign- that right there ensures that it will never be a prized possession again. I do agree that D&G sometimes have occasional good dresses or the like. There are always exceptions. Again Louis Vuitton is going downhill along with Gucci. People are buying the monogrammed pieces like they’re the new Louboutin shoes! The only reason the monogrammed logo LV are bought and sold so easily is because Louis Vuitton- like Gucci- was once only sported by the elite. Now, you can score a LV purse for a more affordable price and the middle class is dying to get them- hence why LV is no longer that fashionable. I didn’t say that avoiding labels makes you more modest. Labels are great- just not the too blatant or obviously shown ones. People who know fashion will always be able to tell, and that’s how it should be. Random persons on the street should not be able to tell your Proenza shirt from big and bold letters. And, no offense but receiving fashion tips from a popular television show isn’t always the best route to go. By the time the shows air, many fashionable items shown are no longer fashionable and are then only “appearin everywhere” because of the nouveau riche and fashionista-wannabes have picked it up from the show that was taped many weeks before they actually saw it.</p>
<p>I was exagerating. It’s similar to that anyways. You can get one for close to that I bet at Nordstrom or the like where they sell designer items from about 294848383 seasons ago.</p>
<p>^ Ma’am, you are out of your ****ing mind. </p>
<p>Alright, I’m pretty preppy myself. And I’m almost embarrassed to be associated with people like the ones on this thread. Being preppy is not about the brand of your clothes. Granted, some brands are more typical for a prep to wear than others, but there is no list of the ONLY brands that a prep may wear. The preppy style (at least for guys) is much more about the articles of clothing and how you wear them. Do you wear lots of collared shirts? Do you wear shorts and pants in an array of bright colors? Do you typically wear ribbon belts? Are sweaters a staple of winter clothing? If you answered “YES” to those questions, you may call yourself a prep. There’s a little more to it than that, but not much. </p>
<p>In my opinion, preps should be classy in all areas of their lives. That includes, but is not limited to: being polite to ALL people, treating ladies with respect, maintaining your integrity, and NEVER making others feel inferior (even if you think they are). If you are a prep, then your classy parents should have raised you to be this way. Not completely snobby with a superiority complex. </p>
<p>Maybe my opinions make me less of a prep in your eyes. I don’t care.</p>