Unabashedly Prep

Sir Tommy

2010-09-02T10:59:30+00:00

Photographed in New York, NY

Noteworthy: velvet stingray slippers, Lilly Pulitzer blazer. Previously photographed by The Sartorialist (2006).

September 2010 Playlist

2010-09-01T18:10:32+00:00

Rugger Adventures to the Cape

2010-08-31T19:15:42+00:00

It has been a long, hot, hot summer. GANT thinks so too. For their fall/winter collection, they ride off to the Cape (on a 1971 Triumph no less) to do what the heat has cruelly kept us from doing—camp. With the epic, yet-to-be-released tune "Equestrian" by U.S. Royalty, not only is Rugger’s fall/winter cinematography set against a cool palette of grays and earth-tones but so is the collection. Plaids, tweeds and wool in fair-isle patterns dot the wintry landscape. Quintessential American sportswear. John Thornley, U.S. Royalty’s lead singer, joins the gang over dinner and drinks in an autumn mainstay corduroy blazer. If you are eyeing the burgundy varsity jacket, ring the GANT Rugger shop on Bleecker (212.620.5949) to get your name on the list. It is due to arrive at the end of September, just as northeast temperatures begin to fall.

Images via GANT

Blueprint

2010-08-30T12:00:10+00:00

Photographed in Providence, RI

Noteworthy: Lilly Pulitzer dress, elegance.

Racing Green Jean

2010-08-27T11:00:20+00:00

Photographed in Jones Beach, NY

J.G. Melon

2010-08-26T11:00:54+00:00

The patronage is meager by the time my friends and I duck in and grab the table in the front corner. It’s usually packed at dinner—the line running out the door. Back when Lee introduced me to J.G. Melon, we skipped the wait in favor of the bar as he nonchalantly pointed out all the somebodies everybody treated just like anybody. In fact, preps have gathered faithfully at the corner of Third and 74th since 1972. Perched on the Upper East Side, J.G. Melon regularly appears on any legitimate survey of New York City’s best burgers. Space is tight and the atmosphere, in more ways than one, resembles that of an actual melon. It is kitschy...unpresumptuous.

As our conversation winds down, I polish off the famously thick, juicy hamburger ($8.50) dubbed the house’s signature dish—with a side of cottage fries ($3.50) and a Bloody Bull (a bloody Mary with beef broth). Although preppies are often a little short on cash, you will need it to pay your tab. Scramble for an ATM or grab an IOU from your dinner-mates—both of which are completely viable options on any given night.

In Fashion

2010-08-25T11:00:12+00:00

Polo Green

2010-08-24T13:00:36+00:00

Photographed in Atlanta, GA

Noteworthy: burnished penny loafer.

Ralph Lauren Singleton Loafer

2010-08-23T13:45:56+00:00

“In Japan, consumers want English things to be from England, French things to be from France and American things to be made in America. It’s a quality that I believe is derived from a devotion to authenticity.” —Michael Williams

In search of the perfect penny loafer, I found them in Ralph Lauren’s Singleton Burnished Loafer ($475). Proudly made in America by Mainer craftsmen, these embody the panache of genuine Maine hand-sewns. Previously Ansewn (until around 2003), Bangor, Maine’s Highland Shoe Co. hand-sews leather shoes for the likes of Polo, Bass (Weejuns), Paul Stuart and Sid Mashburn. The hand-stitched leather sole and outside reinforced heel feel solid on my feet. Apparently only available at RalphLauren.com, I found myself fit testing with other American made models in Ralph Lauren stores and moved a half size down. They fit brilliantly. And despite its presence in the current trend, the penny loafer is a simple, classic and understated shoe with practical, long-term fashion value.

*The penny loafer originated in the 1930s. Somewhat unbelievably, this fashion started with the Spaulding company when they produced shoes styled after those of Norwegian dairy farmers that had appeared in an article in Esquire Magazine.

Madras Four-In-Hand

2010-08-20T11:00:07+00:00

Photographed in Greenwich, CT

Noteworthy: dirty white bucks, dressed up shorts. Previously featured on Rugby's blog, The Newsroom.