The Definitive Guide to The Thing Before Preppy           Photo by Muffy Aldrich

Saturday, May 27, 2023

Spectacular Weather For the Start of the Holiday Weekend...

Photo by Salt Water New England
The smell of the beach roses, the cries of ospreys, gate guards posted, life guards on duty, outdoor gatherings, and dogs everywhere.   It was a spectacular start to the holiday weekend.
 

BBC: Connecticut 'witches' exonerated by Senate lawmakers

Many news outlets, including the BBC, reported that 'Connecticut 'witches' have been exonerated by Senate lawmakers.' (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65724066)

The witches exonerated, including some of our direct ancestors, were:

  • Alice Young in 1647
  • Mary Johnson in 1648
  • Joan Carrington in 1651
  • John Carrington in 1651
  • Goodwife Bassett in 1651
  • Goodwife Knapp in 1653
  • Lydia Gilbert in 1654
  • Mary Sanford in 1662
  • Nathaniel Greensmith in 1663
  • Rebecca Greensmith in 1663
  • Mary Barnes in 1663

Wrote the Wethersfield Historical Society:

Connecticut’s 17th-century witch trials have long been overshadowed by the more numerous and better publicized proceedings in Salem, Massachusetts. But Connecticut’s were among the first such trials in New England, preceding Salem’s by four decades. And Mary Johnson’s 1648 confession of witchcraft in Wethersfield was the first of its kind in the colonies. 
One senator, Rob Sampson, who voted against exonerating Connecticut citizens of the crime of witchcraft (a capital crime in cases when including having a relationship with or entertaining Satan) said, according to the AP, "I don't want to see bills that rightfully or wrongfully attempt to paint America as a bad place with a bad history."

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Steele Weekender Bag - Made in Massachusetts

Photos by Salt Water New England

Tough, in good taste,  and non-fussy, the Steele Weekender Bag will fit in anywhere, from visiting friends' summer houses to overnight business trips to the gym.  An excellent Father's Day gift.  And made in Massachusetts.

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Washington Post: Why you should buy everything used

Today:  

A growing number of shoppers like me are discovering the possibilities, and savings, of buying old stuff... Big brands from H&M to Patagonia are collecting and reselling their used and returned goods...

If we do it right, we can slash the monumental environmental impact of all the stuff we buy... [C]hanging attitudes mean more people, especially members of Gen Z, are embracing used items, and technology is radically reducing the processing costs.... 

We can have fewer, better things in our lives. Once they’re no longer needed, we let them go to the next owner. Consumption becomes something circular.

-  Why you should buy everything used <https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/05/23/buy-resale-store-second-hand-clothes-furniture/>

Polo Shirt Under Fair Isle

Photo by Salt Water New England
A Transition Time of Year

 

Sunday, May 21, 2023

Reader Question: Is there a concomitant uniform for houses in the "Oxford/Khakis/Shetland" orbit?

 

A reader question:

There are some small things that were always in our house and in most of our friends' homes, to.  They included Keiller's Dundee marmalade crocks as pencil holders, Tibetan almond sticks for the inevitable nicks in beloved dark wood furniture, the Episcopal calendar (no photos but tons of bits of saintly and liturgical trivia), a handle or two of decent but not expensive liquor on the sideboard, napkins in napkin rings (we and our friends acquired this wonderful habit in wardrooms on USN ships), and piles of old New Yorkers and Atlantics.  What were the prevalent things in the homes in your orbit? 

Ralph Lauren Polo Shirts

Photo by Salt Water New England

Taking out the polo shirts. Best colors and collars.  Shrink like mad, though.  Mostly bought in the late 1980s.  

Friday, May 19, 2023

Sources and Strategies for Inexpensive Preppy Clothes?

 

A reader question:

I can understand why you're not a fan of J.Crew, but are there any clothes at an affordable price point that you would consider prep? Most of the things you feature are in the $100s for a single item, and it's not practical to go without for months in order to save up for one sweater. Where should someone with a more conservative budget shop? Or is the thrifty, practical New Englander look only for the rich?