tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post3852468804165147236..comments2024-03-28T06:33:38.684-04:00Comments on Salt Water New England: The Official Preppy HandbookSalt Water New Englandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08940851375677714833noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-10067583755428885202014-04-04T04:56:13.631-04:002014-04-04T04:56:13.631-04:00Overall, this has proved to be a great respite fro...Overall, this has proved to be a great respite from studying, but- by golly, I'm left wishing that Ferd would comment on this (followed by further clarification from Greenfield, of course)..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-54268634723073022622014-03-05T16:58:15.955-05:002014-03-05T16:58:15.955-05:00I may have taken it more seriously than college bu...I may have taken it more seriously than college but I didn't attend an Ivy League school. I do believe the preppie handbook still may have been valuable to me, more so than Amy or Emily.BlueTrainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15008640585987540252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-39721646923027712082014-03-05T15:56:48.801-05:002014-03-05T15:56:48.801-05:00FERD! Where are you???
Help us ALL set the record...FERD! Where are you???<br />Help us ALL set the record straight!<br /><br />My gripe: Some people took this book *way* too seriously. Wasp Decorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12799408935128334165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-77760723913225390102014-03-03T16:44:26.106-05:002014-03-03T16:44:26.106-05:00The novel, "Seating Arrangements," is a ...The novel, "Seating Arrangements," is a hilarious sendup of preppiedom - "Where did he prep?" the main character actually asks - that is probably more effective than the OPH.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-16119477064151345922014-03-03T10:26:38.931-05:002014-03-03T10:26:38.931-05:00Anon February 28, 2014 at 9:57 PM
There are many ...Anon February 28, 2014 at 9:57 PM<br /><br />There are many similar clubs you can join besides the one you mention. While what you say is true, do what you naturally enjoy. People don't seem to say this much around here but there are different arenas for this thing. Let me illustrate, Deerfield is (technically) hard to get into; Trinity-Pawling is not (particularly) hard to get into. Both of these schools are prep schools that board. There are also day schools that count too. Moreover, there are more "local" prep schools too. Plus anything with the words Friends or Military in it are prep schools too. They will all offer different types of experiences and entries into different clubs as it were. IF you want to talk levels boarding is better than day, schools with historical ties to the ivy league is better than local. If you went to a friends or military school some might think you had a bit of sorting out to do. But any of them could end up meaning you simply must attend the charity ball or whatever happens in your region. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-48674221845155815942014-03-03T08:28:30.964-05:002014-03-03T08:28:30.964-05:00Anonymous at 957: Brilliant response.
Anonymous at 957: Brilliant response.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-15640472824400395872014-03-03T08:18:46.098-05:002014-03-03T08:18:46.098-05:00Something the Official Preppy Handbook illustrates...Something the Official Preppy Handbook illustrates in its own way is how little we sometimes know about other people. True, it was satire and very well written, but the humor is only apparent (and in almost every line, too) if you really know something about the subculture, in this case, the so-called preppy subculture. It isn't that narrow and confined and overlaps with other subcultures, such as fraternity-sorority college circles and Ivy League. It goes without saying that preppie types may know as little about other people as others know about them. Sometimes I even wonder if people exaggerate their social characteristics when they imagine they're being examined. <br /><br />I wonder if Vanderbilt got passed over for inclusion in the original book because it's in Nashville, much better known for country music and the Grand Ole Opry--but also the location of a reproduction of the Parthenon, complete with Athena, but I'm sure it was an oversight.BlueTrainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15008640585987540252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-32303302659562741452014-03-03T00:48:26.783-05:002014-03-03T00:48:26.783-05:00Max, your comment reminded me of a lecture I atten...Max, your comment reminded me of a lecture I attended in school during which the professor told a story of the time he climbed to the top of a mountain where there was a Buddhist(?) temple and inside there was an inscription that revealed the secret to a happy life. At the end of the story, he told us the inscription read that the secret to a happy life is to know how much is enough. Well, I was more than a little disappointed at this revelation at the time, but the older I get, the more I understand it to be true. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-63224234344865047302014-03-02T17:19:17.233-05:002014-03-02T17:19:17.233-05:00Satire or not, and the vote here seems to be landi...Satire or not, and the vote here seems to be landing more heavily that it is satire, I have often wondered why Lisa Birnbach and her fellow authors did not cajole and or otherwise convince someone to re-print the original (despite the publication of the sequel.<br /><br />Again separating the tongue in cheek nature of the text, I personally believe many of the illustrations first used back in 1980 are as relevant today as they were when the book was first released.<br /><br />I remember that when the book came it, it did spawn a new level of interest in the culture and style of prepdom and after the fashion excesses of the disco era, the return to a more classic and classy style of dress was appreciated by many.<br /><br />If one is a practical person, non-trendy styles that are classic in nature and of better quality manufacture will almost always serve the owner of these items more faithfully than trendy styles will.<br /><br />The fact that Muffy has posted so many pictures with examples of various items purchased, in many cases, 20+ and then some years ago would seem to bear this out.Paul Connorsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-17278757251875725722014-03-02T13:41:31.475-05:002014-03-02T13:41:31.475-05:00Knowing whether "The Official Preppy Handbook...Knowing whether "The Official Preppy Handbook" is satire or not is a good litmus test of a true prep versus a wannabe. Unfortunately, wannabes adopted it as a "how-to" manual, which I think was the beginnings of the ersatz prep style. The popped collar comes to mind as an immediate by-product of Lisa's book. Lisa alludes to popped collars on polo shirts; by the mid-80s, wannabes were popping the collars on every shirt and jacket possible. So, while the "Handbook" as satire is a classic, the "Handbook" as how-to manual sparked an expansion of preppy style to designers and consumers who just didn't "get it."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-90233604548432059782014-03-01T20:28:42.437-05:002014-03-01T20:28:42.437-05:00
Diversity is why I love The Daily Prep community....<br />Diversity is why I love The Daily Prep community. No matter if you are Prep, Trad, Yuppie, WASP or whatever else you might consider yourself to be, have money, have no money, come from a legacy background or not etc., I think we all come here for the same reason. We appreciate the content the Aldrichs share so generously with us and we sense its Authenticity and how much Thought and Love goes into each post. And in the process of interacting with each other we learn a great deal about the lives and realities of others and our own. <br />Like the saying by Laozi says: “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.”Maxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-55024504004046355922014-03-01T19:14:23.571-05:002014-03-01T19:14:23.571-05:00The book was hilarious back then... poking fun at ...The book was hilarious back then... poking fun at everyone and at one's self. Love the photos. Number three man is late.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-77163514750936138742014-03-01T18:09:26.343-05:002014-03-01T18:09:26.343-05:00Before closing this topic, please clarify a bit of...Before closing this topic, please clarify a bit of history for me as my memory of the times is admittedly cloudy. The book was published in 1980 when we had a glut of the "handbook" genre thrown at us, right? It appeared after the sartorially disastrous decade of the 70s (as well as a financially and politically troublesome time) which contributed to the reassurance of simpler times and tastes, right? Perhaps my memory is failing....feel free to correct it. Cheers ;)<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-30135125608943196022014-03-01T17:10:35.494-05:002014-03-01T17:10:35.494-05:00Regarding defining "prep" to include one...Regarding defining "prep" to include oneself,<br /><br />I feel that none of us would be here if we did not somehow genuinely relate to the lifestyle in some serious manner. <br /><br />Let us not forget that the "Ivy League Look" swept America throughout the late 50s and early 60s, long before TOPH could popularize its more youthful interpretation--prep. <br /><br />Those who adopted the look in the 1950s have since passed it down three generations. These people may not be orthodox, but they are not necessarily faking it, either. <br /><br />I feel this is often the case with the South. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-37025138160279530232014-03-01T14:30:50.005-05:002014-03-01T14:30:50.005-05:00@Sara 1:02 PM , you’re right, older than the hills...@Sara 1:02 PM , you’re right, older than the hills. My friend brought them back from a grand tour in the early 1970’s (can’t remember where, but it included parts of Asia). They were really ugly, died in shades of mustard and burnt umber, with crude hand-made buttons. I once referred to them as trophy pelts, which made him chuckle. <br /><br />He has always marched to a different drummer and has never felt the need to prove anything to anybody; in other words, comfortable in his own skin. His wife, who grew up in an old New England family and was raised as a diplomatic brat, is quite like him, completely unpretentious. That’s what makes them so delightful. <br /><br />MGCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-90355658913859240332014-03-01T13:02:38.711-05:002014-03-01T13:02:38.711-05:00Don't know; never read it.
MGC: Would love t...Don't know; never read it.<br /><br />MGC: Would love to know where your friend found weird fuzzy sweaters knitted by yak herding women. I suspect they (the sweaters, not the women) are older than the hills and are only available in that part of the world?saranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-10434385246003499962014-03-01T11:30:49.818-05:002014-03-01T11:30:49.818-05:00@TJK
I enjoyed your comment, and it brought back ...@TJK<br /><br />I enjoyed your comment, and it brought back a memory of how one can identify very personally with experiences that are available to us all..<br /><br />When my husband and I were newly engaged in 1990, we invited my parents and his to see the play "Love Letters" with us. I think we all enjoyed the play, but my husband's father later wondered why. He felt that if one didn't attend the schools referenced in the play, and didn't have the same East Coast upbringing, one could not appreciate the nuances of the play.<br /><br />I didn't agree with him at the time, feeling that the relationship between the two actors was universal, but I never forgot his remarks, which were made with utter sincerity. - MHAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-20146776141296661212014-03-01T11:09:22.763-05:002014-03-01T11:09:22.763-05:00The only bit of satire in the book is the title. ...The only bit of satire in the book is the title. Why would a person need a handbook to be "preppy" that is the irony .If it is a lifestyle one grows up within - and it comes natural to them. This is the way it has been done for generations in the family. Things are handed down. That is the true irony one would not buy the book it would be handed down but since the book never existed thus not being handed down to the generations of families maintaining the culture/habits of New England Old money because it was a sensibility. What one needs now is a Field Guide to Ralph Lauren. Where the outlet malls are, what color s the current fashion , what size logo is appropriate to a function etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-61922358480075377732014-03-01T10:23:06.517-05:002014-03-01T10:23:06.517-05:00"Everything I write has a precedent in truth...."Everything I write has a precedent in truth." ~~ Ian Fleming<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-6905580202673557612014-03-01T10:01:53.628-05:002014-03-01T10:01:53.628-05:00My father is a fairly stoic, well-dressed man, now...My father is a fairly stoic, well-dressed man, now in his mid 70s. He graduated from a top-of-the-list, private university when it was still all male. In the 80s, when I was young, I remember my mother getting the book from the library for him. He laughed so hard he cried. <br /><br />He said for most people it would be satire but for him it was just so close to the truth. <br /><br />Similarly, I've heard famous musicians say that "Spinal Tap" made them cry because it too accurately described the "you wouldn't believe it if I told you" situations they found themselves in when they were struggling artists.TJKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-65584033860870283232014-03-01T08:42:10.142-05:002014-03-01T08:42:10.142-05:00The link that I cited did not work. Here is the a...The link that I cited did not work. Here is the article from another site:<br /><br />http://this-is-prep-that-is-not.tumblr.com/post/31267992933/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-prep-but<br /><br />David Pnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-27509084890416799292014-03-01T08:25:27.267-05:002014-03-01T08:25:27.267-05:00I would agree that it is both. I would bet that m...I would agree that it is both. I would bet that many of you have seen the reprint of the article cited below from the Toledo Blade that came out just weeks before the release of the OPH. I particularly love the section entitled "Parameters of the Preppy Life-Style." IMHO, that section of the article perfectly captures the spirit of the preppy life-style, even though some of the references are now dated.<br /><br />http://theivyleaguelook.blogspot.com/2009/09/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know.htmlDavid Pnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-53985103658606108662014-03-01T07:33:07.101-05:002014-03-01T07:33:07.101-05:00Coming from Mexico to attend Vanderbilt (not menti...Coming from Mexico to attend Vanderbilt (not mentioned in TOPH), it helped me understand a certain percentage of my peers in a more anthropological sense. It helped me understand their value set, mannerisms and aesthetics different than Sloane Rangers in the UK, BCBG in Franco-phone countries and Gente Bien/Fresas/Mirreys in my Nation. In the end, I enjoyed its humour, and realized that like with all generalizations, it has a certain degree of fault. Regards<br /><br />Oscar CorralesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-33518223030477811432014-03-01T07:25:29.603-05:002014-03-01T07:25:29.603-05:00A friend gave me the OPH when first published with...A friend gave me the OPH when first published with the note 'this is your life'. As I read through it, I realized she was right! Now 34 years later, not much has changed . . .<br /><br />I do prefer TDP though!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8714922182513339530.post-18135184045210632502014-03-01T01:52:14.636-05:002014-03-01T01:52:14.636-05:00I'm enjoying reading through the comments, and...I'm enjoying reading through the comments, and was just thinking that it is too bad the second book did not measure up. I wonder what the official preppy handbook would look like if it were written today? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com