Prep Essentials: Brooks Brothers Etiquette Books

Here's something that every gentleman should own. John Bridges and Bryan Curtis wrote a series of etiquette books that is sold by Brooks Brothers.

The books cover lessons from dressing to grooming to toasts to being abroad, and more. Altogether, there are 11 books in the series, and they are rather quick, but extremely beneficial reads.  I own, and have read, A Gentleman Gets Dressed Up and 50 Things Every Young Gentleman Should Know. I still reference them when I need to quickly look up an answer for appropriate attire, or double-check to see what is acceptable behavior. The books are sold here for $32 each.

Happy Seersucker Season!

Easter Sunday also marked the first day of seersucker season. I celebrated both holidays by wearing a pair of seersucker pants. There was a slight debate at lunch with my sister as to whether or not the Southern Tide Screenporch Sport Shirt went with seersucker. I argued that it was okay because the pattern on the shirt was so small, but she didn't buy it.

In honor of it now being seersucker season, here's a link to an early post I did (last summer, when I had few readers, and I'm sure a lot of people haven't seen it yet). From August 8th, 2011 Prep Essentials: Seersucker.

Prep Essentials: LL Bean Duck Boots

Now that's March, winter has decided to arrive in the Boston area. With the first significant snow since Halloween 2011, it was time to dig into the closet and reach for that prep essential: The LL Bean duck boot. While it is commonly known as the duck boot, it's official name is the Bean Boot, and it has been around for 100 years. The boot got its start when L.L. Bean was on a hunting trip in Maine, he could not keep his feet dry, and, thus, invented the Bean Boot.

Today, the boots are still made by hand in Freeport, Maine, and are dunked in a tank to guarantee they are watertight. They come in a variety of different styles, colors, and insulation options, but overall the boot largely remains unchanged.

For many years, the boot had more of a cult-type following in New England, and especially in Maine, but it is now rapidly growing in popularity on college campuses across the country. Four years ago, the brand manufactured 150,000 pairs, but is expected to manufacture 500,000 pairs in 2012.

Perhaps the greatest point of pride with this boot is that LL Bean is not going to outsource to companies overseas to handle the spike in production. Every single pair will be manufactured in the United States, which means the company is creating jobs for Americans!

Head on over to LL Bean to get a pair of duck boots, find a store near you, or check out their other great products.

*I referenced this Time Article in the writing of this post.

Prep Essentials: Pea Coat

Like many pieces found in the prep closet, the pea coast has its roots in the navy. The classic pea coats are double breasted, have large lapels, and vertical or slash pockets. The buttons, which can be made of medal or wood, are often engraved with anchors. Today, the term 'pea coat' has come to include almost any wool coat, including: single breasted, hooded, and zip up.

The coat was standard issue in the British and Dutch navies in the 18th century, and became a part of the US Navy uniform in the early 19th century. Turning up the collar blocks the wind and elements from the wearer's hairline to the bottom of his rear end. The wool material makes these coats exceptionally warm and durable. Navy blue pea coats are still standard issue in the US Navy today. Check out the Army/Navy game this Saturday, and you will see plenty of these being worn by the Midshipmen.

Prep Essentials: Croakies

Much like Kleenex, Croakies is actually a name brand that is used as the name of a product. The normal term is sunglasses strap or sunglasses retainer.

The history of Croakies (the brand) goes back to 1977. A ski patrolman in Jackson Hole, Wyoming came up with an idea for retainers that would grip his sunglasses through all of his adventures. The first material used for Croakies was an old wetsuit, cut with a pair of hand scissors. The grip design was based off of the Chinese finger trap, and soon became a hit with all the ski patrolmen.

So, why the name Croakies? Back in the 70's, the ski patrolmen used the word "croakies," when they couldn't think of the proper name for something (like a "whatcha-ma-call-it"). The name eventually stuck.

Today, croakies are especially popular among Southern fraternity men, boaters and fishers (they do float), and preps across the country. Retailers like Southern Proper, Vineyard Vines, Southern Tide, and Lilly Pulitzer sell their own custom croakies.

Croakies fun fact: Croakies became standard issue on the space shuttle, starting in 1990.

Prep Essentials: Seersucker

Seersucker. The prep summer uniform. It comes in everything from shorts and pants, skirts and dresses, to suits. Non-preppies may wonder why so many preps walk around in "those thin white and blue striped stuff," but preps know. While the traditional colors of seersucker are white and blue, and its also comes in other colors: green and white, pink and white, grey and white.

The actual seersucker season start is a little debated. In the South, Easter marks the start of seersucker season. In the North, it's usually still a little chilly for seersucker at Easter, so I'd say waiting until Memorial Day Weekend is your safest bet. It's pretty well agreed upon that Labor Day marks the end of seersucker season.

Seersucker, originally from the Hindustani "shir o shekar" (milk and sugar), is a thin, all-cotton fabric, which makes it breathable and perfect for summer weather. The seersucker weaving process causes threads to bunch together, which gives the garment its wrinkled appearance.

It is a common staple of the Southern gentleman because the fabric is held away from the skin, which allows for heat dissipation and air circulation. The light fabric is great for the heat and humidity of the South in the summer. Just think how bad it would've been before air conditioning came along.

Today, seersucker is seen as a clothing article worn by the wealthy and well-to-do, but that's not how it originated. In the 1920's, the material was worn by poor citizens, but undergrad students starting rocking seersucker as a form of "reverse snobbery."

Seersucker fun fact: In June, the US Senate holds a Seersucker Thursday, in which participants dress in traditional Southern garb.

Prep Essentials: The Car

A while back, you got the Guide to Bumper Stickers. The vehicle your putting those stickers on makes a statement about you and your style as a prep, as well. Here is my list of the Five Most Preppy Vehicles. The list isn't really in an order. If you want to add something to the list, feel free to leave a comment. Here goes.

Jeep Grand Cherokee
Odds are, your adventures will take you across some rough terrain. Camping, beach outings, and other prep activities may require you to take it off-road for a while. The Grand Cherokee is an extremely capable off-road vehicle, but is very nice and luxurious on the inside.

Anything Volvo
Especially the station wagons. Volvo's are made to last, so it's a car that many families are willing to pass down to their newly licensed 16 year old. They will most likely replace their old Volvo with a new Volvo. Pictures is the Volvo XC60, which is their SUV.

Audio A4
Another manufacturer with a reputation of making cars that last. The A4 has classic styling, exceptional handling, and many luxurious features.

Lexus RX300
The official vehicle of prep moms everywhere. The SUV has room for a family of four, drives like a Lexus car, and has plenty of storage room for groceries, lacrosse equipment, and the dogs.

Range Rover
I'm a little iffy of putting the Range Rover on this list. Sure, it is an extremely nice car and many preps do desire it, which is why it ultimately made the list. The thing that made me hesitate about including it on the list is that it is more frequently driven by rich snobs. Deep down, this SUV wants to be driven by preps, though.

Prep Essentials: Nautical Flags

Since sailing is an extremely prep sport/hobby/past-time; whichever it is to you, it is important to know the flags on the sailboat. Whether or not you actually know how to sail or own your own boat, odds are you will be asked aboard someone's at some point. So, study up these flags if you want to blend in better. There will be a quiz later. And, I'll be honest, I don't have all these flags memorized, either.

At least learn to spell your name for your needlepoint belt.

Prep Essentials: Needlepoint Belt

Preps have long been using their belts as an accessory that also allows them to express their style even more. The canvas belt is a popular item for the more casual occasion, but when it's time to go more formal, it has to be the needlepoint belt.

There are many companies that have custom needlepoint belts; popular styles include having your name written in nautical flags, or the monogram. These belts can be quite pricey, and costs can be a couple hundred dollars per belt.

Thankfully, Taylor Llewellyn set out to solve the problem of expensive needlepoint belts. After graduating from Colgate, the corporate grind got old fast for Taylor, and he kept wishing to be on Cape Cod with a beer in hand. The quintessential prep attitude, right there. From his website, Mr. Llewellyn says, "I set out in 2007 to create a line of needlepoint products that would be second to none in quality, while not breaking the bank." He went to Asia to find a manufacturer for his own needlepoint belts, which would later be the brand Tucker Blair.

So, where did the name Tucker Blair come from? Mr. Llewellyn says that Tucker and Blair are both family names, which sounded good to him. He had the name of his company. Today, Tucker Blair follows a business model that gives the customer the best deal: a 100% needlepoint belt from Tucker Blair costs $95. And that's when they aren't on sale. The belts are only for sale online, which helps to keep the price down. So, if you want to get your hands on one these great needlepoint belts, be sure to check out the selection at Tucker Blair. Oh yeah, they also have free shipping.

The Prep Guide to Bumper Stickers

An inappropriate amount of bumper stickers.

Something that I've been noticing for quite a while that needs to be addressed is the number of cars that I see on the road with an absurd amount of bumper stickers. The funny thing is, that while the Californian whose car is pictured here doesn't even have that many stickers compared to some cars I've seen. Let's be real though, if other drivers (I mean passengers, for safety's sake) can't quickly read the stickers on the back of your car as they pass you, you have too many damn stickers on your car!

An acceptable amount of bumper stickers.

That being said, here's a quick guide to bumper sticker appropriateness. The rule is easy: no more than four. The car pictured left (my old Jeep), actually has four stickers, but you can't see the fourth, which is a window cling, due to the tinted glass. Another guideline to follow that it's only acceptable to have one political sticker on your car. Anything more than that is just plain superfluous. Also, if your candidate loses the election, you should take their sticker off of your vehicle within six months of the election. No one else brags about losing.

If you're wondering what some good, acceptable stickers are to have on your car, here's a good place to start.

1. School Sticker: let everyone know which college or prep school you attended by having the name of your school on your back window. The most prep are the stickers that simply say the school name in one line. There is no need to remove these stickers within six months of graduation.

2. Oval Abbrv. Sticker: these stickers have really gotten popular lately. Every vacation destination, such as the MV sticker on the Jeep, is getting a 2-4 letter abbreviation and putting it on an oval sticker. If you have a vacation home somewhere, or frequently visit a certain place, let everyone know where you like to hang out with one of these stickers.

3. Sports: show support by putting your favorite team's logo on your car, or show everyone what sport you play with one of those newly popular silhouette sticker.

4. Brand: here's a chance to tell everyone about your style. I have a Vineyard Vines sticker on my car, but there are many others. The most prep choices are a favorite clothing company, or your favorite brand of boat, or fishing company.

5. Beach Permits: this is perhaps the most prep choice of bumper sticker of all. It shows everyone that you love the beach, a very preppy place, and it shows them where you like to go based on the location of the beach you're going to. Again, no need to remove these after they expire, but the back of your car also shouldn't like a history of what beach permits look like for the past twenty years.

The main thing with bumper stickers is too simply not overdue it. It's okay to let your car be an expression of its driver, but it should never be a distraction to other drivers on the road.

Prep Essentials: Sperry Top-Sider

One of my pairs of Sperry's at the beach

Every prep loves boat shoes. Naturally, this comes from the prep's love of boats. Sperry Top-Sider is the original brand, and still the favorite among preps. Paul Sperry first invented the boat shoe in 1935. His motivation came from his cocker spaniel, Prince. Sperry noticed that the dog kept its traction on the wet boat because of all the cracks going in different directions on the bottom of Prince's paws. This design became known as Razor-Siping and are still used on the soles of Sperry's today.

These shoes are some of the most comfortable shoes available on the market. Sure, at first you may get blisters trying to break in a new pair, but those rough first couple of days are well worth the results after. The best way to break in a new pair of Sperry's, besides wearing them a lot, is to get them wet. The water will soften the leather and help them to better conform to your foot. Just remember, wearing a pair of Sperry's with socks is like wearing a pair of sandals with socks; you just don't do it. There is one exception to the no socks and Sperry's rule, though: if you are wearing your Sperry's with pants, it is acceptable to wear dress socks with them.

While many preps still prefer the authentic original shoe, Sperry has hundreds of different colors and styles so matter what your style is, you're sure to find a pair of Sperry Top-Siders that you'll love. Depending on the style, Sperry's can be worn for super casual events all the way up to semi-formal events. The classic brown leather Authentic Original boat shoes go great with a pair of chinos and another prep essential, the blazer.

Sperry is also a strong advocate for ocean and wildlife preservation so it's a great company to support. Check them out online.

Prep Essentials: Navy Blue Blazer

This is the first post in a series I'm planning on doing entitled "Prep Essentials." The gist of the idea is to take a look at something that is essential to prepdom.

The blazer starts out as a prep staple early on: it is the standard uniform for pretty much all prep boarding schools--with the exception of those bohemian ones, but that's a different post for a different day. After prep school, the blazer remains a staple, as many preppies join fraternities in college, and the blazer becomes the standard uniform for formal functions, composite pictures, and--if you're in the SEC--football games. While most people are familiar with the uses of blazers today, the history of the blazer is not so well-known. At least, it wasn't to me. So, after a quick Wikipedia search (that counts as citing a source, right?), I am able to pass on a brief history of the blazer to you.

The term 'blazer' started with the 'red blazers' of the Lady Margaret Boat Club, which was the rowing club of St. John's College in Cambridge, in 1825. The jackets were termed blazers because of their bright red cloth. Other sources report that crew members of the HMS Blazer wore striped navy and white jackets as part of their uniform in the Royal Navy.

Looking at the origins of the blazer it becomes very obvious as to why this uniform was adopted into the prep world. Sailing and crew are both preppy past times so it only makes sense that the uniform of sailors and rowers would show up in the uniform of preps later on.

Blazers now are usually of a solid color, and quite often have naval-style metal buttons, which reflect the jacket's origins in boating clubs.

If you don't already have a blazer, or your prep school blazer has become too small for you--go get one. While Blazers from Brooks Brothers and Vineyard Vines may run around $500, it is possible to find a nice, well-fitting blazer for around $100. I recommend you check out Men's Wearhouse for that, as they offer free tailoring with your purchase.