On October 3, Sarah Patrick went apple picking. The weather is just starting to feel like falling in her quaint Rhode Island town, she said, all of the crisp foliage and cable-knit wool. Joined by her husband Kiel and their toddler Harry, Patrick picks Honeycrisps baskets dressed entirely in New England uniforms: Barbour jackets, buttons, jeans.
I know all this, of course, because Patrick’s October 3 is permanently recorded on her Instagram, where more than 600,000 followers tune in to observe a life like no other.
Patrick first received internet acclaim with “Luxurious girls wear pearls,” an early-generation lifestyle blog chronicles, as she writes, “a New England girl in pursuit of quality fashion, friendship, and coastal living.” In 2008, Patrick and her husband launched their own line of clothing and accessories, Kiel James Patrick, with only one product: a fabric bracelet cut from the ends of old ties. Their retail empire has only grown since then, now a multi-category operation with Preppy Notebook staples and complete with their own flagship store atop Newport’s yacht-filled jetties.
Patrick is a master of escapism. Her J.Crew portfolio of a digital footprint sells a certain lifestyle: It’s pre-personified, from the Madras in her closet to the hounds at her feet . In this, Patrick is not alone.
In recent years, visual platforms like Instagram and even TikTok have promoted this more cutting-edge aesthetic, often ironically. Rise of “Christian Girl Autumn” and Caitlin Covington, the influence behind it, aren’t clearly preppy, but they do embody the kind of simple, low-stakes wardrobe philosophy that prep falls into.
For some people, the sphere of influence is dominated by avant-basic 20-somethings on TikTok or Row– dress up in photography favorites with bubble couch. Early influencers – the majority of whom are white, young and thin – are enjoying their own rampant success. Today, there’s an influencer market for everyone, some more aspirational than others.
“Everyone has their own idea of who the most successful fashion influencers are,” Rebecca Jennings, a senior reporter at Vox who embraces internet culture. “There’s not just one style that people are going for. Everything happens instantaneously and you have to find someone who’s doing something that interests you or offers something tactically useful to you.” , instead of someone wearing expensive clothes looking like everyone else.”
Of course, the culture of preparation in and of itself is inherently inaccessible. It remained associated with the kind of recreational activity in Port Hyannis commonly found throughout the Northeast and New England, often among an exclusive group of individuals who were as privileged in their race as they were in their classrooms. Stylistically, prep has its roots in Princeton University in the 1920s, where, According to historian and curator Deirdre Clemente, personal style thrives – within certain parameters.
A century later, today’s preparation has evolved into something much broader. People of color have worked to diversify their image into a style that remains closely tied to race and class. Brands like Recreational habits, a newly launched luxury label, consciously celebrates “the trendy American spirit through a holistic lens.”
“The ‘new preparation’ is really about growing up and understanding that you can keep culture and sophistication together,” says co-founder Marlon Muller, who created the brand with his wife. Barneys New York and Kith Alumni Jackie Skye Muller.
Meanwhile, on the pages of the iconic 1990s catalog, J.Crew helped showcase simple basics that can be worn from a formal luncheon to an impromptu bonfire. That’s still the way preppy clothes are built: comfortable to hug, yet evocative of the lifestyle where cashmere sweaters are always dry cleaned. That’s definitely how Patrick and other preppy creators dress, with patchy prints on easy, tailored silhouettes.
Carly Riordan launched her lifestyle blog, “The College Prepster,” while a freshman at Georgetown University in 2008. Since dropping her moniker The College Prepster, she’s currently updating 230,000 followers of her Instagram in a more understandable treatment, @carly, and a website with the same domain name. She is also the author of a book, “Business Minded: A Guide to Setting Up Your Mind, Body, and Business for Success,” Expires this December.
As Riordan grew up, so did her background, her background now covers topics ranging from worry and suitability come travel and Mom-and-son love. However, her wardrobe is still as neat as ever. Find her poses in a ribbed faux turtleneck sweater on the beach in Nantucket or one striped t-shirt to match her newborn son – time-honored pieces, simply worn. Being a San Francisco Creator Kimara Mitchell explain, it’s the pre-mystery.
Mitchell, who serves as the creative director of Filmed in Australia and previously worked as art director at Banana Republic. “The preparation can be part here and part there, and you can combine it with something more avant-garde and trendy.”
Mitchell herself has been blogging since 2004, introducing a personal style to her digital presence in 2010. Although she doesn’t describe herself as a “preppy blogger,” she’s tacit The essence of the preparatory influence, still combines certain principles -proper principles into a sophisticated palette.
“I grew up on the East Coast,” she said. “I went to a private school. I remember before going to college I was saving up and looking for an old item Ralph Lauren the jacket has a crest embroidered on it. I just wore it to death, and did the whole thing with the buttons down and the collar of my shirt, the pinned jeans and the loafers. “
For Mitchell, much of the appeal of preppy influencers lies in their reach, which, to the Instagram generation, requires re-creation. Even the big fast fashion retailers as well as Shein noted, where shoppers can visit their e-commerce site to review Tartan Dress $11 and $21 peplum blouse with bow tie. And over the past year and a half, this style has created a new platform across the creative and retail landscape.
“During the various shutdowns since the start of the pandemic, many people use social media to hide from what is happening in the world and often invest in trends that represent a lifestyle, style, and lifestyle. or a certain way of life can be inspirational or comforting,” says Aimee Howell, managing partner at London-based influencer marketing agency TAKUMI.
In the event that major influencers like Patrick or Riordan, none of whom responded to Fashionista’s request for comment, they could go a step further, inspiring followers to spend their Saturday night. them at a candlelit dinner party, enjoying Maine lobster, roasting champagne flutes. It’s what Howell likens to a refutation of the “money is rich” aesthetic – she cites Louis Vuitton tracksuits as an example – that has dominated the past decade.
She said: “Today’s fashionistas want something new and classic, harking back to the days of living the lavish life – drinking fine wine, walking around the country estates friends without having to take care of the world – is something to aspire to,” she said. “It’s a direct response to the established millennial ‘always on’ work culture, with influencers relishing selling elegance and breaking away from the norm.”
They even market more than permanent residences on Martha’s Vineyard. With such evergreen wardrobes, creators are tapping into millennials and Generation Z priorities for sustainability. In a true preppy wardrobe, no staples go to waste.
“My sophomore year of college, I clearly remember going to the J.Crew store on South Street Seaport,” says Mitchell. “I’ve saved my money and am so excited to buy this turtleneck sweater.” She keeps it, and breaks it off on colder Gulf mornings. “They’re theoretically something you could have in your closet for years versus something so specific in its print or color that you might not see a year from now. now.”
There can always be an appeal to minimalist, Ivy League-inspired clothing because, as Jennings explains, the lifestyle of wrap-around porches and fabric-upholstered Adirondack chairs is still really out of reach. accessible to a lot of people – though its uniform says otherwise.
“Preparation always comes back when it’s been long enough that we haven’t had it,” she says. “But now there’s a new way to explore it, and it feels novel.”
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