I know, I know preppy and trendy are should be considered mutually exclusive because classicists don't stoop to anything nearly so pedestrian as following, I shudder even typing the word, fads. However, times have changed and even the most diehard prep likes to be a little bit in the know about what others are wearing or talking or thinking about wearing. And so, for those of you who don't plan to buy anything trendy this fall but still want to look fashion forward, I bring you my Fall 2014 Fashion Trends For Preps that I have selected to work beautifully with pretty much anything in your closet (or your parents' or siblings' closets. I do not suggest pulling a Betheny Frankel and raiding your 4 year olds closet should you have one in your home). How these are even trends is beyond me since I've been wearing things like hot pink and turtlenecks and tailored suits for a donkey's age, but the muckety mucks of the fashion industry have declared these Hot for Fall and I am obliged to share them with you. You, however, are free to follow or not follow depending on your level of inner sheep on any particular day. Drum roll please . . .
Turtlenecks! I kid you not, turtlenecks are in for fall. I didn't know they were out, but apparently they are in so you can embrace your inner Velma (Scooby Dooby Dooo!) and keep warm doing so. LL Bean and Land's End are consistently good sources for quality turtlenecks whether they're in style or not. Wear these with a vintage letter sweater, a tailored blazer or a string of pearls for a perfect preppy look. Avoid purple.
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| Ralph Lauren adds an equestrian touch to the classic turtleneck. Polo, anyone? |
Chunky Knit Sweaters. Think big thick loose sweaters. Even better think how cute you'll be at your local Pete's drinking a soy latte with a little tartan kilt, leggings and sweater paws. To keep this slightly sloppy look preppy, stick to classic colors like navy, red or hunter green and pair with tailored pants or a pencil skirt. Avoid earth tones.
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| Tommy Hilfiger pairs a chunky knit sweater with a fabulous navy jacket in their new fall collection. |
Fair Isle Sweaters/Nordic Sweaters. Remember the sale at the Eagle's Eye on the Main Line where everyone snapped up the latest fair isle sweaters and whale motif turtlenecks at a big discount back in the day and then when everyone showed up at school the day after the sale wearing the same sweaters? No? Ask your mom. Well these beautiful yolk sweaters are back. They pair well with dark jeans, cords, ski wear, and are cute with short skirts. If you really, really feel the need to try leather pants (not a prep wardrobe staple, but in case you need to sew your wild oats), you could pair brown leather pants with one of these sweaters.
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| Boden has some fabulous fair isle and nordic sweaters this season. Bonus points for the hot pink! |
Hot Pink and Red. Need I say more? I assume you have oodles of this in your wardrobe and know how to wear it. To update the look, pair red with cream and ocher or hot pink with army green. My sister will tell you ocher and olive are decidedly not preppy but if your outfit's got clean lines I think you can get away with it.
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| Actress Julie Bowen looks cute in this season's hot pink, but the atrocious footwear obviously took a wrong turn on the way to Nicki Minaj's dressing room. |
Gold. Yes, you can! (but please no shoes ala Julie Bowen). Gold is usually associated with the likes of Liberace and not Jackie Kennedy, but a classic gold ribbed Ralph Lauren shirt or cable knit sweater paired with a navy or winter white blazer and tailored wide legged pants is a showstopper. Go ahead, embrace gold with these simple rules: only one gold piece at a time, no other metallic fabrics at the same time, matte finish is preferable, no shiny satiny stretchy polyestery or other similarly godawful fabrics ever, keep the lines clean and avoid busy patterns. Gold is great with navy, black or cream but tacky with red, orange, pink or purple.
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| Ralph Lauren shows us how gold is done. |
Velvet. I love velvet every winter and will wear it whenever I have the chance. High quality stretch velvet is a gift from the gods and should not be underestimated. Last year J. Crew had wonderful navy velvet pants that I bought and wore with brown riding boots until I realized they also looked great with black boots. My favorite shirt of all time was a black stretch velvet Ralph Lauren turtleneck that I could wear with everything. Velvet is best in dark colors like chocolate brown, black, aubergine (I felt wonderfully pretentious typing that), forest green and burgundy. Bright velvet colors or gasp, crushed velvet, start moving one's sartorial look in the direction of Honey BooBoo and we certainly wouldn't want that.
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| Love this look. Not sure who makes the blazer but J. Crew has a similar one - this is from the E'Belle website. |
Tailored Suits. Well, duh. Is anyone wearing untailored suits? If you work in law, banking, accounting or anywhere a suit is a requirement, chances are you could care less if tailored suits are trendy this fall because you've always worn them. My favorite suits used to come from Filene's Basement - the real one, the actual one in the basement at Downtown Crossing in Boston - but alas, that ship has sailed. You probably already know this, but Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Macy's, and J. Crew are pretty reliable sources for a decent classic suit. If you're on a budget or just a Yankee at heart like me, check out TJMaxx or Nordstrom Rack in late August through late September for some great suits at good prices. If you find a Tahari suit there that fits, snap it up. They last forever and have beautiful classic lines. To jazz up a suit without taking up residence on Planet Tacky, pair it with a gold ribbed turtleneck (see, you're catching on!), a white shirt with several long strands of pearls, a patterned silk scarf, a statement necklace, or a hot pink shirt (not shiny, please not shiny!).
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| Suits from Talbots, Ports 1961 and Tommy Hilfiger |
So there you have it. You're now officially hip and you didn't even have to buy anything. If you simply must buy something preppy for fall, Chatham Ivy is coming out with long sleeve t's and my favorite is
Wicked Tartan with the fox and the horse. Perfect for that fall foliage trip to Vermont.
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