Frizzell- Picasso with a preppy polish

 

I hugely admire artist Dick Frizzell, love his sartorial style, and this (indirectly) led me to preppyness.

Brandishing boat shoes, stripey tops, and all manner of nautical motif- Dick may not sit comfortably with a word like preppy but his aesthetic lends itself to the descriptor. 

A painter, chiefly, Dick celebrates pop culture, elevating roadstall signage and comic book heroes to masterpiece status. 

2003 saw him in a bespoke beach house, modelled akin to Martha Stewart's Cape Cod getaway. Strewn across his sofas, his seaside-motiffed cushions (a collab with Esther Diamond now defunct) painted a preppy picture. Creamy with a encompassing verandah, the fulltime summer house opened to an oceanfront. 

In recent years, Dick designed an apparel range for Mr Vintage. This included a navy tee with a pattern of red anchors- similar to the tiny lighthouses found on J. McLaughlin's pants.

Dick, with his penchant for Sperry and Breton stripes, could be described as a preppy pacific Picasso!! 

Finding preppy in pavlova paradise

Preppiness has no overt presence in NZ- no pink and green monograms or polo players but there are definitely stores which reflect this aesthetic style. 

Rodd & Gunn menswear is wall to wall fisherman knits, locally-made leathergoods, and boat shoes. Like Ralph Lauren, there is as much attention to the image as the product. Baskets, akin to Nantucket baskets, and fishing rods adorn the cabin-like interior. Also, in the vein of RL, some of the stores are "lifestyle lodges." I visited a RL store in Manhattan Dec '14 and I expect that R&G are going in this direction. A "Lifestyle Lodge" had just opened, in Dunedin, just two stores away from Country Road which is quite fitting! 

 

 

Country Road (Dunedin) below:

 

Australian brand Country Road is to Australasia what J Crew is to America. Styles are simple, modern and decidedly classic. Trends are inserted tastefully, such as metallics, but this is not Forever 21. Every Australasian girl knows the value of a CR tote/gym barrel bag. Like Vera Bradley, the bags  come out in various patterns and are easily washable and durable. Like LL Bean, the are simple in shape and this doesn't alter much. 

Canterbury of New Zealand is noted for it's rugby shirts especially the "ugly" rugby shirts which are a pastiche of stripes and colours, like the madras of American prepdom. The zip ankle trackpants filled high school coridoors in the 90s, with the signature CCC (Canterbury Clothing Company) 

down the leg, much like an Antipodean Juicy Couture (unprep). These pants have died in popularity in recent years- perhaps this is due to

the move away from large visable logos (evident in 90s Tommy Hilfiger and RL). 

Leading couture designers in NZ are Karen Walker, Trelise Cooper, World, and Nom D. There may be the occasional reference to prep but it would be very farfetched to define these houses as preppy. 

Preppy...eh?!

Kiwis often don't know what preppy culture is!

The basic answer could be "The Kennedys" or rich people from the east coast of the United States. Of course, this is incredibly general, and not necessarily true, but it is an entry point to understanding.

Most people see it as a fashion style featuring headbands, pearls, and polos- basically the rich kids in 80s movies. Clothing certainly plays a large role, as in any culture, but preppiness extends far beyond John Hughes tropes and Animal House.

To be preppy is to value frugality, respect, and tact. There are questions you ask and questions you never would ask. What did you study at uni is a good question but give any discussion of money a width berth (even vaguely). 

It is about wrapping up in old blankets, left by your grandparents, rather than turning on the heater. 

It is wearing the pearls your aunt left you, not the latest Louis Vuitton IT item.

It is paying your dentist bill before splurging on gadgets.

It is a cracked iPhone screen, eeking it out until you finally get the screen fixed but no way are you going to replace it as it is "perfectly good" til it's dead.

It is about never outstaying your welcome and always jumping in to do the dishes.

It is leaving a personal, and witty, gift when you part somebody's house, after staying there. Left on their kitchen bench with a little card