Tipsy in Madras- Let's Drink to the Green and Pink

 

I was pleased as punch to find this!! It is ostensibly a guide to how the seersuckered sip, but it is so much more. It is a tongue-in-cheek look into the occasions and libations of the Lilly Pulitzered lot. 

With chapters such as "Come Out Swinging: Drinks for Debs" and "To the Betamax: Preppy Movies to Drink By," authors Matt Walker and Marissa (tres Prep name) Walsh have concocted a cheeky tipple in text form. 

A gin and tonic girl- I was swept away by the Salty Dog! the scurvy-discouraging grapefruit combined with saltiness of the sea brings to mind returned sailors!

 

Broken-in Boaties

 

I was put off Sperry boat shoes at first as they 

were SO UNCOMFORTABLE but I went online and found advice on how to break them in. All you need to do, to soften them, is to soak them in warm water (a couple of hours or so) then wear them wet. Best done on a hot day as they will dry quickly. I've worn them in ice cold New York, sunny Rarotonga waters, and rainy Dunedin days. I absolutely love these blue and tan numbers- I see them as bespoke as I have moulded them to my flippers (big weird toe and all). They have holes in their soles but I can't give up on them!

True Prep: New Zealand meets the Whole New Old World here

 

I decided to take a page from Lisa Birnbach's True Prep (TP) and see how it fits into this chapter of the world. The italicised passages are from the above TP excerpt. 

We wear Jandals (our word for flip flops) whilst Americans wear Jack Rogers but, like our beliefs around houses, the footwear's functions are ostensibly the same. 

We would be remiss if we didn't point out that "Home" is a bit pushy. "Welcome to our home" is uncouth. "Welcome to the house" is unpretentious.

Growing up, I referred to my domestic residence as "my house" and I also find "home" to be syrupy and sentimental unless it's Dave Dobbyn singing "Welcome Home."

We have been raised as if at scout camp: cold showers, threadbare blankets, lumpy pillows, dry toast.

As to this preppy austerity, us Kiwis are raised on "waste not want not" practicality. We perch on squeaky bunk beds at school camp, wrapped in holey woolen blankets, and participate in shared lunches where everyone "brings a plate" (bring a dish to share).

I remember borrowing my older brother's Gortex jacket for a high school ski trip. Ten sizes too big, I didn't look cool, but my parents wouldn't run to a jacket just for a one trip! 

As preppies love tradition, eveng  ugly pieces are excusable if they have been inherited or have an interesting backstory...

That Crown Lynn dinnerset may be hideous but it belonged to grandma, as did those camp stretchers and that Paua mincer (aka abalone). 

My Aunt gifted me a truly heinous cracked fountain ornament as a wedding present. It was left by my dead grandparents, and she said my grandfather bought it for my grandmother when they were courting. 

Most of my furniture came to me randomly. My desk, festooned in Warholian Sex Pistols stencilling, was left by a former flattie (housemate). It's sturdy beauty reminds me of a William Morris quote: "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." I'm not particularly fussed about the punk pioneers but I love the divets, the cracked paint practicality of the hot pink piece. 

As preppies make more money, they can't help but be swept up in the wave of the new materialism.

In my uni days, I slept on a mattress on the floor. I now have the basics, the cake if you will, and I can finally ice it (frost) and decorate it as I wish. 

I have many fantastically frugal finds- mostly Kmart, Farmers, Nood, and Trade Aid. Kmart's homeware game is strong- the same "look" as Citta Design (a favourite of mine) bu at a fraction of the price. My Peter Alexander madras duvet (see below) is preppy perfection!! the pyjama king should do more linens. 

 

Dead Souls Bookshop

I found my Romeo in Dunedin's Dead Souls Bookshop- I am ready to denounce my betrothed and wed this beauty of a bookshop. I finally nabbed a reprint of Emily Post's Etiquette and that great unread NY society classic The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. The operator wrapped my books in paper then a plastic carry bag as he was concerned about the contents sweating (after asking if I were walking far). Ms Emily Post would have surely approved!! 

Rodd & Gunn Queenstown

Is this the most Prep store design ever?! they literally put a boat in the store

 

Prep-a-Porter: Karen Walker flower and stone headband

 

If flower crowns give you cliche Coachella/festival vibes, I forgive you, as I have avoided them for this very reason. No hate at all- I love them! it's just that it was a totally overgrown trend. They were everywhere, both bloomin' beautiful and overtly artificial- they were the 2010s version of the 2000s Von Dutch cap. 

I find it freeing to use crosshairs when choosing accessories and clothing- if my view was framed, it would certainly be framed in madras. I look at items, using this eye, and assess them as they fit my intended aesthetic. I think through the filter of True Prep, with a little fraying at the edges. 

Is this faux flora headpiece prep? as a special occasion feature then surely but not with your old Springsteen t shirt. As much as I love the mix of high street and designer fashions, lauded by lumineries such as gorgeous Kate Middleton and Michelle Obama, I see when a piece is too regal to mix with the great unwashed (not to tarnish rock god Bruce). It isn't fashioned from rare gems or precious metals, no, but it is the suggestion of such which forces it to be prima donna.  It is the big girl's version of the plastic Christmas stocking tiara and we should wear it with as much joy. Orphan Annie becomes Princess of Monaco with only some paste jewels and alloy metals.

This piece is a stand-alone stunner. Coco Chanel's famous take-one-piece-off and elegance-is-refusal statements underlie my attitude to accessorising. This headband sings and other additions would just distract from its Adele-like soar. To add is to take away. 

 

Preppy and imperfect

Prepdom projects an image of slender athletic brunettes with ready-for-lacrosse sartorial ease. It is easy to be intimidated by willowy WASPS and nary-a-hair-out-of-place perfecto petites. 

Being plus size, preppy labels don't want me as a consumer, as I think they see my size as unsophisticated. Yes, I can buy the accessories but I do feel slightly uneasy about supporting a business which doesn't support me. 

This paucity of product sees a chink in my armoire so you can imagine my glee when Lilly Pulitzer for Target came out with extended sizing. I couldn't get anything from the website as it was busier than its playful patterns. I managed to get a lovely Lilly off Ebay, months later, in all its pink and green glory!

First lady follicles elude me: I'm more Janice Joplin than Jackie Kennedy. I abhor getting my hair cut so I usually wear a lazy ponytail or bun. A snazzy bow, headband, or tartan ribbon, may attend but this is a casual event: strays welcome. When the mood strikes me I get a bob but as soon as this is long enough, comfort demands a hairtie.