Yes, it’s that time of year again. With Memorial Day just over, you should consider joining or renewing your annual…
Wofford College Student (1966)
This Wofford College student (c. 1966), an entertainment editor for the campus Old Gold and Black newspaper, exemplifies the way…
Nattiness Personified: Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
One of the leading candidates for “Nattiest Dresser of the 20th Century” might well be Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. He graduated…
Wofford College Fraternity Men (1980s)
My alma mater, Wofford College, was a bastion of natural fibers long before The Official Preppy Handbook was published. Fraternity men…
Gentlemen of Hampden-Sydney
I’ve listed Hampden-Sydney again this year as the most preppy college in the South. It was founded in 1775, when…
Top 20 Preppy Colleges in the South
In 2011, I published my first list of the top preppy colleges in the South. It was limited to 10…
J. Press Moving Sale: 70% Off Selected Merchandise
Of note to all bargain hunters: while not quite as satisfying as a good thrift find, you can get 70%…
J. Press Grosgrain Ribbon Watch Bands
One of the most practical and usable accessories to have in the wardrobe is a grosgrain ribbon watch band. These three…
Preppy 80s Flashback
Portrait of me with my cousin, Brandon, in 1986. He was not quite a year old when this photograph was…
Ratty Sweatshirt from the Yale Co-op
I have a very old sweatshirt from the Yale Co-op that I bought as a grad student in New Haven in…
Preppy in New York City
My wife took this photo of me looking at books among the vendors at Union Square near 17th Street in…
Join The Preppy Anti-Defamation League
Pete and Trudy Campbell invite you to consider joining or renewing your annual membership with the Preppy Anti–Defamation League. Summer is go–to–hell season,…
Kennedy Home Movies in Color
President John F. Kennedy and his family defined classic casual style, whether on the water at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts or…
Poll: Should WASP 101 Return?
It’s been a couple of weeks since WASP 101 was taken down. I wasn’t a regular reader of that blog,…
Summer Classics – eBay and Thrifting
A Madras plaid tie makes a sharp addition to the summer wardrobe. The one I’m wearing is from Ralph Lauren.…
JFK in 1946 – Ivy Style
John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s first political campaign came in 1946 when he ran for Congress in the 11th District of Massachusetts.…
Preppy in the 90s
1999 – A professional headshot of me taken by a photographer in Tribecca when my wife and I were living…
Thrifted Summer Clothes
At The Nearly New Shop in Greenville, SC last week, I found a very comfortable Madras plaid short sleeve button…
Andy Warhol: Button Down Man
Andy Warhol, the son of Polish immigrants, left his hometown of Pittsburgh and arrived in New York City by train…
Rothko, a Cigar and Strong Black Coffee
Hub City Bookstore is a great independently run bookstore in Spartanburg, SC. On a rainy Saturday morning not long ago, I…
Thank You Notes and Threadbare Rugs
Tad Friend, author of Cheerful Money: Me, My Family and the Last Days of Wasp Splendor (Little Brown and Company…
Preppy in the 80s
I recently opened a box of old photographs and college annuals and blew off the dust. The images here are…
Thrifted Brooks Brothers Poplin Suit
Since the move to South Carolina last summer, I’ve had a chance to scout thrift stores in my area and…
Tad Friend – A True Wasp
Tad Friend, in his 2009 memoir Cheerful Money: Me, My Family and the Last Days of Wasp Splendor, reveals in…
WASP 101 Blogger Exposed?
This week Christian Chensvold of Ivy Style received a tip from an unnamed source concerning the identity of the person…
Meeting Whit Stillman
Going through my digital photo archive, I found a shot of me with director Whit Stillman (left) last May at the…
Bleeding India Madras
Today at the Nearly New Shop in Greenville, SC, I found a great bleeding India Madras, patchwork plaid, short-sleeve button…
My Blogging Hiatus – A Move and Such
I’ve been out of the blogging and thrifting loop for some time. Moving to another state – from New York…
Cotton Rules: Madras is King
Now that we’re past Memorial Day, the color barrage begins. It’s full on madras go-to-hell season, and the colors run…
Thrifty at the Races – Middleburg, VA
My wife and I recently made a trip down to Middleburg, VA for the spring point-to-point races at Glenwood Park.…
Preppies Protect Yourselves: Join PADL Today!!
Now is the time to consider joining or renewing your annual membership with PADL: Preppy Anti-Defamation League. Summer is go-to-hell season,…
There’s Preppy – Then There’s Ridiculous
Preppies like to have their belts and pants embroidered with various motifs. There are spouting whales and signal flags, lobsters…
Upper Class Twit of the Year
Monty Python’s Upper Class Twit of the Year Show suggests that the landed gentry – at least in England – have…
Paul Fussell – Ties and Social Class
In his book Class: A Guide Through The American Status System, cultural critic Paul Fussell presents a concise analysis of…
Real Hunter or Actor Boy Poseur?
I’ll lay odds this clown couldn’t hit the side of a barn with buckshot at 20 yards, and I’d let…
The Classic Style of William Eggleston
This is a portrait of William Eggleston – one of my favorite photographers. It was shot by his cousin Maude…
Confessions of a Preppy Tie-o-Holic
“Hi, my name is Preppy Croc, and I’m a tie-o-holic.” If you’ve never been to this meeting before, the correct…
Follow Thrift Store Preppy on Twitter
Help spread the joy of preppy thrifting. Follow me on Twitter.
Thrifted Nautical Flag Belt – $3.99
My latest thrift purchase was a nautical flag belt – embroidered on leather with a webbed cotton backing and a…
Thrifted Ralph Lauren Madras Plaid Tie – $6.99
I always check the tie rack of any thrift store because there will inevitably be a gem lurking among the…
Interview with Lisa Birnbach
Matt Nelson interviewed Lisa Birnbach for Borders a few years back when True Prep was published, a book she co-authored…
Class: A Guide Through the American Status System
In his unmercifully accurate 1983 book Class: A Guide Through The American Status System, Paul Fussell wrote about a fashion…
Real Estate – Beach Comber
Beach Comber is from Real Estate’s 2009 debut album. They’re one of my favorite indie bands, a bit like the…
Thrifting Plus Smart Retail Shopping
Thrifted items can be paired well with items purchased at retail, but it is always best to do your retail…
Prepsploitation: Making The Grade (1984)
Making The Grade is another of the 80s preppy movies, but it was particularly bad, follwoing a cliche format of upper…
Preppy 10 Commandments – Episcopal Style
Note: You need not be Episcopalian to follow these blessed commandments, for we are both traditional and prepumenical. We welcome…
WASP Lessons – From People Like Us
PBS aired a fascinating documentary a few years ago: People Like Us – Social Class in America, taking on one…
Thrifted Ribbon Belt, Polo Shirt and Khaki Shorts
For a total of $17.97, I recently thrifted a navy/cyan grosgrain ribbon belt ($4.99), an all cotton J. Crew polo…
Know Your Prep Accents: Boston Brahmin
In the last few days, I’ve been focused on New England, posting about Nantucket Reds and their connection with sailing.…
Brooks Brothers Madras Shirt Bought on eBay
I’ve been gearing up for summer lately. Some recent buys include a pair of patchwork madras shorts, a ribbon belt…
Thrift Store Preppy 