All-American preppy makes a comeback

A favorite, iconic American style is the preppy Wasp. It is unmistakably American, combining the color and energy of casual sportswear with the clean, crisp lines of New England attire. The result is a look that's effortlessly easy and comfortable but always dressed up and pulled together. You don't have to be rich or white or even wearing the signature items to pull off the style. Ralph Lauren explains, “People ask how can a Jewish kid from the Bronx do preppy clothes? Does it have to do with class and money? It has to do with dreams.” And what could be more American than dreaming?

Enough hipster style already. It's time to welcome back all-American prep! Below is an article from the Times about how prep is back. The article partially attributes the revival to Japanese fashion but I think this moment is an all-American one...just as 80s punk can make a comeback, so too can 80s prep, à la Risky Business and The Graduate.

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Dress Codes: The All-American Back From Japan

The New York Times
By DAVID COLMAN

Published: June 17, 2009

AS you have surely noticed, all- American preppy style has come back for another goround. There is madras everything, button-downs everywhere. Nantucket reds — washed-out pink pants — are the new khakis; Sperry Top-Siders are more common on roof decks than top decks; and the Polo pony and the Lacoste crocodile are now but two of the critters in a zoo of polo shirt insignia.

Dean Isidro for The New York Times; Photographed at Sarah Lawrence College
EASTERN STUDIES A once-neglected Americana is now in full bloom.

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Lately the trend has taken on a new dimension, via the Internet, with a resurgence of interest in once obscure American brands. Alongside the familiar L. L. Bean duck boots, Brooks Brothers shirts and Ray-Ban Wayfarers, there are Filson duffel bags, Gokey boots, Alden dress shoes, Gitman oxford shirts, Quoddy Trail moccasins, Wm. J. Mills canvas totes — to name but a few. Moribund brands like Southwick and Woolrich are being revived with new designs. And the old-school look has been furthered by popular American fashion labels — small houses like Thom Browne, Band of Outsiders and Benjamin Bixby along with megabrands like J. Crew and Ralph Lauren.

For the complete article, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/fashion/18codes.html?em.