BDIB: Prep School
The Style
I absolutely love the classic All-American look of menswear-prep. It's part of the reason why I own too many blazers. I also love menswear trends for women in general - although I am a feminine girl, I wear pants & jeans 9 times out of 10. But one thing I've never tried is the mens' prep-school style, with vest, blazer, and even a handsome tie. Inspired by this outfit post, I think nobody personifies this look better than two great male designers: Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger.
And, it goes without saying that this is not just an American look, by far. Prepster style is popular (and may have originated) in Great Britain, as well as other European countries.
The Assignment
Raid your boyfriend/husband/brother's closet. Find a tie or bow tie (everyone's gotta have one for this assignment, no exceptions). Pair it with a button-down shirt (or whatever you can find! go creative!) and top it off with a vest, cardigan, or blazer of some sort. There is a lot of room for freedom and creativity here, as always, but one thing I'd really like to see on everyone is a tie or bow tie (you can improvise with a cravat or something) and a vest or blazer. Feel free to skirt it up, or go all out with tailored pants! You name it, it is yours to have fun with. One thing I love is that it can be feminized so very easily: with some stilettos, a few stacking bracelets, dangly earrings, etc. I'm already dreaming up creations in my head!
The Deadline (i.e. when to link up your blog post)
The linkup post will go live at midnight Central time on Friday, May 20th 2011.
The Instructions (For Newbies)
- (Required) Place a Bloggers Do It Better button in the sidebar of your blog (not just in the BDIB blog post)
- (Required) In your blog post for the assignment, include a link to the Bloggers Do It Better movement, or, even better, to where you linked up your post--which will only be available after the link-up post has been published here, of course!
- (Optional) Sign up for email updates/announcements
- (Optional) Use the twitter hashtag #BloggersDoItBetter when you tweet about joining, posting, shooting, shopping, or loving BDIB!
- (Optional) Recruit one fellow blogger to join this initiative, you'll be so happy you did, when you can give each other tips & consult one another for styling advice!
- (Required) Have FUN! Show 'em how it's done! Above all, please follow the rules. I do reserve the right to delete submissions that do not follow the basic minimum requirements for participation.
Fine Print (FAQ)
Just some answers to some scattered questions I've gotten here and there since I started Bloggers Do It Better. No polyvore sets, any blogger can join but it must be outfit photos of you modeling the trend--if the style is totally and obviously irrelevant (this is a rare entity but it could happen), your submission might have to be removed from the linkup to ensure consistency and quality among the submissions. So stay on topic!
I'm so excited to see what you all come up with! Don't forget to bring a friend!!
If you're just dropping by, my regular posting schedule has been thrown for a loop thanks to rigorous 14 hour days on my general surgery rotation. Regular posting to resume by the end of the month, but I will still continue to post whenever I can (and when inspiration strikes me, rather than exhaustion). Love you!