Yes, it’s that time of year again. With Memorial Day just over, you should consider joining or renewing your annual … More| Thrift Store Preppy
This Wofford College student (c. 1966), an entertainment editor for the campus Old Gold and Black newspaper, exemplifies the way most of his classmates dressed at a time when the country was drift…| Thrift Store Preppy
One of the leading candidates for “Nattiest Dresser of the 20th Century” might well be Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. He graduated … More| Thrift Store Preppy
My alma mater, Wofford College, was a bastion of natural fibers long before The Official Preppy Handbook was published. Fraternity men … More| Thrift Store Preppy
I’ve listed Hampden-Sydney again this year as the most preppy college in the South. It was founded in 1775, when … More| Thrift Store Preppy
In 2011, I published my first list of the top preppy colleges in the South. It was limited to 10 … More| Thrift Store Preppy
Of note to all bargain hunters: while not quite as satisfying as a good thrift find, you can get 70% … More| Thrift Store Preppy
One of the most practical and usable accessories to have in the wardrobe is a grosgrain ribbon watch band. These three … More| Thrift Store Preppy
Portrait of me with my cousin, Brandon, in 1986. He was not quite a year old when this photograph was taken. I was a sophomore at Wofford College at the time. My look hasn’t changed a lot …| Thrift Store Preppy
I have a very old sweatshirt from the Yale Co-op that I bought as a grad student in New Haven in … More| Thrift Store Preppy
My wife took this photo of me looking at books among the vendors at Union Square near 17th Street in … More| Thrift Store Preppy
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, a time when Madras plaids in blindin…| Thrift Store Preppy
President John F. Kennedy and his family defined classic casual style, whether on the water at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts or in the rural Virginia countryside near Middleburg. The home movie foot…| Thrift Store Preppy
It’s been a couple of weeks since WASP 101 was taken down. I wasn’t a regular reader of that blog, … More| Thrift Store Preppy
A Madras plaid tie makes a sharp addition to the summer wardrobe. The one I’m wearing is from Ralph Lauren. I bought it last spring for $6.99 at Unique Thrift Store in Riverdale, NY. The r…| Thrift Store Preppy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s first political campaign came in 1946 when he ran for Congress in the 11th District of Massachusetts. He was 28 years old, a graduate of Harvard University and a ve…| Thrift Store Preppy
1999 – A professional headshot of me taken by a photographer in Tribecca when my wife and I were living … More| Thrift Store Preppy
At The Nearly New Shop in Greenville, SC last week, I found a very comfortable Madras plaid short sleeve button … More| Thrift Store Preppy
Andy Warhol, the son of Polish immigrants, left his hometown of Pittsburgh and arrived in New York City by train … More| Thrift Store Preppy
Hub City Bookstore is a great independently run bookstore in Spartanburg, SC. On a rainy Saturday morning not long ago, I sat in a sheltered area outside, smoking a cigar and drinking strong black …| Thrift Store Preppy
Tad Friend, author of Cheerful Money: Me, My Family and the Last Days of Wasp Splendor (Little Brown and Company 2009), in an interview with WETA’s Bethanne Patrick on her show The Book Stud…| Thrift Store Preppy
I recently opened a box of old photographs and college annuals and blew off the dust. The images here are … More| Thrift Store Preppy
Since the move to South Carolina last summer, I’ve had a chance to scout thrift stores in my area and … More| Thrift Store Preppy
Tad Friend, in his 2009 memoir Cheerful Money: Me, My Family and the Last Days of Wasp Splendor, reveals in … More| Thrift Store Preppy
This week Christian Chensvold of Ivy Style received a tip from an unnamed source concerning the identity of the person … More| Thrift Store Preppy
Going through my digital photo archive, I found a shot of me with director Whit Stillman (left) last May at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema in New York City. Whit was there for a screening of his mos…| Thrift Store Preppy
Today at the Nearly New Shop in Greenville, SC, I found a great bleeding India Madras, patchwork plaid, short-sleeve button … More| Thrift Store Preppy
I’ve been out of the blogging and thrifting loop for some time. Moving to another state – from New York to South Carolina – will do that. So will spending an entire summer of ho…| Thrift Store Preppy
Now that we’re past Memorial Day, the color barrage begins. It’s full on madras go-to-hell season, and the colors run … More| Thrift Store Preppy
My wife and I recently made a trip down to Middleburg, VA for the spring point-to-point races at Glenwood Park. … More| Thrift Store Preppy
Now is the time to consider joining or renewing your annual membership with PADL: Preppy Anti-Defamation League. Summer is go-to-hell season, … More| Thrift Store Preppy
Preppies like to have their belts and pants embroidered with various motifs. There are spouting whales and signal flags, lobsters and tennis racquets, ducks and sailboats. These are the classics. …| Thrift Store Preppy
Monty Python’s Upper Class Twit of the Year Show suggests that the landed gentry – at least in England – have their share of problems, too. Inbreeding can do awful things …| Thrift Store Preppy
In his book Class: A Guide Through The American Status System, cultural critic Paul Fussell presents a concise analysis of ties and their class significance in America. I am posting the text of t…| Thrift Store Preppy
I’ll lay odds this clown couldn’t hit the side of a barn with buckshot at 20 yards, and I’d let him saw off the shotgun barrel to be fair. His hair and cynical demeanor read acto…| Thrift Store Preppy
This is a portrait of William Eggleston – one of my favorite photographers. It was shot by his cousin Maude Schuyler Clay. Raised in Mississippi and now living in Memphis, Eggleston is one …| Thrift Store Preppy
“Hi, my name is Preppy Croc, and I’m a tie-o-holic.” If you’ve never been to this meeting before, the correct response in a very affirming tone would be, “Hi, Preppy …| Thrift Store Preppy
Help spread the joy of preppy thrifting. Follow me on Twitter.| Thrift Store Preppy
My latest thrift purchase was a nautical flag belt – embroidered on leather with a webbed cotton backing and a brass buckle. The belt was made by Zep-Pro, a company I had no heard of before.…| Thrift Store Preppy
I always check the tie rack of any thrift store because there will inevitably be a gem lurking among the horrid polyester designs. Yesterday, I found a perfectly good 100% cotton madras plaid ti…| Thrift Store Preppy
Matt Nelson interviewed Lisa Birnbach for Borders a few years back when True Prep was published, a book she co-authored with art director Chip Kidd. Birnbach also edited The Official Preppy Handbo…| Thrift Store Preppy
In his unmercifully accurate 1983 book Class: A Guide Through The American Status System, Paul Fussell wrote about a fashion faux pas he regarded as a lower class signifier – the “prol…| Thrift Store Preppy
Beach Comber is from Real Estate’s 2009 debut album. They’re one of my favorite indie bands, a bit like the Beach Boys with some psychedelic pop thrown into the mix.| Thrift Store Preppy
Thrifted items can be paired well with items purchased at retail, but it is always best to do your retail shopping with an eye for sales. This combination features a pair of soft all cotton Bermud…| Thrift Store Preppy
Making The Grade is another of the 80s preppy movies, but it was particularly bad, follwoing a cliche format of upper class collision with the lower class. What happens when Eddie Keaton (Judd Nel…| Thrift Store Preppy
Note: You need not be Episcopalian to follow these blessed commandments, for we are both traditional and prepumenical. We welcome all who have been Madrasized into the household o…| Thrift Store Preppy
PBS aired a fascinating documentary a few years ago: People Like Us – Social Class in America, taking on one of the most taboo topics in a democracy based on the concept that all people are …| Thrift Store Preppy
For a total of $17.97, I recently thrifted a navy/cyan grosgrain ribbon belt ($4.99), an all cotton J. Crew polo shirt of matching cyan with 2-button placket, cap sleeves and ribbed edging ($7.99) …| Thrift Store Preppy
In the last few days, I’ve been focused on New England, posting about Nantucket Reds and their connection with sailing. Today I found a YouTube video of two teriffic Boston Brahmin gentlemen bante…| Thrift Store Preppy
I’ve been gearing up for summer lately. Some recent buys include a pair of patchwork madras shorts, a ribbon belt and a pair of Nantucket Reds. Today a Brooks Brothers long-sleeved, patchwo…| Thrift Store Preppy
