The preppy style is known for its clean and colorful look, and it first emerged around 1910. Prep removes the swagger of hype brands and replaces it with a subtle, edgier, and intellectual focus on personal authenticity.Much of the footwear offered by T.B PHELPS, such as saddle shoes, bucks and drivers, are great additions to your wardrobe if you are going for a preppy or Ivy League style of dress. Perhaps that’s another reason why Gen Z are falling for it. Its subtle loafers, denim, and Tartan requires swagger to show up in another form: you. There’s something indelible about prep-it’s anti-hype, even in a moment when it’s on trend. It’s prep with an edge.Īccording to the Zoe Report, “Now, showing your stripes (both literally and figuratively) is about subtlety and ease with a gym-class-chic vibe, to boot.” Still, it might have a bit more irony than in the past. It comes complete with sweater vest, old books, hardwood interiors, and pleated skirts. Today’s preppy aesthetic is all about feeling upbeat and financially secure, while distancing itself from the pandemic’s heaviness. Why Is the Preppy Aesthetic Making a Comeback? “In the past 100 years, preppy style has changed very little, but this season we see its modern twist in proportion, with a focus on volume and cuts,” explains Montreal-based stylist Amanda Lee Shirreffs in an interview with Elle. Images via mentatdgt, Kova Rose, mentatdgt, makale圆9, Jelena990, victoria_michelle_photo, SeamlessPatterns, FleetwingPhotography, Mariia Korneeva, and LightField Studios. Miuccia Prada put it best at the spring/summer 2022 Miu Miu show: ‘Strange is not strange anymore.’” Dubbed the ‘old-money aesthetic’ by TikTokers or sometimes ‘dark academia,’ it offers up a scholastic, bookish vibe with subversive undertones and major sex appeal, as if Chuck Bass had a love child with Hermione Granger. It’s positioned as a backlash to the long-time dominance of influencer-led ‘California rich’ aesthetics, where ostentatious displays of wealth generate social-media clout. It’s now at the forefront of fashion.Īccording to InStyle, “Fall 2020 collections like Chloé and Michael Kors featured mid-length skirt suits Burberry had collegiate sweaters Versace broke out the rugby stripes, and Dior included a ton of plaid and neckties.”Īccording to Elle Canada: “This season’s divergence from preppy style’s squeaky-clean image is through a more suggestive, sexier, and sometimes dark bent. Images via Arthur Elgort/Conde Nast/Shutterstock and Kobal/Shutterstock.ĭriven in part by dark and light academia trends, the preppy aesthetic is seeing a resurgence. Now, though, prep is experiencing a resurgence.ĭespite its wane in popularity, Southern Prep has continued to rule supreme in fraternity and sorority-heavy campuses. The aesthetic waned in relevance in the 2010s as athleisure took center stage. Images via DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock and DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock. Brittany Spears and contemporaries twisted “prep” and revved up the sexuality of the aesthetic.Īt the same time, J.Crew brought the style into bright colors, whimsical details, and a poppy aesthetic similar to its preppy roots. Then, in the late ’90s, J.Crew reached mass appeal. Images via Peter Levy/Condé Nast/Shutterstock, Chris Barham/ANL/Shutterstock, Photonews Scotland/Shutterstock, Neville Marriner/ANL/Shutterstock, Snap/Shutterstock, Clive Limpkin/Daily Mail/Shutterstock, David O’Neil/ANL/Shutterstock, Columbia/Kobal/Shutterstock, Chris Barham/ANL/Shutterstock, Shutterstock, David Crump/ANL/Shutterstock, and Michael Brennan/ANL/Shutterstock. When Levy’s introduced “Lady Levis” in 1934, the aesthetic was here to stay. The trend crossed from a male-heavy focus to include women in the 1930s.

Now, Ivy League schools became beacons of the growing fashion.Īt first, this style was an act of collegiate rebellion but, in time, became a normalized standard of Ivy league education. These trends grew further as Brooks Brothers became an on-campus retailer at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. This dovetailed into both sport-based and sport-inspired clothing that included equestrian detailing, nautical stripes, and tailored suiting. Prep aesthetic hearkens back to the early 1900s when upper class leisure activities included polo, sailing, and rugby. Here, we dive into the evolution of everything preppy, with a focus on what’s cool today. Dark academia fashion is ivy league-inspired with a romantic, gothic twist pulled from literature and art, in homage to films like Dead Poets Society and Sherlock Holmes. The preppy aesthetic is back-but with a slight twist thanks to dark (and light!) academia. this time with a dark academia twist! Explore the edgy prep style in design, fashion, and more.

Preppy style