What is interesting, however, is that when Birnbach wrote the book, she intended it as a way to poke fun at the privileged East Coast college students she grew up with, but it ironically ended up glamorizing the prep culture -which was really the beginning of spreading it throughout the United States and into other countries. If you haven’t read Lisa Birnbach’s books The Official Preppy Handbook or True Prep, buy them today as they’re the primers you’ll need on what it means to be a prep. One way to explain the culture is to compare it to dandyism. True Prep by Lisa Birnbach The Official Preppy Handbook Started Out As a Parody Of course, the prep culture or coastal culture is still very predominant in those regions, but it has spread into other areas and is often referred to as southern culture and now classic American culture, adopted by men and women in all of the fifty states, as well as abroad. It still describes a subculture, but that of a social circle of well brought up men and women who have adopted a manner of speech, vocabulary, dress, manners and etiquette that becomes an integral part of their lifestyle, which is reflective of the traditions adopted from those historic upper-class Northeastern families. Today, the term “preppy” is far looser and is a term regularly used in high schools across North America and parts of Europe.

They, as their fathers before them, would attend the family alma mater, typically one of the eight schools classified as “ Ivy League:” Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.Ĭan You Be Preppy Without Having Been To Ivy League Schools Today? Yes! Traditionally the terms “prep,” “preppy,” “prepster” or any other variation was historically used to describe a subculture of upper class youth born into old money in the Northeastern United States. Send us feedback.What Does Prep Mean Traditionally? Old Ivy League Money! These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'preppy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Hadley Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, 22 June 2022 See More Sikes, the many shades of blue provide a pleasant distraction from the extra appliances. Thomas Adamson, ajc, 26 June 2022 The preppy clothing label has joined forces with the footwear stalwart for a capsule collection of sporty apparel, footwear and accessories.ĭemetrius Simms, Robb Report, 24 June 2022 In this perfectly preppy laundry room designed by Mark D. Hadley Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, 3 July 2022 Set in a college hall and with a pervading 70s, preppy vibe, Nigo channeled the dazzling colors and mix-and-match cultural fusion that became synonymous with the house’s origins. Swarna Gowtham, Town & Country, 4 July 2022 Classic patio tiles, preppy garden furniture, a brutalist outdoor fireplace facade creates a magical blend of whimsy and edge. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 6 July 2022 Lilly Pullitzer’s dresses have been a principle part of a preppy wardrobe for nearly 60 years. Rebecca Malinsky, WSJ, 8 July 2022 The costars channeled the preppy styles of besties Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) and Dionne Davenport (Stacey Dash) from the cult 1995 romance comedy Clueless. Irene Kim, Vogue, 9 July 2022 The style-which favors white, navy, red and green-is neat, preppy and very leggy. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective At Dsquared2, they were shown colors and prints and layered, Kenzo’s were preppy and monochrome. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 14 Feb. 2022 This Carlton is completely unlike the preppy, uptight, Tom Jones-loving, jitterbugging snob of yesteryear.

2022 But the preppy as signifier, as advertising icon, as the image of who everyone wanted to be didn’t come to the fore until the 1980s. Pema Bakshi,, What was more important to the Abercrombie essence is that by the late ’90s, the preppy-as-icon had become a signifier of the one percent.

2022 Celebrity spectators are known to dress to the nines for the games, bringing forward their most polished-and preppy-ensembles for the occasion.Ĭhristian Allaire, Vogue, 22 June 2022 In the film, Eddie Murphy’s brazen con artist stole the spotlight from Dan Aykroyd playing Louis Winthrope III, the preppy financier brought down to the gutter by the manipulative brothers (played onstage by Marc Kudisch and Lenny Wolpe).įrank Rizzo, Variety, 7 June 2022 At the photo call for the film today, Stewart went more preppy in a red Chanel tweed two-piece set.Īlyssa Bailey, ELLE, Tip: pair these with socks - glittery or knitted - for a retro preppy feel. Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Preppies, and the preppy look, had been around for decades.

Preppy style