The New Preppy

When I was growing up in Pittsburgh, I had a best friend named Alexis. But her nickname was "Bunny" and I was "Bitsy" of course.

I was obsessed with The Official Preppy Handbook published back in 1980. I made sure that I followed as much as the fashion illustrations as possible; from the grosgrain headbands, the Pappagallo "Bermuda" bag, the pink and green uniform. It was, of course, the inspiration for the nicknames that my friend and I used for each other.

Today as I was getting dressed in my navy and white nautical dress with gold buttons, off-white Sperry topsiders and had my white double-wrap "Cape Cod" Hermes watch on my tanned wrist, I couldn't help but have a flash back to the days when I longed for WASP-y, preppy traditions and stereotypes.

Well, it's true that some fads never fade -- and as such it's not surprising that 30 years later, the writers of the original preppy manual have come out with True Prep. If only it were as classic and good as the original. But no need to cry on Buffy's shoulder; there are enough iconic items you can scrounge up to come up with your own preppy mold.