Preppy vs. "Preppy"

Since I've been at college, I've really started to notice what people are wearing. I went to a private school, so we had uniforms. They were more like dress codes, but for the most part we either wore khaki skorts and a polo or khakis or a navy blue skirt with a polo and tights in the winter. We looked VERY preppy as uniforms go. On assembly dress days I especially loved the way everyone looked with blue blazers and wool plaid skirts. Although this is a VERY silly photo, its like one of the only ones I have wearing my uniform.

When I decided to go to USC, everyone was like "OH! They're SO PREPPY down there! You'll fit right in." It seems like people are confusing truly preppy with trendy. Yes, girls wear dresses to class, but you're way more likely to find the very popular two-tone dresses that are usually black and white than you are to find anything Lilly or Madras. I think that people are confusing the preppy as we know it with a more "trendy" style. Or some people are even considering girls who wear dresses at all as "preppy". I consider myself very preppy, and I'm happy to wear a Lilly to class or a printed skirt and crew neck shirt, however I question what preppy is viewed as on campus these days. Certainly Lilly isn't the only preppy brand out there and I think that some people believe that it is the only way to be preppy. Whatever happened to the rules from the Preppy Handbook? Why don't people wear khakis anymore?

Even during rush, girls would be like "I'm SO PREPPY, sororities are perfect for me!" and the flipside too, "I HATE Lilly, so this house is immediately wrong for me." I think people aren't getting quite the right ideas. Maybe its just South Carolina's wrong impression or maybe its schools everywhere, I just don't know!

What are your campus attires like? What do you consider acceptable for class? For walking around? What is preppy to you?

xxKatie