The Perfects

So, in an attempt to do a reflection on the 2008 year, I thought I'd come up with a "The Perfect ________" list. Here are some items on my personal "Perfect" list:

The Perfect Bag: The Vineyard Vines Classic Tote
This bag is huge, but not overwhelming. A step up from an LL Bean Boat' n' Tote Bag, this is a preppy must-have. I've used this bag at school, shopping, as a carry-all, at the beach, when I go out, you name it! I have a classic blue whale on pink pattern on mine, and I can't wait to monogram the top middle section above the front pocket.

The Perfect Sandal: Jack Rogers Navajo Sandal in Platinum
I have worn these shoes time and time again. Beware that the first few days of wearing them, they ARE NOT comfortable. Upon breaking them in, however, I could live in these shoes. Not kidding, either, this color is the one I always tell people to buy in the store. They can be dressed up (as I did wear them to both prom and the debutante ball) or dressed down (as I've worn them with a simple LP skirt and polo for a work day). This color is also a fusion between gold and silver and is still shiny, but much less attention-drawing than metallic.

The Perfect Trendy Accessory: Pashmina Scarves in Plain Colors
I have recently gotten one of these scarves (from Target nonetheless) for Christmas. Don't buy an expensive one because you can pick them up easily for $10-$20 and really, the quality is not that much different. I have a raspberry colored one that goes well with black, white, brown, navy, cream, jeans, dresses (as a shawl). Usually I'm not into very trendy things considering my wardrobe is cable knits, polos and jeans, but I do like these scarves very much. Head up though, if you don't like ironing, look for a different material for these scarves. If you want it to look neat 24/7 you'll have to iron these, I don't mind a wrinkle so I let it go.

The Perfect Book (it's a tie): The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao OR In Cold Blood
I read both of these books this year and loved them both. TBWLoOW won the Pulitzer Prize for literature earlier in the year and my English teacher in 11th grade wanted us to read it. Although not the most uplifting of stories, it takes a look into the life of Oscar Wao. It is very readable and is about real life. A funny running commentary by Junot Diaz on the history of the Dominican Republic is conveyed in the footnotes. ICB, on the other hand, is not a happy story at all. It follows the story of 2 murders and the family that they kill with the climax of the story at the murder scene. Besides Harry Potter, I have never read real literature SO fast in my entire life. It took me probably less than 48 hours over the summer to read this book, and I would recommend it to anyone.

The Perfect Scent: Lilly Pulitzer "Wink"
Cleverly put in a pink bottle, this steals it for me. I own this as well, from Christmas, and again, I tell everyone in the store to buy this one of all the LP scents. In the words of Lilly herself: "Wear pink and make the boys wink!" It is the one on the bottom!

The Perfect Nail Polish: Sephora Brand Nail Color in L19 "tagada"
Talk about the perfect pink, this is it. Barbie Pink, Princess Pink, "Tagada", "L19", call it what you want, it is true pink, $4 to boot, and I love it. Cover it with a good clear topcoat and you're all set! As I look at my bottle, I have to remember to get more!

The Perfect Coat: H&M 6 Button Pea Coat
This is a great dressy, light coat. I have it in a charcoal color that is functional for everything. I love the way this looks with my uniform at school, over an outfit, and with a black turtleneck underneath. The only problem is that it is lined with polyester or something like that, and if any wind gets up there, it chills the fabric and your arms get cold!

The Perfect Running Shoes: Any Shoe From The Brand "Asics"
Now, I know there are some runners out there who will disagree, but I've run for 4 years of cross country with Asics. Some people argue that the toe box is too big or that Mizuno or New Balance make the best running shoes, but I love these shoes. I have had 2 pairs of the exact same model and changed recently for my past running season. Now, I am in no way a serious runner, but I did it for fun and to keep in shape. These shoes were so comfortable, held up beautifully, and I will be an Asics girl for the rest of my life.

The Perfect Gift: A Handmade Gift Basket
I have fallen in love with doing this. I think that for people that you really care about, this is the best gift that you can give. With a color scheme or theme in mind, you can't go wrong with putting one of these together. Bonus: it's a crafty project and you get to go shopping in a few different places!

Perfect Earrings: Silver Pearls
A twist on the traditional pearls, silver pearls are easy to find, stylish, and come in a variety of sizes. You can go with real silver or silver plated. I love wearing silver pearls because they go with everything, minus like gold stuff, and you can find coordinating bracelets and necklaces to go with them!

Perfect Treat: Funfetti Cupcakes!
Boy oh boy, am I a fan of these bad boys. I have become known as the cupcake queen at my school for making funfetti cupcakes. They are SO easy to make and are always good. It's tough to mess up cupcakes from a box. Tip: don't overmix the batter. If you overmix, you lose that melt in your mouth taste (as corny as that sounds...). Although, I have had a friend tell me that she's bitten into a little rock of batter from me not mixing enough!!

Any other additions? Leave a comment with some of your Perfects!

xxKatie

Christmas Baking

Hey everyone! First and foremost, Merry Christmas Eve!! My family and I are all in for the night and we've already been to Christmas Mass and Christmas Dinner! I'm ready to get in my Lilly jammies and hit the hay!

Today I baked over 40 cupcakes for a family Christmas party tomorrow that my godmother--my Aunt Patricia--and her family are hosting. We all will hop over (or in our case, drive 5 hours through the treacherous Belt Parkway and NJ Turnpike to get to Lawng-I-land.) to her house to see each other and have some fun catching up and playing open trading--to many people that's the White Elephant trading game!

In order to pass some time and have something other than a ham to bring to the party, my mom suggested that I bake some cupcakes! I got all the different decorating things I needed yesterday and enjoyed my 4.5 hours of baking today! I absolutely love cupcakes and these were some of the goodies I came up with:

I was MOST proud of those wreaths! Using a star tip and the kind of decorating frosting you can buy that comes with the 4 different tips, I piped the wreaths myself! I loved loved loved how they came out!

Here's a close up of the wreaths!

I also dyed some of the frosting pink--what a shocker! Then I made other designs like the santa hat and some more artsy ones like the one next to the hat. I also added first name initials of all my cousins to cupcakes so everyone had their own!

My mom also found the most darling sprinkles in the grocery store that we added as well!

These were the few that we're keeping at home for ourselves!

As you can see with this red bow, sometimes the frosting came out WAY too fast and thick if you applied too much pressure to the nozzle. Clearly, this was not going to make the trip with us!!

As you're all baking at this time of the year, keep the wreath design in mind! It is super festive and easy to do!

Merry Christmas!

xxKatie

I'm Going to a Deb Ball!

Yes! A real, Washington D.C. debutante ball, and I couldn't be more excited! There are two parts to this debutante ball: a holiday dance, and then the presentation ball. Tomorrow is actually the holiday dance where we all wear short, cocktail dresses. As advised by a guy friend of mine, very sarcastically he warned me to not "outdress" the debs themselves. Heeding his warning, although I'm sure he never expected this, I'm going in all black believe it or not. I have a beautiful Susana Monaco black dress that's nearly backless, that I absolutely adore. Paired with a pair of black pumps, I want to go very classic. That's me third from the left, I know, with short hair. The girl next to me on the right is the deb herself. She's been up here a few times herself! I am SO excited to go to this.

Now, the other night is the actual presentation ball, where each of the 7 girls are being presented by their fathers. There are two parts to that night itself: a huge 8,000 course meal and then the dancing portion of the ball (which starts at 10:00pm). Caroline, 2 girlfriends, her parents, her escort and her male floor committee are eating dinner and then the rest of the crew comes later. I'm one of the later arrivers. That night, we all have to wear floor-length gowns, prom-esque. The dress I'm wearing is the one on the far right, on my beautiful friend Audrey. Unfortunately, my LP prom dress won't be making an appearance a) because it's a bit too summery and b) because on a 6'0" tall girl, a size 0 prom dress is not floor-length (hence the shin-up picture). That dress was like barely to my ankles. Instead, taking advantage to post a prom picture, I am wearing a friend of mine's dress, a pale blue number that is made of the best material in the world. Along with my platinum Jacks and a little strap adjusting this dress is floor-length, or as close to floor-length as I'm capable of getting. I think the length is perfect really, because I don't need a dress that needs to be lifted up in order to walk around, especially if we're dancing the night away!

If anyone's been to a deb ball, let me know what you do and everything, because I don't really know what to expect! I'll post back with a deb ball debriefing!

xxKatie

Do You Like Party Schools?

Well my friends, it's an important question on the minds of many a-college applicant. As I sit here, helping my friends study for our "Current Issues" exam, I was thinking about some blogs I can do. (Mom, I've studied as much as I can, I promise). Anyway, I was thinking about the Resort 2008 prints that I love. Back to the Party Schools, though. It's not what you're thinking. My ultimate favorite print this year is called "Party School" and it's a school of very preppy fish.

This print is very traditional Lilly. I miss more prints like these! Resort is my favorite line of all the Lilly lines every year because it is so traditional. There are so many shifts and such great prints to look forward to. This "Party School" print is under the "Caw of the Wild" line by Resort Lilly. The best part about this print is that it comes in Women's, Men's, Minnie's, and Accessories. It actually my computer background on my family's Mac as I type this.

A great boatneck shift comes in this print called the "Florida Shift Basketweave Printed Poplin", which is a mouthful if I ever heard one. The top of the dress is exactly the name, a super cute basketweave shift. It is reminiscent of the limited edition shift dress of last Resort with the 2 lines of buttons around the neck. The length of this shift is my only worry, as with Lilly shifts I typically have to take out the hem. This dress is too fun though to pass up! Worn with a cardigan or light sweater, this can be worn in the summer, and then spring and fall. Try it with bone, light pink, platinum, white, light green, metallic blue or silver Jack Rogers, and you have a great little comfy outfit! I hope that you like this print as much as I do! Happy Resort 2008 shopping!

xxKatie

Natalie Franke Photography

So Senior Year is coming to a jolting milestone: second semester. I can't believe it. Among exams, college apps, and regular school assignments, senior pictures are a big event. I did this pictures with Natalie Franke, a freshman at Towson University's Honors College. I loved this shoot and had a blast! Natalie started her little enterprise a little while ago and already has many dedicated followers. With a website, http://nataliefrankephotography.com/index2.php , and Facebook group with over 250 friends, Natalie is your girl!

In this shoot, I decided to go with MY color: pink of course. I wore the Nancy sweater in Bookworm Argyle for the first half of the shoot, and then a pink long sleeve polo for the second part. Not only was a super comfortable in my Lilly Sweater, but I (think!) looked fun too. Along with Lilly Pulitzer Main Line jeans, and my black polka-dot wellies, from Target ($20 never looked so good!). I was all set for my early March shoot. With a simple J. Crew white T under my sweater I was warm enough to be able to move, and just cool enough not to have red cheeks!

The Nancy sweater is the perfect weight for just this temperature. My Main Line jeans have held up for almost a year to date, but I will need to replace them soon. They still have great color, but small signs of wear and tear are beginning to show up on the pockets. The best thing about these pants though, is their long inseam. They are higher-waisted than most jeans that are made for a 17 year old, but I like the fit a lot. Their boot-cut makes them perfect for wearing over Uggs, or flats!

Natalie was an AWESOME photographer who made me totally comfortable in front of the lens. A few of my close friends have gone to her for their own shoots, and one of my friends, an aspiring actress, went to her for her headshots. I want all of my readers who live around here to check out Natalie!! She rocks!

xxKatie

One of THE COOLEST Preppy Places Online!

If you haven't already found it, preppyoutlet.com is one of the best places to find older LP and Vineyard Vines, along with seasonal lines like Island Company, clothes! They seriously offer some of the best, and some of my own favorite items on their website. They are ALWAYS getting new stuff, so check back often.

All of their lines are organized by style. Women's has the most amount of stuff, but they have recently added a Men's section as well, which is pretty cool. I can't wait to order some stuff. As of today, they have over 10 pages of clothing items in their catalogue, the actually have 14 pages. You can even have a wish list, and gift registry. You can also order gift certificates for the preppy's in your family!

Their prices are even lower than the "Sale" or "Clearance" sections on some websites. Take for instance, the "Blayne Dress", one of my ABSOLUTE favorites from the Summer 2008 collection, is on sale for $79 and change. Seriously, this rocks! It started at $198 and is down to a fraction of that now! I mean how cute is this?! I was so disappointed when I saw that this dress was a shirt on my 6'0" body. Anyway, I love this dress, and this website!

Preppyoutlet.com has also recently added a shoe section, which is to die for! This section is great, because a lot of Signature Stores or Via Shops can't order a full selection of shoe sizes. Not only does preppyoutlet.com have a great shoe selection, but they have a variety of sizes to "boot"! They have shoes, for a much cheaper price, that some stores still advertise for full. Take "The Club Wedge", which are beautifully made and super super comfortable, are on sale for $99, while some stores still have them for $198, DOUBLE THE PRICE! They have flats, heels, sandals, McKims and wedges too. I want everyone to check out these guys!

I love this online store, and my only qualm with them is that they don't have a store I can come visit in! Thanks preppyoutlet.com for offering a great selection of Lilly Pulitzer at an even better price!

xxKatie

Extra! Extra! Preps are in the NUDE!

Nude?! I meant NEWS. Oops. Anyway, what's with the recent buzz about preps. LP fashion has been featured on TV twice since the beginning of fall. Lilly Pulitzer bangles have recently been in Glamour. Lilly is making the NEWS! (HA! I got it that time!)


So in the beginning of the fall, a new series on the CW premired, called Gossip Girl. The show has become increasingly popular with each airing of an episode. In the first episode, a character names Jenny was starting her first day at a prestigious girl's school in the heart of NYC. She happens to stumble upon the queenbees of her school within the first few minutes. Lucky, right? Well within those first few minutes, I immediately noticed that Jenny was wearing the Kiera Coat. I yelled "MOM LOOK! That's a Lilly jacket! We have that dress upstairs!!". My mom kind of just rolled her eyes. But I was TOO excited. Something I recognize, on TV?! I felt a little famous actually. You can see here that Jenny (the one standing up, with the red bag) is wearing the pink brocade coat. How cool?!


Lilly has also been featured on the "older-set" of stars. On the popular ABC show, Desperate Housewives, the picture-perfect housewife, Bree VanDeKamp was spotted in several Lilly outfits. She is wearing the Jesse Top (a sleeveless V-Neck shirt) to cover up a false pregnancy, and don't worry the baby's been born since then!! This item is from the Spring 2007 collection and when I saw it I had another "moment". I go, "HEY! See that shirt Bree has on??? YEA, ITS IN THE STORE!!" and again my mom just rolled her eyes. And yes, again I felt a little famous. I broke the news to some of the girls in the store, but no one seemed to be as excited as I was...let's just say that's because I guess you had to see it to understand. In October, Bree was also spotted in another Spring dress, the Willa dress, in yellow. This time, however, I hadn't caught it, and I am just seeing for the first time. Doesn't a pregnant Bree just look adorable anyway?

Not only has Lilly Pulitzer been spotted on TV but also in the print media. Since many pieces (especially the Casa Loca collection jewelery) are becoming more mainstream, magazines are beginning to feature LP pieces more often. Magazines like The Oprah Magazine, Glamour, Oprah at Home, Self, and others have recently featured LP pieces in their fashion compilations. Even a main page for Neiman Marcus showed the Lani Dress (the black mesh overlay dress) as a featured party dress. Recently Featured items include:

The Oprah Magazine: Points of Interest Flats
Self: Romancing the Stone Sandal
Neiman Marcus Catalog: Lani Dress
Footwear News (and no, I've never heard of this): pieces from the Minnie's collection (aka kids clothes)
Golf Digest: Charles Blazer (MEN'S!)
NY Times: Little Lilly Dress (Kids again)

But really, isn't all of this publicity cool? It means that all of this preppiness is becoming more mainstream. Now, that's not to say that LP is becoming everyday mainstream, but more people are buying and WEARING it. Personally, I think that's pretty cool. If more people buy it, then more people will see it and in my opinion, admire it. Awesome!

xx Katie

Let's All Buy Our Own Resort!

My advice: buy a resort. They're sunny, warm, trendy, and comfortable. No, I'm not talking about a hotel in Palm Beach. I'm talking about the newest Lilly Pulitzer collection: Resort 2007. Ladies (and now) gentlemen get ready to stuff you suitcases and dust off your duffles because we're taking Lilly on vacation!

Now resort is designed exactly for its name; its for people going on holiday break or just to brighten up a drab winter wardrobe. Full of bright classic LP patterns, this year's resort collection is totally Lilly. Ranging from swimsuits to "formal" dresses this year. The Jacqueline shift dress has many different forms this season. From the Jacqueline Ponte Dress, which I'm actually ordering, to the Jacqueline Sateen Dress, to the original Jacqueline Dress. These shifts all are a little bit different, either with different necklines, embroidery, or material. The ponte knit dress is the perfect length for anyone ranging from 5'2'' to almost 6'0'' (I know from experience).
Classic LP patterns include, "Private Property", "Sea Crets", "Getting Loopy", "Scallopini", "Tailwind", and "Pink Coral Horseplay". My favorites include "Private Property"- a combination of a navy background and pink flowers with green vines, and "Tailwind"- pink and green swishes that are actually lion tail, "Heading South"- pink swirls and green sea animals with passports, and "Animal Crackers" (in Men's)- colored animal shapes and they're the best on the men's boxers.

New editions in this season's resort include an entirely new Men's resort collection, one formal-y dress in the Women's collection, using gold and silver metallic in pants and shortjackets, PJ's, and accessories/shoes. (In the Spring 2008 collection look out for LP sunglasses- but don't tell ANYONE I told you!!!) There also was a crafty gift giving guide (say that five times fast!) introduced with many gift opportunities. A fleet of luggage and handbags were also a recent introduction to the LP line. "Catching ZZZ's" is also becoming a very popular print for the bags.

Last but CERTAINLY not least, the LP warehouse sale is coming un in King of Prussia, HQ of all things Lilly. It is tomorrow 11/30 and Saturday 12/1 at the Valley Forge Convention Center fomr 7am-8pm. Go and finid some great deals on things from Spring 2007, Summer 2007 and Fall 2007 and maybe even some other stuff! Good Luck, Happy Shopping, and Happy Holidays!

xx Katie

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

Today I've been super duper productive! The farther I get into college, the more I realize how much I like to plan things. Today alone, I've worked on planning two huge events! I'm organizing a big dinner for the class of 2009 since we're high school alumni! I'm trying to figure out a venue that will support a large group but no catering or things like that. Ideally, I'd like a restaurant that is semi-suffering from the economy so that they'll be happy to take a group of college kids between 30-50 in number. I have 3 spots in mind secretly. Facebook has been extremely useful since everyone checks it and it makes RSVP-ing super easy! I've also made my Facebook group for my Lilly collegiate representing and in 5 hours my membership is steadily increasing so I'm very proud! I got my official advertising package with order forms, personalizing forms, samples, etc, etc, etc. I couldn't be more excited to throw a Lemonade party next semester! I emailed the sorority presidents today hoping that they'd pass on my email to the sisters! YAY! I can't wait to see what happens with that! Not to mention, Emma came today and we had such a good visit! Her grandparents came too and made the day very interesting. She was surprised at how much she liked the University, so I was excited. From her high school and my high school, she knew of so many people who had applied to USC which is awesome! Its really becoming popular in MD! Here we are back in the summer:

Tomorrow I have a busy day studying for a test that I have on Monday as well as a party tomorrow night and an important meeting that will take most of Sunday I believe! Then, next thing I know, I'm flying home on Tuesday! I'm so excited!

The more busy I become, the less I think about being home which is definitely good because I am certainly ready for a break. I can't believe that I will be back home in 4 days!!! My closest girlfriends are meeting at a friend's house on Wednesday night to have a HUGE catch-up sesh since it will be the first time we've seen each other since we said our weepy goodbyes! I have so much to look forward to in the next few days that I know I can make it through to Tuesday and then to Thanksgiving and then to the CLEMSON game!!

xxKatie

Feeling Crafty

I rarely ever make 2 posts in one day, but I just had to share this with you guys! Today while I was in line to pay for my breakfast, I saw a sorority girl with a recruitment shirt on that I loved! The slogan was "You can never have enough friends or dresses when they're the perfect fit!" I adapted it a little and made this:

Mine says, "You can never have enough friends or dresses, especially if you're lucky enough to find the perfect fit!" I found a photo of a Lilly shift and thought that it was simply perfect!

I got this fabulous frame as a gift from the Lilly store for a graduation gift. Its from PotteryBarn and I love the silver ball decals, not to mention its engraved with my name! You can see all the reflections around my room and my desk calendar so it looks a little funny in a photo but trust me, I love it on my desk. Usually my desk is super cluttered, so you can't see the photos, but since I'm most likely bringing guests back tomorrow I want things to look presentable! I have photos from my Senior year homecoming, a hand-drawn "Story People"-esque print, a photo of my dad and I from when I was like 5, a picture of me and my best friend Emily, a family photo that I adore from my Baccalaureate ceremony (we all look really nice and I'm in my favorite J. Crew jacquard dress), a picture from the summer before Senior year where 2 of my friends are stacked on top of me and we're all laughing (Its cute because it was very spur of the moment AND I'm in a Lilly seersucker swimsuit. Its not very flattering but it reminds me of SUCH a fun day) and then of course the photo I posted yesterday of my Pink Crab loves!

If you're feeling crafty, make a print like mine and post it! Its too cute!

xxKatie

Lilly Bedding is BACK!

Raise your hand if you own Lilly bedding. I hope you're all raising your hands! I know I have it myself in my room back at home. Here in college I have Jillian's Closet bedding that I love. Anyway, Lilly bedding is coming back and looks better than ever! LP is pairing up with Garnet Hill this time around and it seems like both companies couldn't be more excited!

As Garnet Hill says, "Check back in January" and check back will I do! I LOVE LOVE LOVE my current bedding because its the Perfectly Patched bedding:

Just seeing a picture makes me want to get cozy and snuggle-y in my own bed!! Check out another Garnet Hill preview for the new bedding:

SO FUN! I can't wait to see what it all looks like in person! Yayyyyy! Lilly, welcome back to the world of bedding!

xxKatie

New Job!

Hi Everyone! Hope all is well with you! This week has been one for the record books. I had my hardest nursing test thus far as well as the hardest test I've taken in my academic career in Chemistry for Nursing. Among the scholastic whirlwind, I actually have a new job that I think you all will enjoy! About 2 hours ago, I just got off the phone with Lifeguard Press. They are the stationary/fine gifts company involved with all matters of the Lilly stationary line as well as the Vera Bradley line! You happen to be reading the blog of their newest COLLEGE REPRESENTATIVE!

I'm representing USC in their newest addition! There are 30 current college reps, but that number is rising quickly as is the rate of colleges participating! We're working with our respective colleges and really hitting the collegiate scene! I cannot wait to host my first party and show the girls all the fabulous stuff that LP&LP have to offer! Here's a preview of what they've got:

Those are the circle notes, as I'm sure all of you know about! I'll be selling cups, pens, agendas, all kinds of wonderful Lilly stationary products!! I'll be getting all my advertising stuff this week, and I'll be sure to show you all! I'd love any ideas from my college bloggers about any input! Be looking for the rep on your campus soon, we're all showing up quickly!

xxKatie

Happy Birthday Lilly! AND HUGE LILLY NEWS!

Today is Lilly's birthday! Happy 78th!

ALSO BIG NEWS: Lilly Pulitzer is going to have their first online sale in TWO DAYS. I believe its a gigantic Jubilee sale that starts staggered from 7am-11am. If you're a facebook fan (which you should be A-SAP) you get to see everything they'll have at 7am. I will be up BRIGHT and early before my 8am class that day!

It is 4 Days Only, but I know it will last WAY shorter than that! All of us who are facebook fans will be getting the cream of the crop right at 7am! There are like 3 Jubilee items that I have SEVERE buyer's remorse that I didn't buy, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they might just be there for me! Maybe I'll snag something early and make it "an early Christmas present" for myself (how does that sound, mom?)! Make sure that you join on facebook to get to see everything that is available especially if you're sizes 4-8, which seems to sell out the fastest at my store!

xxKatie

Best Purchase Recently

So on the Lilly facbeook page, some woman posted a photo of her Blackberry Pearl Lilly-fied. It was wonderful and had many many comments! I am SO excited to say that I took the initiative of making her project my own and transformed:

this plus this

into this:

As well as turning this:

into this:

All this is thanks to uniqueskins.com. They have no idea how popular they are about to get thanks to the lady who Fall 2009 Lilly-fied her Blackberry! She should work for them!!

Grace, if you ever read my blog, your phone cover will be coming home soon as long as I can get around to it. If not, I'll have it for you at T-Giving. Miss you!

xxKatie

Halloween!

So for Halloween, my promise to myself was to a) not pay for my costume ideally and b) not look trashy. I am not a huge fan of Halloween, and in my family we try as hard as possible to not celebrate it. Since I've stopped Trick or Treating when I was like in 5th grade-maybe-I've followed in my family's footsteps and never really been into the holiday. However, since being at college Halloween is taken VERY seriously. I attended 3 Halloween parties and attempted to have 3 different costumes. My goals were clear and simple and I somehow managed to fulfill both believe it or not! For my residence hall, we had a "Rave to the Grave". I'm on my residence hall government so I helped a lot in the planning of the event. I was more than happy to help run it but I had left my costume options up to that day...probably not the best idea! I used the trusty old google and ended up being an "autograph book" and had people sign me! Well, not only did it go over well, but I used highlighter for people to sign so it doubled as rave-wear! I'm not a huge fan of this photo, but its a good one of my shirt:

                                         

On the front it said "Are You Famous..." and on the back it said "...cause I could use your autograph". I loved this costume and would definitely recommend it to anyone! These are all people from my hall: a gorilla, me, Lucy Liu, and a USC frat boy (there's nothing in that cup :).

For night 2, a friend hosted a Halloween party at her apartment. Again, wanting to look classy and have an inexpensive (NOT CHEAP) costume I looked through my closet to see what I could come up with. I decided to go with a tried and true costume that I've worn for spirit week. I went as Elle Woods from Legally Blonde!

                                       

I wore a pink and green polka dot shift with a big pink coat on top! I wore Platinum jacks and was so so so comfy! My friend here is dressed up as champagne! I ABSOLUTELY loved her costume! I told her it was just about as sophisticated as a Halloween costume could get! She wore all cream colored clothing and super sparkly gold and pearl jewelry. She even had a logo on her sweater but I'm blocking it...oops! I loved the gold and opaque gift bow she wore on her head and she had a cork in her bag. Too cute!

Finally for the last night, I was basically all out of ideas. Night 3 in a 3 night ordeal that I don't usually celebrate. I broke down and googled "cheap easy Halloween costumes for college kids". Quite a wordy search so I didn't expect to get much. Well, there are some very creative people out there who suggest wonderful costume ideas! I saw a suggestion for Vanna White from Wheel of Fortune, and knew I could do it! My mom recently bought me a black floor length dress from forever21 that I knew could work with some blingin' jewelry and big high heels (Lilly "the High Life Sandal" actually). Vanna always has perfectly coiffed hair, so I decided to borrow a girl's curling iron from 2 doors down, Lucy Liu actually. These were the curls I came up with (thinking of all Summer Wind's curling tips, which work great by the way):

                                             

The quality isn't too good since its from a mirror (EW! so myspace-y I don't ever do it but it was the only way I could get a decent hair shot). I carried around the letter E on a piece of computer paper and asked people if they "Wanted to buy a vowel?". That was when they really knew who I was! Here's a better shot of the whole costume:

                                                    

This friend of my went as Mrs. Polamalou (I'm probably killing the spelling of that name). We went to the last get together with each other!

I'd say that my 2 goals were accomplished both nights successfully! What were you all for Halloween? See any FABULOUS costumes you can't wait to steal next year? Hope everyone had safe holidays!

xxKatie

Read Up: A Guide to Books on Preppy-ness.

Alright, so we've all heard about the Preppy lifestyle. But how does it get passed down? From grandmother to daughter to daughter to daughter Preppy has been and will be around for generations. (Mark my words!) But besides word of mouth, is the life of a Preppie recorded anywhere? Well, to answer the question yes, in many places. Or should I say pages?

Thankfully, someone had the brainy idea to start publishing books on how to be preppy. (Note: I've only read a couple of these myself, I found the rest on the web!!) Some titles include:

• The Preppy Handbook (Duh. Will be abbreviated from now on as TPH for future refrences)


• Tipsy in Madras: An 80's Guide to Preppy Drinking (by Johnnie and Mitzy-kind of a sequel to TPH- and I just love the title)
  
• Essentially Lilly: A Guide to Colorful Entertaining (written by THE prep herself, or highess, Lilly Pulitzer, but is extremely sincere, since it is written more like a diary then anything else)


• Essentially Lilly: A Guide to Colorful Holidays (A guide to throwing parties?!? I want to buy this one! The Christmas season IS coming up everyone...)
  
• A Privlaged Life: Celebrating WASP Style (Maybe, I don't want to read this one..., it does however, come "Highly Recommended" from Gail on Amazon.com)


• The Catcher in the Rye (Holden Caulfield was the original preppy bad boy)


• A Seperate Peace (basically the written-but-unwritten code of rules for boarding school- just remember: don't push your friends or break their legs.)

Also, a preppy characterisic is liking to read. This is supposed to be ground into you in high school, but some HS's don't. TPH says, "The school hopes that, upon graduation, you will be a well-rounded young Prep, familiar with the right vacation spots and customs, articulate and witty in conversation, understanding of literary and historical refrences [Holden Caulfield is one of the MOST referenced characters in all of Literature, in my opinion], proficient in the Prep vocation you pursue, capable of making at least one astute comment on any given subject [leave that to your liberal arts colleges, that's why they have a core curriculum...right?]--in short everything necessary for membership at a good country club". Cute right? (Preps know how to write EXTREMELY long sentences...)

Try one of these books anytime soon. If your high school didn't prepare you for the real world, hopefully these books might. Give TPH a look first and it should guide you for awhile, if not forever, and embrace your inner prep!

xx Katie

RESORT RESORT RESORT!

                                                              

RESORT 2009 is OUT! Yes! Lilly rocked Resort after a semi-unfulfilling Fall collection. I already have my eye on several pieces! I am LOVING this top called the Cedar Tank Printed in the pattern called Lilly's Pink Dirty Shirley. I love nearly every print this collection, and you can't go wrong with any of them!

Check out this Maxi dress! Pink and Green with coral and strapless. Better yet, its Jersey! The Petula Maxi dress is #1 on my list! Lilly also jacked down their prices which is great too! This dress will only rack you up $188.00 plus I'm sure stores will be having great discount sales since Fall didn't really sell! I think this dress will be great for everyone!

                                                           

This dress is my second favorite piece of Resort. The Worth Shift Colorblocked is covered in crabs! I'm from MD and the store I work in has Crab in the title! Not only are the colors of this dress great, but its a shift and I am in love with the shifts! They are my favorite style and I have about 4 already! This dress is only $178.00 compared to the shifts in the $238-278 price range! Way to go LP!

                                                                

This is also the Worth Shift but Lace instead of colorblock. I think this is totally a throwback Lilly shift and it is so reminiscent of the Lilly you see in the old, vintage ads with Lilly Pulitzer herself! Imagine this with a pair of McKims or Jacks!

Another great facet of Resort this year is that the swimsuits are separates! All the time women come into the store"oh, my top is a ____ but my bottom is a ___", and those blanks are never the same number. I think this will be great for everyone because you'll be able to try on exactly the sizes that your top and bottom are! There are bandeau and triangle tops, high cut bottoms and skimpier bottoms! There's a bandeau one-piece which seems to sell very well every year.

Also, on all of the bags and accessories, there are wonderful tags! They are totally vintage and have a great font. Definitely look at those too!

I hope you are all just as excited about Resort as I am! I cannot wait to grab some for myself!!!

xxKatie

PS. I love how the colors of this post TOTALLY match my blog! Yes!!

Today's Outfit

So I've only polyvored once, so I figured I'd try again! Today's outfit was for chilly SC weather, but obviously not too cold! I was wearing my Lilly jeans, a green sweater from Old Navy (mine is long sleeved with a pink dragonfly where the edamame is), a white long sleeve t-shirt from J. Crew underneath, some fab leopard shoes from the one and only Target and my quilted Lilly coat which I adore! For accessories I went with the dailys of my Tiffany heart chain bracelet and Silver pearls, both were gifts from family! If this ends up being a good post more polyvores might continue!

October 16 by letsbepreppy featuring Old Navy

xxKatie

Parents' Weekend!

I'm blogging on the tail end of USC's Parents' Weekend! I had SUCH a good time! My mom and her sister Patricia (my godmother) came down to visit! My dad stayed home for a big Navy football game--oh how I miss it--and his brother and a friend were houseguests. PW had so many activities for parents and their baby gamecocks. My guests were introduced to their first SEC football game, a real treat! They sampled southern foods and and heard many "y'all"'s.

My mom and Aunt Patricia arrived Friday afternoon. It was the first time I saw my family in person since I moved it! As one of my friends put it "I'd be about to pee my pants if I hadn't seen my parents since move-in!" and she was right. I was SO incredibly excited to see them that the more I thought about it, I found myself getting choked up. They came here Friday and we all went to a fab place for dinner called California Dreamin'. They have these croissants with honey drizzled over them and I can't get enough! Then we went shopping. I haven't been to a mall since I before I had moved in, so I picked up a cute "Carolina Girl" T-shirt and browsed.

I fell in love with these little puppies! I found them while we were in the mall and I'm going to snag a pair when I go home! After shopping, we went back to the hotel to get ready for a parents' weekend welcome pool party and I stayed with them at the hotel. The pool party was so much fun! My aunt won't say the name of the mascot (GO GAMECOCKS!) so our mission was to get a photo of her with Cocky! Mission accomplished! It was so nice to stay in a real bed, not a dorm room. The hotel room must have been twice the size of our room.

Here she is with the man of the hour, himself--Cocky the Carolina gamecock!

Here I am with Cocky again, in my fabulous Lilly Florida Shift and Odin Cardigan! Representing LP on campus!

Saturday came around and we got up early. During the morning we hit of Mickey Dee's for breakfast since I love their pancakes. After that we scooted up to the Target close to USC and got a few necessities that I needed to restock from the time I moved in. Not having a car is problematic for trips like that but we had a rental so it was easy! We then headed on over to Devine Street which is an eclectic gathering of stores, including Pink Sorbet, a Lilly store! They were having an ADORABLE print giveaway. If you spent $200 you got a hand painted watercolor print. We went to a few more stores and then came back to the room to drop things off. Then we went back to the hotel to get dressed for the game and then went over to the Parents' tailgate. This was one of the parents' programs they had going on! The food was delish and my mom even tried a gross disgusting boiled peanut. I don't get that southern tradition! We then made the trek over to the stadium and we were in hugely high seats. I gave up my student section to sit in section 502, but I had such a good time with my guests!

At first I didn't love this photo, because I thought I looked like a deer in headlights, but I decided that its great since its all of us on a very fun weekend! I think that both my mom and Aunt Patricia had a great time with me (or hopefully they did...) seeing Columbia and experiencing the South!

xxKatie

Annapolis Casual?

So, the other day I was talking to a co-worker at The Pink Crab in Annapolis about a wedding that she'd been invited to you. It was not a "Black-Tie- Affair" but the dress was termed "Annapolis Casual". Think about it, Annapolis Casual. Now what comes to mind?

Now anyone who has even been to Annapolis would appreciate the term "Annapolis Casual". As my co-worker explained to me, "Annapolis Casual" is defined as navy blue blazers, blue or white oxford shirts, preppy ties, khakis or the washed-out light-colored pants, and SOCKLESS boat shoes. Living in Annapolis myself, the sockless idea is not new to me. This look is seen throughout the catalogs of Vineyard Vines, showing the weddings where the groomsmen all picked the same tie to wear.

Not only is the "Annapolis Casual" look becoming more prevalent in weddings, but it is also seen more often at prom. Boys are wearing the cummerbund and bow tie set. This is much more formal than the "Annapolis Casual" look, but it is still very preppy! The casual look is becoming more popular these days. As I think about it, I myself have been to an "Annapolis Casual" wedding without even knowing it. It was held right in Annapolis, about six years ago. The men all had their blue blazers, maroon/gold/navy striped ties, pleated khakis and boat shoes. They looked very nice if I do say so myself.

Some weddings are even going as far as ditching the khaki pants for khaki SHORTS. The groomsmen still have the oxfords and ties and blazers but wear shorts instead of pants. These weddings are much more casual and most who choose this option will typically go for an outdoor wedding or a wedding on the beach.

But why "Annapolis Casual"? Annapolis does boast the title of "Sailing Capital of the World" but should it have the name "Preppy capital of the World" too?? Annapolis is on the water and full of photo opts, but is it becoming the preppy capital? There are kids here who were raised with a crabbing net in one hand and a lacrosse stick in the other and wore their first popped collar when they were two months old. Neighborhoods in the Annapolis area even have events where 98% of the girls wear Lilly dresses. So do you think it will be a new preppy capital?? In my eyes, probably not. (Things could change for the better...) Again, Annapolis can boast the Lilly Pulitzer Signature Store, and like 4 boating supply store within a half-mile, and a yacht club of its own but is it becoming the next Martha's Vineyard or sunny Florida? Vineyard Vines is HQ-ed there. Lilly Pulitzer is HQ-ed in King of Prussia, PA but began in Florida. Will Annapolis start a sockless boat shoe trend? Or a new casual wedding trend?? Well, we'll watch the Sailing Capital of the World, very closely for awhile and if anything shows a pattern, you'll hear it from the Annapolis native, here first!

xx Katie