Then there’s this- “We do, however, wear a lot of white in the summer, and it must be spotless.” Is this some sort of psychological desire to be pure? A desire to be unaffected by life’s darkness, an idyllic remonstration of one’s existence. And spotless as well…Only good and beautiful things can happen to preps. Lightness and fair. It’s a metaphor for all the shiny things that all aspiring preps and children of preps should know and aspire to. Whether they actually become lightness and pure is anyone’s guess, but looking the part will always help.
Then there was this gem- “Women over the age of 15 may wear a simple black dress. Women over the age of 21 must have several in rotation.” Several in rotation? Is this a steadfast rule? Can one really rely on its authenticity and what does it mean to those preps out there who would always prefer to be seen in white and aspiring angels of society. If I could digress, I would at least allow for two shear white dresses that the preppy woman can wear in rotation with her slinky black outfit. But since she is a prep, she should never show too much, after all some things are best left to the imagination…
The style section ends with this “The best fashion statement is no fashion statement.” Which, after much analysis can only seem to mean no fashion statement outside the guidelines posed by this book. In other words, blend in with the fashion around you; stand out as a group but not an individual.
Perhaps the most unexpected part of this preppy handbook comes in the form of frequent frugality. For example: “Have your trustee dump an allowance into your account every month. Walk seven blocks out of your way to the A.T.M. Of your bank so you are not charged that extra $1.95.” Really? Among other tips are leaving work early to take the off-peak train, do not fly first-class, buy your tickets to Europe on discount web sites. Ah the art of saving money even though you’ll never ever run out. Who could have thought that preps were so cheap to begin with, even if personally I had my suspicions. Never mind, as long as one dresses in white and makes reverse long distance phone calls they’ll be set.
I guess I won’t mention where you went to high school….