Excellence of taste in the fine arts and humanities, also known as high culture
Although it is hard to define what “preppy” music is, there are a few bands that come to mind when one defines a “prep”.
New Age
- Vampire Weekend
- Dave Matthews Band
- Jack Johnson
- John Mayer Trio
- John Mayer
- John Butler Trio
- Phish
- Bon Iver
- Coldplay
- Sufjan Stevens
- Phoenix
Old Age
Think classic “1920s”: Jazz & Ragtime. The roaring twenties. Combined with the original preppy, the 1950s: Blues, Pop (Frank, Tony, etc), and Country.
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Louis Armstrong
- Billie Holiday
- Frank Sinatra
- Tony Bennett
- Judy Garland
- Dean Martin
- Nat King Cole
The Preppy Life wrote a blog post on the “Top Preppy Albums of the Unnamed Decade” which you can read here.
College Prepster (taken from Unabashedly Prep) has recently started posting Playlists which you can see here. She also wrote an article on her “soundtrack”, and an article on what Pandora stations she listens to.
The best place to look for extremely preppy books is Brooks Brothers. You can find their mens collection here, and the women’s collection here.
- Take Ivy by Shosuke Ishizu
Originally published in Japan! - Classy: Exceptional Advice for the Extremely Modern Lady by Derek Blasberg
- True Prep by Lisa Birnbach
The College Prepster wrote an article about a Vineyard Vines sponsored event of the book “True Prep” which you can read here. - The Gospel According to Coco Chanel by Karen Karbo
- The Official Preppy Handbook by Lisa Birnbach
Expensive! But probably worth the investment. - 50 Things Every Young Gentleman Should Know by Brooks Brothers
Its worth noting that Brooks Brothers have produced a series of books relating to gentleman, fashion, etc. These are all listed on their website. - Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style by Jeffrey Banks and Doria de La Chapelle
Ivy-Style.com wrote an article about the book which you can read here.
Unabashedly Prep has dedicated an entire section of his website to “Music and Books”. You can view this section here. This covers both classic books, such as the Great Gatsby, and preppy guides such as the Bill of Rites.
These magazines might not necessarily be ‘entirely’ preppy, however they are fashion magazines that focus on a more classy and refined style. For more specifically “preppy style” magazines, I would suggest subscribing to J.Crew/Vineyard Vines/Brooks Brothers catalogues.
- British GQ
- Esquire
- Esquire UK
- GQ
- Hamptons
- The Preppy Journal (Online)
- Ralph Lauren Magazine
- Valet.com
- Vanity Fair
- Vogue
- Vogue UK
- Town and Country
“Preppy” movies are another hard topic to define. It is worth noting, however, that the “preppy” fashion came into existence around the 1950s (originally: Ivy League style). The 1950s were dominated by Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Harry Belafonte, Humphrey Bogart, and so on. Thus, any movie involving the above mentioned could be considered preppy.
- Casablanca (‘42, but still classy)
- Father of the Bride
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
- Singing in the Rain
- On the Waterfront
- All About Eve
- Some Like It Hot
- The Belle of New York
- The Graduate (‘67, but classy)
- Breakfast At Tiffanys (‘61)
If you want to check out a few more lists of “preppy” movies I have found a few links which are listed below.
The Preppy Life wrote an article on the “Top 10 Preppy Movies”
Ivy-Style.com has tagged the blog posts which include mention of preppy movies.
