Lots of articles have been written lately about 80′s humor style bible The Official Preppy Handbook and its new sequel coming out this Fall called True Prep. The book first appeared on the scene about the same time as when Ralph Lauren and J.Crew were introducing East Coast style to the masses – and consumers were ready to reinvent themselves in the image of a higher class and taste level. Suddenly you didn’t need to have been born and bred a wasp to look and dress like one.

The best part of the handbook was its perfect tone – was it for real? is it serious? is it satirical? The arch dry voice of the book made it impossible to tell, but made it completely side-splitting. Pointing out the eccentricities of this singular part of society was funny enough on its own…from its etiquette and manners, to the slang, to the very specific fashions and style. The book took on the history of all things prep, from childhood, schooling, college, and onto the adult years. No pink and green stone was left uncovered.

The new book True Prep by Lisa Birnbach and Chip Kidd is coming out this September 7th (from Knopf) and it promises to revisit all the old themes, along with some new ones — cell phones, texting, plastic surgery, online shopping, scandals, and of course..the much beloved happy hour. I personally can’t wait.

Filed under: Art & Culture, Books, Style by Stephen : 2 Comments »