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Preppies had money, but not necessarily a lot, and they wanted to hang onto what was there, to turn it over to the next generation. Hence their often-overlooked cheapness; in preppy precincts of Connecticut in the 1970's a pair of Lucite salad tongs was a perfectly respectable wedding present. Their curious wardrobes were formed by the same instincts: Madras jackets might and did go out of mainstream fashion but that was no reason to stop wearing them.
And now they're back. It makes sense, I suppose, from a fashion point of view. We just got through the hippie phase and preppy was due to be recycled. The alligator shirts and wood-framed handbags are a pure fashion revival, though, with little reference to the original subculture that spawned them. The proof? I recently typed "Nantucket red" into eBay and got 15 hits. Every pair of pants was from J. Crew.
- CAROL McD. WALLACE, We're All Preppies Now, new york times October 24, 2005
posted October 24, 2005 in print. 2002