It’s a fitting lede for a sartorial movement with a collegiate provenance, but a new chapter has been written into the annals of the enduring preppy fashion trend. This season, the scholarly archetypes that make up this mode of dressing, from gathered loafers to tailored blazers, are stepping off campus and onto the streets.
The defining summer look is wearing the same silhouette once beguiled by Patrick Bateman-types, just with the psychotic tendencies replaced with an insouciance and fluid ease. Think of it almost like the uniform of someone who graduated from a private university on the Upper East Side, took a gap year in Paris to discover themselves before returning to New York City with the fluid and artistic flair they absorbed whilst living in the French capital’s sixth arrondissement. Enter: The urban preppy fashion era.
Speaking to Brigitte Chartrand, the chief buying and merchandising officer of NET-A-PORTER, she explains this new wave is a “city-forward take on preppy dressing that feels effortless”. “Celine, Prada and Polo Ralph Lauren are the main references for this trend, and they have given preppy a refreshing feel with refined colour palettes, sports jackets and cable knits, and Versace also added touches of pastel to the trend too.”
What’s clear is that people are losing connection to the scholarly origins of the trend, despite finding the effortlessly elegant staples of preppy fashion aspirational. Speaking on the specific rise of the urban preppy trend, the Australian-born, Los Angeles-based business owner explains that “Preppy style may have originated in Ivy League spheres, but the people wearing it now have little ties to these institutions,” Waller remarks.
“Brands have evolved alongside their customers, who are living in cities, building careers, going out, and constantly on the go. As a result, tailoring has become sharper, fabrics more refined, and the overall aesthetic has matured, transforming preppy from something that resembles a school uniform into a sophisticated wardrobe designed for contemporary adult life.”
As a result, this elevated interpretation has become a way to balance a contemporary, on-the-move lifestyle that comes with living in a major metropolis with the understated sophistication seen in heritage settings like grammar schools, private members’ clubs and exclusive colleges. This trend “borrows the polish of traditional preppy but drops the costume-y feel and swaps it for something fresher,” Waller adds. “A silk scarf might be tied around the head instead of the neck, a great blazer could be worn slightly undone, with the sleeves pushed up and no tie, and loafers may be worn with intentionally visible socks that add contrast.”
What you won’t see as part of the urban preppy fashion trend, however, is anything that feels overly fussy, hackneyed or trite. (Chunky boat shoes and garishly striped rugby shirts, here’s looking at you.) This trend is all about rendering core wardrobe staples with a fluid and casual sensibility. These are pieces that require very little thought to be pieced together into an ensemble because of how inherently versatile they are.
Relaxed shirting, delicate knitwear and soft jeans will always feel in place amongst one another, but there are several key pieces that encompass the urban preppy trend better than others. After all, this is clothing for the former bookworms who grew up to have careers at Gagosian and exclusively drink pét nat. Bourgeois, albeit bohemian, uncover the key staples of the movement that swiftly swept Manhattan and Paris below.
The 5 Key Staple Pieces of the Urban Preppy Fashion Trend
1. White Derby Shoes
Style Notes: A core fixture in the wardrobes of Fred Astaire and Serge Gainsborough, it’s hard to believe how fast derby-mania has reached a mainstream audience. Of course, to someone who was a high achiever in their class and never wrote outside the margins, the polished appearance and soft shape will certainly earn this shoe trend a gold star.
A hybrid between a delicate ballet flat and a sturdy gentleman’s shoe, pair your derby shoes with V-neck sweaters rendered in vibrant secondary tones and cropped cigarette trousers.
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