Emerald Isle - KCC nearly died laughing the other day when she came across an online article from Newsweek. Apparently a man complained that the Ralph Lauren threads worn by the US Olympic team in the Peking opening ceremonies was too "classist" and possibly even "racist". (Your blogger refuses to use China's preferred term, as she chooses this small way to punish them for their human rights abuses.)
The article reports that according to commie-lib Sameer Reddy:
The biggest sports-related news stateside has been the redesign of the U.S. uniforms by Ralph Lauren, who took the reins from Canadian company Roots. Lauren has built an empire by becoming the unofficial outfitter of the American Dream, marketing an idealized image of America's former ruling class to the nation at large. However, the WASP aesthetic he sells-think of characters from "The Great Gatsby," clothed in tennis whites and delicate tea dresses-has come to represent a classist and racist set of ideals, hardly representative of the current multicultural social fabric of the United States. A strange choice then, to redefine the U.S. team's visual identity in this way, even as it marches further away from the 20th century, when WASP power reached its peak. But if one stops to consider America's shaky status as the world's preeminent superpower, Lauren's nostalgic, retro creations begin to make more sense.
Once your blogger stopped laughing and realized this guy was serious, she wondered if she was indeed racist and classist. Afterall, she started high school in 1981 and graduated from college in 1989, the prime preppy years. That look was a staple of her wardrobe.
However, your blogger's friends didn't call it "preppy". We called it "classic", the types of clothes that are tailored, tasteful, and never go out of style.
KCC isn't just talking about polo shirts and Madras shorts. It's about the attitude, the jackets, pants, skirts, blouses, etc. Also, the colors were very important, pink and green especially. Sure, pink and green came and went, but those classic tailored styles carried on for those of us who didn't buy clothes with the latest trends. (KCC is a conservative, after all.)
Your blogger still appreciates a man in a good suit, nice shoes, and a sharp tie, (like her husband) and loves to wear walking shorts, navy sport coats, and cute shoes. But, then again, KCC grew up at the coast, where that look has never gone out of style.
Where Newsweek digs these people up, your blogger will never know. Meanwhile, wear what you want, as long as it's tasteful, and let's work together to offend the heck out of the commie libs amongst us!
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