The first beautifully illustrated volume
exclusively dedicated to the female side of preppy style by American college
girls. The Seven Sisters-a prestigious group of American colleges, whose
members include fashion icons such as Katharine Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy,
Ali MacGraw, and Meryl Streep-perfected a flair that spoke to an aspirational
lifestyle filled with education, travel, and excitement. Their style, on campus
and off, was synonymous with an intelligence and American grace that became a
marker of national pride and status all over the world: from jeans and baggy
shirts to Bermuda shorts and blazers, soft Shetland sweaters and saddle shoes,
not to mention sleek suiting, pearls, elegant suitcases, kidskin gloves, kitten
heels, and cashmere. "[The college girl's] contribution to fashion is as
American as Coca-Cola, baseball and hitch-hiking," announced Harper's
Bazaar in 1935.
Seven Sisters Style explores the
multifaceted foundations and metamorphosis of this style, from the early
twentieth century through today. Was the Seven Sisters girl an East Coast Ivy
Leaguer? A geek or a goddess? Radical or conservative? A tomboy or an American
princess? In many ways, she was all of these and more. This book presents a
treasure trove of stunning visuals, including those from the archives of the
Seven Sisters colleges that illustrate their legacy and enduring reverberations
on and off the runway, in Hollywood ,
and in popular culture. From Dior's tailored blazers, wrap skirts, and short
socks and heels to Balenciaga's juxtaposing the argyle sweater, collared
blouse, and sharp tailored blazer, and even Band of Outsiders' silk pajama
tartans with oversized coats and collegiate wool hats and scarves, it is a look
that continues to fascinate and inspire.
Two Reviews from readers from
Amazon / http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Sisters-Style-All-American-Preppy/product-reviews/0847842177/ref=dpx_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1
3.0 out of 5 stars Redundant; some lovely photos, but poor scholarship, May 2, 2014
By Theatrical Moho -
This review is from: Seven Sisters Style:
The All-American Preppy Look (Hardcover)
As a Mount Holyoke
alumna--but not a preppy style aficionado--I purchased the book because I love
college history, especially the history of women's colleges. Tuite has said
that she did extensive research in each of the colleges' archives and I'd hoped
the book would be a fun, insightful read. Not impressed. Tuite argues that
preppy style has been hugely influential worldwide, but doesn't go much deeper
than that. I found the text incredibly repetitive--both in overused adjectives
and in the fact that she makes the same points in every chapter with little
variation. There are some beautiful photos and lovely reprints of historical
clothing ads, but I expected more from a fashion history book. As another
commenter noted, there just aren't that many photos and many that are included
are small.
Tuite's research is quite limited in scope.
2/3 of the examples she presents are from Vassar, with a handful from Smith and
Wellesley, but only a few mentions of Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke ,
and Radcliffe. I realize that she has a personal connection to Vassar, but the
book read as though she'd started it as a thesis about Vassar style and then
decided to throw in a few references to the other Sisters in order to reach a
broader audience. There were also some inaccurate historical and literary
references.
As a Seven
Sisters alumna, I truly wanted to enjoy the book and I did somewhat. However,
though I learned a bunch about preppy designers, I ultimately felt unfulfilled
because the book barely seemed to scratch the surface of the topic.
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing Execution, April
30, 2014
By Sandra -
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Seven Sisters Style:
The All-American Preppy Look (Hardcover)
I loved the idea of this book, however the
reality was disappointing. It was far more of a glorification of Vassar than I
was interested in, and not hardly enough of other powerhouse seven sisters,
like Radcliffe or Wellesley. Furthermore, for a fashion book I would have
expected large, beautiful prints. Instead, the images were small, grainy and
there were just not enough of them. In fact, on one page the image was cut in
half by the book seam.
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