Preppy! That word is probably going to evoke visions of Lacoste polo t-shirt, plaid skirts and smart knitted sweaters and vests to anybody who grew up in the 80s and 90s.
But did you know that the new preppy definition is anything but all that?
The Gen Z has redefined the aesthetic in many ways and what's more, the preppy trend is a thing these days.
I first came to know about it a few months back when Redbubble sent a newsletter to all their premium / pro tiers about trending keywords for which they needed more designs to show up in searches. Preppy was one of them.
So I did the smart thing back then : Googled it. Why? Because I had an inkling of intuition that told me that what I defined as preppy was probably not what was trending nowadays. having a teenager helps a lot on staying current with terms too. And boy was I right to Google it! Preppy in its new definition is anything girly and pink and cute according to Gen Z. A far cry from all the 90s girls in my school who were sporting polo t-shirts in pastel tones and wearing plaid skirts or well cut jeans. I had the privilege (or misfortune) to be assigned to a middle school that was also catering to the super posh suburbs in my town, the class divide was very clear in who lived where based on outfits. Middle class burbs kid were embracing the 90s grunge trend, the posh gang was all clad in well cut clothes, and came winter, this whole lot seemed to be dressed in Togs Unlimited puff jackets by Chevignon (I kid you not it bordered on preppy uniform) and girls were carrying their books in an Hervé Chapelier tote bag, while the rest of us made do with backpacks. The whole aesthetic back then was also quite muted when it came to color palettes, it was a fest of beige, pastel pinks and blue, navy blue, forest green and earth tones. It was like the preppy gang of yore was allergic to bright colors.
The new preppy girl by contrast is now a girl who wears pink a lot, or other cheerful bright (or pastel) and prefer girly clothes and accessories, which seems to also include a pink Stanley Cup. The aesthetic is cheerful, fun, high in colors, full of girly girl stuff like hearts, bows and fun coastal elements.
This is throwing lot of Millennial and Gen X designers off as I found out in the super recent (still ongoing actually) Spoonflower Preppy wallpaper design challenge. Which version of preppy is the correct one?
Personally I think it's a lot safer to go with the new preppy definition. The Gen Z is the new generation entering the work force with the oldest members of that cohort entering their 30s and the youngest like my daughter being well into their teenage years and soon to be in college. The Gen Z is the generation getting their adult independence and getting the purchasing power to boot. I think it's worth listening to what they like and how they define the world, especially if you are in the design and aesthetic business.
It doesn't mean that what we called preppy as their age is gone, far from it, it just got relabelled too. The dainty florals, pastels, plaids and beigey - navy blues of the 90s is now part of what is being called the "Grandmillennial style" or as my daughter said when it comes to fashion : 90s vintage style. Grandmillennial is used more to define home decor, and if you grew up in the 90s you might recognise it as the kind of decor your wealthier friends might have going in their parent's home or in their Laura Ashley florals inspired bedrooms. It was basically preppy but for homes. I actually like seeing that trend coming back under that name, especially after years of boring minimalism that went into rather extremes with white, black and grey everything. The versy same way I like what the Gen Z defines as preppy today. Anything to kill the sterile minimalism is good in my book. What's your take on it all?
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