The Making of an American Prep: Part 3 – The Transformation

Read Part I | Part II

So there I was perched atop a mountain of clothes that I’d been collecting since I started in college. Work clothes…blah. My wardrobe is unevenly divided into “work” and “jeans/white tees.” No one except me thought my attire was boring. I get compliments on what I wear to work on a regular basis, but at this point I decided to change for me. To keep myself interested in myself.

So after being inspired to change it up, and doing my research like a good boy, finally the transformation was here…

In the top image I’m wearing a charcoal grey Kenneth Cole suit. I’ve got a good mix of patterns between the pink gingham shirt and blue polka dot pocket square, but this is essentially a typical European tailored suit and an average everyday office look.

Down bottom are the pieces of the Preppiest ensemble I could afford. Tweed two-button jacket, blue pin-striped shirt from J.Crew, Rooster red-and-blue bow-tie and my favorite blue polka dot pocket square. Prep perfection!

To illustrate the transformation I created this fancy grid:

Essentially I took my inspiration image and recreated almost to the T. Tweed jackets at retail can be ridiculously expensive, but I found the one pictured above for $40 on Ebay. Ebay has a HUGE selection of Tweed at reasonable prices. With minimal tailoring my perfectly fitted jacket cost a total of $90. A STEAL.

The shirt and pants again came from J.Crew. Thanks to working in education I get a 15% discount on all purchases, and lucky for me there is a J.Crew premium outlet not too far from where I live.

The shoes again are from Cole Haan. I also found these at a premium outlet that was having a store-wide 50% off sale, so they were about $98.

So total to “go Prep” I spent a little less than $300. That is a cheap as hell when you really think about what it would cost to revamp your whole look. Using my research and deal finding skills I picked pieces that are versatile, stylish and classic. I can pair them in different ways creating many new looks and they’re all pieces I can keep in my closet for a lifetime.

If you have any questions about how to change your style, where to look, etc. please don’t hesitate to ask!

-Cougar