Tag Archives: preppy

Lilly Pulitzer & My Sorority Life!


I don’t think any of you will be surprised when I tell you that I was once a sorority girl.  Back in the spring of 2006, I pledged the New York Alpha Chapter of Pi Beta Phi (Pi Phi for short) at Syracuse University.  Lilly Pulitzer fashion is huge on the sorority scene so it’s no wonder that they’ve come out with a series of sorority prints.  Sadly, they have yet to introduce a Pi Phi print.  However, I did vote for Pi Phi to be part of the next sorority print class on the Lilly Pulitzer Facebook page and I encourage all other Pi Phis to do the same.

I miss sorority life for obvious reasons such as formals and date nights, but I also miss the little things about being a member of a chapter such as late night movie marathons, Friday morning brunch, and tanning outside the house.  College life was a much simpler time.  Sure there was drama (tons of drama at times,) but in the end, that’s not what I remember.  I still get super excited whenever I meet another Pi Phi and I will be even more excited when Lilly Pulitzer introduces a Pi Phi print full of arrows (our official symbol) and angles (our unofficial symbol.)

My sorority sister and BFF, Tory, and I outside the Pi Phi Chapter House back at Syracuse.

Me and my little, Tracy, with the Syracuse University mascot, Otto the Orange, at the Homecoming Parade.

Shop Lilly:

Socialite Prep Work

Once upon a time, I was an Abercrombie & Fitch wearing teenager who spent all of her babysitting money on A & F polos bearing the moose emblem. I did so all in the name of preppiness. This was a precursor of the Aspiring Socialite journey I would embark on as a young adult in New York City. Over the years, I have found preppy style to be as timeless as a tennis foursome. Preppy fashion is not a requirement of being a socialite, it is an inevitability of the high life.  These looks are as classic and versatile as men’s suits or the little black dress.

Popularized by the Kennedys, America’s Royal Family, preppy fashion with its iconic collars, plaids, and argyles is as distinctive as the East Coast Ivys where it originated. Even if you have never played tennis or golf, you have probably worn the clothes or at least an inspired style. These virtually unchanging looks give us a much-needed element of dressy casual. If it were up to me, we would all participate in athletics photo ready with a color coordinated collared shirt and matching bottoms? If there is anything I have learned in my 24 years on this Earth, it is that it is always better to be overdressed than under dressed. What separates a true prep from the rest of society is that a true prep is never under dressed no matter what the circumstances may be.

For a photo tutorial on how preppiness has stood the test of time check out Take Ivy: