I hope that it is true that I am neither a Deplorable nor a Despicable, however I do know one thing is true: Christmas is a Very Prep Time of Year, and a Hobo Prep is a Prep’s Prep, and knows that Family, Community, Loyalty thereto -- to both of these, and All Else Prep are the most important things to any Prep -- or any person at all.
And so, from my present location, several hours east of the Metropolis of London, England, and yet, still, several hours east of Kamino-Shima, where the weather with clear skies at the late afternoon sunset is 5 below, even from within the log cabin, where the Huskies, and Great White Elk -- The “Los” -- pull the sleigh across the Tundra, and where the Bears, Wolves, Foxes, and Ever Vigilant Mustelidae -- Ermine (or Stoats as they are often known, not in the Winter Months, at which time they become Ermine, with Coats of White), and Minks alike -- Roam Free, and which is, in truth, a Very Long Way from Anywhere, I wish all of you, both a Wonderful and a Very Merry Christmas.
Many people and business partners I meet on my travels ask me how I manage to travel with one bag. In fact, I do not travel with one bag. I live with one bag (and another small bag for my Macbook Pro, donated to me by a Kind Benefactor who saw my plight as I was homeless in the Regent Street Apple Store). I do live with just one case, and after much testing and deliberation, I have settled on the Rimowa IATA Topas Stealth as the best “one bag solution”. Why?
The bag is light for it's strength. It is strong. It has a large internal volume. The wheels are well designed, as are the handles and clasps. Its style is also good. It meets all requirements of the Four Tenets of Prep: Utility, Longevity, Durability and Quality. I live homeless in the Apple Store, and in my gym, the membership for which cost quite a pretty penny, here in London, and also at the Heathrow lounges, as I am flown to small design jobs in Asia and elsewhere from time to time. and am able to live in the lounges before and after my flight, and also in F when flying, where I am able to shower and recharge my computer, and use the Wireless Internet to do my work. It is not an ideal life for everyone but it is what it is. I also take the train to Paris, and thereafter to Switzerland, and am able to recharge my Macbook Pro in the first class or premium seats, and otherwise survive. One bag is all I need, as I pack only what I need, and need only what I own. The sum total of what I own is little: it could be laid out on a modestly sized cafe table -- that is how few possessions I have, and they fit nicely in my Rimowa.
The Salsa cases from the same company are nice, but you will be able to read elsewhere here how some time ago I settled on the Topas Stealth. Now, because of the papers I am required to carry for my design work, and other work, I am mooting whether to purchase another case.
Good shoes are essential for any prep and most preps I meet have two essential pairs of shoes: loafers and dress shoes. Shoes take up more space in a case than any other type of item. With suits, casual clothes, gym clothes, and other items, how is a modern prep able to travel with two carry on sized cases? The answer is simple. One case can be wheeled behind, as it is a two wheeled case. The other case can be wheeled at your side with your other arm, as it is a four wheeled case. This allows you almost the same freedom of movement as having one two wheeled case. In addition, you will be allowed to place your laptop bag on top of your two wheeled case. You will be allowed to take your two wheeled case, and it's laptop bag, onto the aircraft. You will also be allowed to check your four wheeled case. I would not suggest a four wheeled case over the IATA 22" size, as it would be too large, and unnecessary for any prep, for a prep's prep is a practical prep, and will not have Unnecessary Things in His Possession, instead Having Only What Is Needed. Then you will be able to choose which case you will check and which case you will carry on. The cases need not match, and in fact, it may be better to have a Salsa for checking and a Topas for carry on, as the Topas tend to be mishandled more easily, and come away with scratches and dents.
Two bag travel is possible, and feasible, and in fact, essential for some preps. I have done with one case for some time as the One Bag Travel Prep, but now am considering becoming the Two Bag Travel Prep, as it also appears to be practical if done in this fashion.
That is how many mature preps would handle the matter, and everyone would do well to remember the Three Other Tenets of Prep, Manners, Manners and Manners.
This unusual event has, unfortunately, become News of the Day in the prep world, and that is unfortunate for everyone involved.
People tell me that KJP has more preppy genome in his left pinkie toe than Castleberry’s whole family did ever have. First Rule of Prep: If you try too hard to look like a Prep, you aint a Prep.
My attention, as I travel by fast boat from one Pacific Isle to another here, was drawn to this Spring's sentencing of Young Lee, a man who has all of the outward appearance of a person who has adopted Prep, but with none of the attributes of a Prep.
If there was any event in recent times that would be the Opposite of Prep, this would be it, and it demonstrates that Prep is not clothing, not attire, not an attempt to be something that you are not, it is a way of life, a lifestyle, and is organic. It comes from family, values, community and schooling. I do not know what dwells within the soul of a person like Mr Lee to engage in this kind of reasoning, or behavior, but it is in truth consistent with a person who appears to seek to adopt the outward trappings of a gentleman, in an attempt to hide a lack of the foresight, thought, and consideration of his fellow man that gentlemen who are True Preps have.
These are but some of my Sunday thoughts, as the sun is overhead and the Suntory whisky on my tongue, and yet, they remain considered, and likely true.
"The Wearing of Swords" or, "Why "Preppy Style" Has Become Nothing More than The Wearing of Swords".
By the early 18th Century, in some parts of the Old World, swords had become little more than a form of jewelry, as dueling was prohibited as a Means of Resolving Disputes Between Men (and Often these Disputes Were Over Women, or Even Girls, or Money, or Honor, or other Things of Value At The Time, but Not Directly By Women as Women were not allowed to Own Property or Things), or it it were not, it was done with Pistols and not with Swords, In England especially, because of the Great Revolutions in the mid 17th Century, and thereafter, society had changed in ways that would not reach the Continent until a century later, or in the case of Russia, until much later. It was not only for Gentlemen to wear a Sword - anyone with the means to purchase a used Sword could appear as a Gentleman - whether he be a person of Ordinary Background or a Fallen Noble, who once was a Gentleman. If you looked like a Gentleman of Yesteryear, from all accounts you probably were a Gentleman. And yet students at Great Schools and Universities on the Continent, until the 1840s Revolutions on the Continent, continued to wear Swords, to demonstrate that they were a Better Class of People, which is Similar in Notion to the standards and heraldry worn by the Ivy Students today.
And yet there is a rash of opinion against this type of Coxcombery, a form of Popinjayery not welcomed by everyone, especially those who did attend a Prep, that is, form part of a group who consider themselves Prep, and regard Any Other Talk of Prep as surplus to what is needed, as Prep stands as it is, without commentary, and yet there is an interesting topic here to examine, and so I would write upon it, and invite your comments below also. The rash of opinion on the Internet focuses - perhaps rightly, or perhaps not - upon those who attempt to Profit from or Speak Authoritatively Upon Prep, or Ivy or other ostensibly similar and yet unrelated topics to Pre, such as Mr Fred Castleberry, who is believed to not have attended an Ivy, and yet writes prolifically upon Ivy, as if he did. People have said that he dresses "like a clown" and that he presents himself as "an expert" on the topic of "Ivy", and yet others write that there are many others like him, such as those who did not attend a Prep, and yet present themselves as experts on Prep. It is itself an interesting topic, but too Controversial for the Internet because people do not like being examined upon the Internet, as this is best done in Parlors, by Family and Friends. Faux-Prep, or Faux-Ivy is, of itself, an interesting topic Worthy of Discussion.
Is Modern Prep, Neo-Prep, or Faux-Prep, a type of Coxcombery, similar to the wearing of Swords? And yet a Prep, who is an Authentic Prep, may yet belong to this Cadre of Coxcombs, such as by Not Being a Polo Player, and Yet Being Content to Wear the Signaling-Ornament of a Pony Upon His Shirt, as if he were a Polo Player; this too is a type of Coxcombery. You may leave your thoughts below, and I do not censor them, as I believe that all may speak on this topic, whether Prep or Not Prep.
As I have written before, here (A Few Words About Prep, by the Hobo Prep), here (Prep is Not a Fashion, It Is A Way of Life, by the Hobo Prep) and also here (General and Specific Misconceptions About Prep, by the Hobo Prep), the State of Prep is something much written about, and the Hordes of Internet Bloggers who now write about "Prep", "Prep Style", "Preppy Style", and Other Such Related Topics, including "Ivy", "Trad", which are not the same as Prep, as you can read here elsewhere on my humble blog, are increasing each day in great number.
A person who attends one of the Great Learning Institutions commonly known as a prep school is, by definition, almost always automatically a Prep. It would be very difficult to say that he or she is not. A person who once attended a prep school may also be a Prep, and again, is almost always automatically within that category. But there are others yet who find themselves and others as being capable of coming within the definition of Prep, simply by saying so, and by wearing Clothes, Shoes and other Accoutrements commonly worn by Preps.
Are these people Preps too? Or are they something other than Prep? That is something I would invite your comments on below.
The solution was wearing the Uniqlo UL Down parka under my suit coat. It was warm, lightweight, and furthermore, could be packed down into the accompanying satchel to the size of a small rolled scarf.
WEARING A SUIT WITH A PARKA
BY THE HOBO PREP
This is Prep at it's finest, for a Hobo Prep is a Practical Prep, and a Practical Prep is a Prep's Prep, The suit coat covers the parka completely, the parka being open and not zipped, and with its hood tucked in, or if the parka be worn alone, such as on the weekend, with sweatpants (not recommended, as they do not pack well) or a spare pair of slacks or pants, with the hood in its normal position at the back of the neck, or raised over the head if the wind be too strong.
Wearing the Parka over a suit proved to be more troublesome, as it did not cover the length of the suit, although being quite near enough. Other Preps have experimented with wearing a Pea Coat, or a Winter Parka or Mountain Coat over a suit coat, and it is indeed a New Trend among many Preps and Putative Preps.
However, I find the solution of wearing this lightweight down parka under the suit coat to be equally practical, if not better styled, as one cannot see it, and it is warm enough too. You may also wear lightweight cashmere underneath the parka, over your shirt. Worn this way, the parka is a stylish and nice companion to the suit, even though worn underneath it.
It has been a warm winter with these two coats. What Parka/Suit combination suits you? Perhaps the thought of not wearing a Chesterfield or Topcoat over your suit this winter is too much to bear. You can leave your thoughts, as always, below.
"A Hobo Prep is a Practical Prep. Put that extra pair of warm woolen gloves in your pants' back pocket or pockets during winter - one each pocket if need be - - they will brace your tush for any fall on the ice on a slippery sidewalk in Europe.
Recently the authors of IS blog have been attempting to tell the Internet that Squash is the "Preppiest Sport". For the benefit of the Internet and people searching for this topic on the Google, I take issue with this dimestore statement and set out my reasons as follows:
There are but some thoughts of this Hobo Prep. There are many sports that preps like, but ultimately a Prep values health, well being and happiness above all else - competition is but a mere secondary concern.
There’s no such thing as “the dignified hoodie.” Such a garment belongs only in three places: the beach, the boat, and the gym. If a man thinks otherwise, he’s been looking at far too many fashion pics, or he’s in thrall to Rap Culture. Even though I’ve bought a few Polo items over the years, I’ve always felt the ersatz “Her Britannic Majesty” tone of the company’s advertising pathetic for a kid from the Bronx. OTOH, Ralph’s upbringing just might explain how cotton jersey “goes with” herringbone tweed.
...
Religious commitment is far too private a matter for a fashion blog.
This is a comment by "Bebe", a reader of the IS blog, which purports to be about something known as "Ivy Style". As a Prep, I do not pretend to be knowledgeable about IS, because IS is something that is unknown to me, just like Prep, which defies definition, but is easy to recognize, as Some Wise People Say. But I cannot help but confess a certain thankfulness to Bebe for his post, which was in response to an article about how a hoodie is somehow part of something else known by the authors of that site as "Ivy Stye". It defies belief that anyone would attempt to say that a hoodie is something "dignified", or "Ivy Style", but I will leave that judgement to you, the fine readers of this site, and others out there who are Ivy Style Proponents, or Experts In That Style, for I am not one of them. One cannot imagine how terry or sweat cloth can be associated with Ivy in any way, other than in the Bedroom, or the Sports Locker Room, because it is not something that fits within the Four Tenets of Prep (Or Its distant and somewhat Tenuous Derivation, Ivy), viz. Longevity, Quality, Utility and Durablity, it being only practical for the man who intends to sweat, and not for the Prep who intends to be a Prep and wear something in the street or in the office, or in the boardroom, or in the shop that sells clothing, or shoes, or other fine things. It does not, to my mind, fit within the definition of Prep at all.
A Hobo Prep is a Practical Prep, and A Practical Prep is a Prep's Prep - There is no use Talking About Money, for Wealth is Not Money, and Money is Not An Aim of the Prep - A Lifestyle Is, Friends, Values, Family, and Wealth of Different Kinds. Remember at all times the Four Tenets of Prep - Utility, Longevity, Quality and Durability,
The Isle of Tsushima sits in the Seas between the countries of Corea and Niphon, and is a Long Island, much like that in New York. Like the Other Islands of Japan, it has quiet and well settled communities, although no Great Cities the size of To-kyo.
I'm glad I found your blog! I'm from Australia and the 'prep' culture is almost unheard of here. I just enjoy the aesthetics of it rather than the families and the money behind it. So thanks for another perspective.
In some parts of Europe, the people there have another conception of Prep again, however I fear the Great English and other European peoples there — and even the recent immigrants to your country and to the US and Canada from these places, Which Have Been Impovershed and Ravaged By Wars in the last Century (XX), unlike your Great Nation — do not like this term “Prep”, as it reminds them of the fine people of the Country Across the Ocean Which Overshadowed Their Former Empire, and of the people of your country and others, with Prep Schools and All Great Traditions Of Prep, such as adventure, treating people with respect to Build A Nation, and not Treating People Differently, based on family name or rank within society, settling the country and making it good, and being practical, and because it also reminds them of the country whose Farmers Soundly Defeated Them in Battle, or the people of England otherwise have largely no general experience of it, unless they themselves went to a Prep School in that country for in that country the Society is More Divided and There is Great Emphasis Upon Status, unlike in your great country, where people are true to their Pioneering History, just like in the North East of America,
Remember I have a Twitter, and you may contact me there, or here in the comments below, or otherwise here, as you desire.
General and Specific Misconceptions About Prep
There have been, I fear, some Unbecoming Displays Of Rage against my thoughts and writings about Prep, by persons who don't seem to understand the point of my writings about this subject, or even the reason I am writing about a topic I otherwise would not.
Claghorn wrote:
"At prep school, the only thing we ever talked about were girls, as there were rarely any around. We certainly Never Talked about our Social Status or our Subculture. Those that did Talk About their Wealth or Family Names were often looked Down Upon as being Gauche or possibly Nouveau Riche. Basically, We were teenage Boys who played Lacrosse and occasionally had Outdated and Obsolete Lessons in Proper Bearing and Mannerisms. Like any subculture, "prep" is probably mostly about family and friends with a heavy emphasis of socialization. Style had nothing to do with it."
My reply:
Thank you for your Reply, Mr Claghorn, but I have the feeling that you are Missing The Point Of This Topic - which is that Prep Has Nothing To Do With Net Wealth in terms of Money Or Family Names or Fashion at all - whether high or low in others esteem, or whether spoken about or unspoken, as you say it does. In fact money is something that Preps Should Never Mention at All, as you have, and Neither Should There Be Mention of Gauche or Nouveau Riche, for these things are too, irrelevant to the Prep, Being Terms that Certain People Themselves Uncomfortable About Their Origins Use In An Attempt To Belittle Others. There is a lot in what you have said that I have already written - that being a Prep when at Prep was a certain experience, but Prep Today transcends that particular timeframe and extends to a Prep's Life Beyond Prep, when in fact, yes, as I have described before, we Were Not Aware of Prep Status And All That the World Sees In It, and Did Not Talk About It Much. But I understand your perspective, and why you wrote this, because there are a thousand of these "prep" bloggers, who Try To Assume The Hallmarks of Prep As They See It, few of whom even understand that prep has nothing to do with fashion, But Rather, That Fashion That Preps Wear is Practical. "For a Prep's Prep Is a Practical Prep and a practical prep is a hobo prep - Put those gloves in the back pocket of your new pants - A Good Place To Put Them - And Much Needed Protection If you Slip On The Muddy Steps in the Northern Lombardian Spring." The Hobo Prep, 2014.
Thank you for taking a liking to my writing style and my thoughts, because It Is Nice To Have Such a Flattery On The Internet, But there is a lesson out there for the young people: For Any Prep Worth His Salt Would Develop His Own Style, and Not Try To Copy Others, for any reason, unless he does not Possess The Faculty Not To Do So, in which case, he would Still Not Be Acting In A Becoming Manner. But I am Glad in a sense to See That You Agree with my understanding of Prep, as it is a matter of family and upbringing, so it is good to see Your Agreement With my Writings On This Subject.
As always, leave your comments below, and unlike Styleforum, I will not censor your commentary upon Prep or Any Posts Here, because that would be something no prep would do.
