So, getting back to our couple day jaunt to Cape Cod. The family decided to sneak away to Cape Cod for two or three days to enjoy the only forecasted nice weather and a last break before school starts next Tuesday. We pack the puppy away to his favorite dog camp and we head to Cape Cod. Well I think that maybe living were we do has melted my mind into thinking everyone is preppy or at least "normal"...Boy am I wrong...
First stop, an aquarium in upstate CT that the kids loved in the past. It was just a few hours to break up the trip and it's fun to see whales/sharks etc. Well we saw a whole lot of Disney tee shirts, bad fitting shorts and slurring speech (and that was the adults!). I can't blame a kid for wearing a grubby tee shirt if that is what mom and dad wear. There should be a rule: No adult should ever wear a tee shirt with cartoon characters on it (I actually believe no adult should ever wear a tee shirt outside of the gym or chores, etc). Who puts on a Huge black Eor tee shirt with matching black strech pants and looks in the mirror in the morning saying "I look good today, let's go to the all you can eat salad bar"? And why does everyone have to mumble? Doesn't anyone pronounce their words anymore...Annunciate please America...
Then there was the day trip to MV. I know it was only for the afternoon, but OMG Vineyard Haven is like a Hippie/white trash haven. My Muffy wife suggested that all the normal people are in Edgartown; this makes sense since Vineyard Haven is a dry town (for those of you outside New England, yes the Puritan influence is still alive in parts of MA.). We, since we were there only for the day, did not venture out of Vineyard Haven. I was taking my wife's idea about the preppies hiding in the other side of the island, but the ferry! No preppies on the ferry! Actually when we returned to Woods Hole, a hippie couple were looking at my cute kids commenting, then they noticed the Muffy with her whale skirt and popped collar, they visible were disgusted. They even huffed and puffed (of course the Muffy just turned to them and laughed!!)
So I know I'm rambling, however what happened to the Vineyard? Did we just go on a bad day, or as Muffy suggested the "Clinton influence": once President Clinton started going there all the tree huggers (an actual bumper sticker we saw) followed. Instead of Vineyard Vine flipflops we saw Teva and birkenstocks.
16 comments:
May I be the first to say, birkenstocks are ugly. Oh Tod and family, what a bummer about the trip. When I read your post, all I could think was "welcome to my world." As I have said before, I am the only preppy in my town. My current town is also “dry.” Of course, my home is not! Tod as for t-shirts, I must admit that I do wear L.L. Bean’s “Carefree Unshrinkable T-Shirt, V-Neck” tucked in with my seasonal skirts, but never with pants or jeans, it looks too masculine on me. So that you may see what shirt I am referring to, here is the item number on the Bean website TA52625 . I am proud to read that your Muffy was able to figuratively turn the other cheek and laugh the situation off. Well done old Bean. (smile)
Regular tees (plain) are great for women, and even some men sometime. I meant the adults wearing spongebob tees, etc...
I can't stand birkenstocks either
WORD.
Can't agree more about character tee's for adults, and kids while we're at it. The mini's each own 1 Thomas the Tank Engine T-shirt, and that is only for bedtime. The worst is the parents who put their kids in head to toe Winnie the Pooh outfits. YUCK YUCK YUCK. I, like Muffy, always prefer to turn the other cheek and chuckly myself when the Spongebob laden t-shirt wearers give me an ugly look. What else is there to do, short of LOL?
Hi Tod, I haven't been to MV in a few years, so I can't really comment on the hippie invasion. (how sad!). Anyway, I must agree with the tee shirt thing - I say it all the time when I am out & about that people (generally speaking) can be REAL slobs!! I mean, don't get me wrong, I have thrown on some sweats or yoga pants & gone down to the grocery store for a quick errand, but if I am with my family for the day, we are all certainly wearing neat, clean clothing -- logo-free!! We took a family trip to the zoo & we looked out of place amongst the grubby tees & mismatched outfits -- I know that sounds awful & honestly, I am not a snob, but come on, people -- have a little dignity!!
I agree, have a little dignity. For kids tees with some fun designs are kind of cool, either Thomas or sharks or surfboards...but does mom and dad have to look like they are bums?
My friends up here pick on me relentlessly for "dressing up to run errands". Now mind you I run errands in a Polo shirt,shorts and matching ribbon belt.. but to these ppl. that is dressing up!OY!
OK so last week at our club they did a fundraiser.. YAY GOOD DEAD! However it was the first time in over 40 years the club had been open to the public *LAWD HELP ME* there where people in the dinning room I KID YOU NOT in stained, ripped, overstretched Teeshirts and jean with their tushie cracks showing! HORRIFYING! My 9 year old asked " Mom is this what happens when they let the general public in..." Snobby of her to say, but the kid makes a point!
Whatever happened to just looking nice and CARING about how you look!?!?!?
~EG
Call me a snob but can't you at lest look CLEAN?
I have to agree. Here in the normal outfit for going down to the store/petrol station seems to be flithy falling-apart jandles, tiny rugby shorts and a "wife-beater" as they are called or a vest to everyone I would want to associate with! And that is 30-50 year old MEN!!!!!! It's just WRONG!!!
Wow, "the prepster" - your 9 year old sounds like a horrible, horrible child. Do you teach snobbishness at home?
I am by no means a traditional "prep" at all, ie. I am from the midwest, didn't do prep school or anything else, but the tenets of common decency are timeless and hold no geographic bounds. What was sensible 50 or a 100 years ago still holds, and that means looking respectable when you are out. Not trendy or expensive, but clean-cut, and presentable.
Prepster; I like how your 9yr old stood up! Not a horrible child, just one that can notice slobs
Regarding MV, I don't know about the "Clinton influence", but my opinion is that Nantucket was always better. I think character t-shirts on adults looks ridiculous, but to each his own. Everyone has a different idea of what is acceptable and not acceptable, I guess. And about the 9 year old's comment, if that's what she said, that's not standing up, that is snobbish. Real "preps" don't look down on people like that.
I had to laugh when I saw this because a friend of mine and I were talking the other day about "remember when people got dressed up to go on the airplane?!?"
well, i understand how you feel, but let me ask you a couple of things. First of all, I live on Cape Cod and it might not be for you, but it is an expensive place to live. I mean, the people who live here year- round aren't all Ralph Laren and Vineyard Vines. I mean, sure they are nice stuff and I absolutely adore Vineyard Vines bags, but that stuff is expensive! You can't expect everyone to dress like that. I'm not saying that I don't own a couple of Eliza Bees and Ralph Lauren polos, but you can't discriminate against others just because you have different styles. I, myself am obsessed with fashion and would never wear a logo tee but I don't laugh at what others are wearing ( unless they are celebrities, of course :]) . These people are just grateful that they live in such a lovely environment, they probably couldnt care less what they wear. They are just having a good time. I mean, just last summer, the whole "hippie-chic" "boho-chic" was what you saw in the magazines and on the runway. Fashion is always changing and you can never predict what might be the next big thing.
I am hardly a snob. Many Many of my closest friends wear very different styles. From Preppy to super chic New York styles. I have a few friends that just wear black(actually quite normal in NYC).
I was just commenting on how the place seems to have changed.
Actually TEVA make very comfortable flip flops that DON'T chafe any part of the foot that it touches! Thank goodness for that as I tend to walk a LOT when I'm on vacation. Nothing worse than getting blisters to spoil one's vacation! My TEVAS always match the colour of the Lilly I happen to wearing of course! I have a few Eliza B's but I like the TEVAS for their thin straps hence more of my feet get tanned! :-)
Never having been to the Vineyard, I cannot comment on the hippie quotient there (I am a Southern Preppy, we go to Sea Island).
But the hippy look is neither flattering, nor progressive...in fact...if you think about it, isn't that a step back in evolution? Are not polos and belts advancements in our society?
I think that birkenstocks should be burned and tevas thrown out like the bad idea they were in 1996...which is about the last time I owned a pair(my only pair I bought for river-rafting).
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