Summer is a Verb

For the greater portion of my adult life, I have worked to be one word. Preppy. Not to be confused with “prepster.” I am not into music and eclectic authors, but rather houndstooth, driving moccasins, family crests, Ivy League, etc. Recently my sister told me that my outfit (complete with a tweed jacket, a plaid shirt with ruffles and riding boots) screamed, “I just returned from riding in the Hamptons.” I couldn’t have been more thrilled with the compliment. In honor of all things preppy, I read the revised version of the Preppy Handbook that has been updated for 2010 – True Prep by Lisa Birnbach. It’s basically a bible for all things I aspire to be in life. Below are a few antidotes from this delightful book.

On the “staff” (no longer referred to as the hired help): Your Chef. We used to call her the “cook.” But “chef” sounds so much nicer, and in truth, he or she has apprenticed at some great restaurants in Europe.

Regarding the second home: A second house is not a trophy. It is a guarantee ensuring that you are at ease in the ultimate playground of prepdom, Nature herself. Depending on where your place is, you will learn skills indigineous to your community: sailing, tennis, skiing, golf, antiquing, snowshoeing, squash, sunbathing, and Nordic skiing.

Rules regarding children: Keep them in the dark as long as possible. (When they are little, they don’t need to know that private planes aren’t normal).

The book also outlines a host of other information: the history of loafers, true prep master reading list, appropriate boarding schools, a “how to” on planning a second marriage, etc.