Is Coastal Grandma really just the new Nautical Preppy?

 Before we move away from the nautical prep look,  must address a new "trend" that emerged this summer called the Costal Grandma vibe. Not that this aesthetic is actually new at all.... 

So let's reexamine the nautical vibe... 

This style was derived around leisure activities such as sailing, yachting, island hopping in New England or being at a lake house. This color palette includes a lot of blue as well in a nod to the sea. Staple pieces for this Nautical Preppy look include: Chinos, cable sweaters in a slimmer fit, Sperry boat shoes, anchors, stripes, along with blue and light green tones. 

I recently went to the Berlin lake area to take some photographic examples for this post and have a perfect example of a nautical prep outfit below. I paired white cropped jeans with a simple blue and white striped tee adding a scarf I recently picked up from Chico's. Of course I finished off the look with my trusted Jack Rogers sandals. 

The Costal Grandma vibe has many of the same elements. To me the only difference is really the lighter color scheme, leaning less toward navy and more toward white, beige, and cream, accented with more muted beachy blues and greens inspired by the sea. Staple pieces here include: raffia bags and accessories, drawstring pants, and seaside hues. 

Below for this aesthetic I wore a simple white tee with beige and white striped drawstring capris from Amazon with an Amazon linen button up. To finish off the look I wore Beige leather slides and a raffia hat. For both looks I wore the same bracelet stack of delicate gold, pearls, and anchor accents. This has definitely been a go to outfit for me this summer, but is it really so different from my usual nautical looks in summer?

I pose that the 2 styles are truly not so different. Both are classic looks taking cues from being near the water. The new Costal Grandma is simply a more elevated and mature version of the classic nautical look with its more laid back seaside styling and muted hues. Staples of both include: striped boat necks, white jeans, cotton and linen fabrics, cable knits, boat shoes, leather sandals, seaside hues, and canvas totes. 

Which do you lean more towards? Are you nautical in navy or costal Grandma in beige? Comment below on your favorite looks. 

Southern and Nautical Prep

As promised, here is the first blog post of a series that will further define the different types of preppy style. Being the end of summer now it only seemed fitting to begin with the Nautical and Southern Prep looks, as I associate these with the warmer months personally.

As the preppy style began to take off more and more, those is warmer climates needed to adapt the style into their own. The style took on a lighter flair down south with more pastels and madras prints in lighter fabrics. With this style, the Lilly Pulitzer shift dress in fun summer prints became a staple as did Jack Rogers sandals once Jackie Kennedy began sporting them. Not only has this aesthetic become the staple in southern states such as Florida but also a major styling of warmer months in other states. There is some overlap here as well to the nautical vibe which is why I chose to link them in the same post. The Southern Prep style undeniably has more fun patterns and brighter colors though. 

 

While I do enjoy some bright colors now and again, I do not find my closet particularly full of Southern Prep options. The closest photo even of myself for this option is below when I went to a glass blowing class a few years back. I sported green scallop hems shorts from JCrew with a Simply Southern tee and Sperry footwear. While I realize that these brands are iconic, I think I personally have more away from the brighter colors the older I am getting.

Staple pieces for this Southern Prep look include: shift dresses, madras prints, sandals, cardigans, white trainer type shoes, wedges, fun prints, and bright colors. 

Nautical is typically the vibe I personally lean toward more in the summer months. I am a sucker for a good seersucker! There is just something to me calming about being near water, despite the fact that I cannot swim, and this is most likely to occur in the warmer months, so I find a nautical vibe to be my primary summer wardrobe. The pearls and anchor prints with strips and shades of  blue are absolutely perfection to me in the summer months. 

More days than not as a matter of fact, you will find me during June, July and August wearing Vineyard Vines or some other nautical-like brand with my Jacks or Sperry's. This style was derived around leisure activities such as sailing, yachting, island hopping in New England or being at a lake house. This color palette includes a lot of blue as well in a nod to the sea. I was able to find a lot more examples of me donning this style of preppy as examples.

Staple pieces for this Nautical Preppy look include: Chinos, cable sweaters in a slimmer fit, Sperry boat shoes, anchors, stripes, along with blue and light green tones. 

Which of these 2 preppy styles is your favorite? Comment below... what are some of your go to summer looks? Be sure to subscribe for notice of future posts as they are published.