Style Icon: F.E. Castleberry

It's recently occurred to me that until now all of my style icons have been women and the last thing I would ever want is to alienate my millions of gay readers so let's talk about hot guys.

F.E. Castleberry has been around for a few years now, and I discovered him when I went to my first college for my first time.  I think he's technically a fashion photographer but his blog Unabashedly Prep is pretty all encompassing, with a lot of posts on arts and culture as well as big events and artist profiles.

He's become a symbol of the marriage between the traditional 'Ivy League' prep and modern metropolitan aesthetics, a look which he has become quite famous for.  Let's look at what guides his style.  Oh but first, the most important rule, keep good company.

F.E. Castleberry, Kiel James Patrick, and Sarah Vickers

Outerwear is key- Just because you live in the cold doesn't mean you know how to do outerwear.  I think the thing that pulls his outfits together so perfectly is the tailoring and the layering.  It's easy to throw on a shirt and say this is what I'm wearing but his style has depths.

Throwback isn't just for Thursdays- From varsity jackets to madras explosion, blasts from the past Reagan administration are fun.  Plus there's a difference between wearing the same Brooks Brothers sweater your dad wore and going to the Lower East Side and trying to find used shoes.  Chic.

Don't be afraid of color- Color is a good thing!  And you don't have to dress like a piñata to stand out.  Our friend Fred does a great job of wearing a pop of color and keeping everything else simple and neutral.

Your pants are probably too long- If your pants hit below your ankle joint, you're doing it wrong.

Go for jeans- Many "prepsters" will shy away from denim because they think it's not classically preppy.  Who cares.  Jeans are comfortable and people like wearing them.  Plus you can dress them up or down which gives you a lot of options.  Go forth and adorn.

In addition to his blog, F.E. Castleberry also has a tumblr, Collection.

Style Icon: Sarah Vickers

I want to go on record and say I blogged about Sarah Vickers a year and a half ago but she's worth bringing up again because she is about to BLOW UP.

As a native New Englander and lover of all things WASP, I am a huge fan of her.  Sarah Vickers is the girlfriend and presumably business partner to Kiel James Patrick (pronounced Kyle not Keel, which is kind of a shame), bracelet designer turned bracelet/belt/tie/handbag designer.  KJP hand-makes all of his stuff in a factory in Rhode Island, so he's pretty cool in my book.

Basically, about a year ago, these guys realized they're almost a big deal and started their own blogs, Azimuth Circle and Classy Girls Wear Pearls, which is really just the same pictures but it's cool anyway.

Really the blogs consist of chic New England people doing chic New England things while wearing chic New England clothes, but Sarah Vickers is the perfect New England combination of style, comfort, and classic.



From jaunty jewelry: (also I have it on good authority that she gets most of her jewelry from a local Rhode Island shop.)

To fun flats:

And cute clutches:

To classic coats:

And patterned pants:

To sweet skirts:

And even sweeter sweaters:

Sarah Vickers, with incredible style and an ever-present smile, is the perfect encapsulation of everything a New England girl could hope to be.