I know I haven’t written anything in a while. With the new year and the new school, I’ve decided I’m going to write something new. However, due to my lack of creativity, it takes a while for me to come up with something new.

My first few posts were hardly worth publishing, and I was on the verge of giving up hope when someone told me to simply “write about myself.” At first I was skeptical; I thought, ‘Who wants to know about me?’ but then again, who cares? This is my blog.

I decided to find something relatively topical to write about that has to do with me. One day, while Christmas shopping at the mall, I found it.

I don’t usually have much of a reason to go into the new section of the Natick mall, but that day I needed to make a trip to the Apple store. On my way, I passed Rugby. I’d never really been inside Rugby or even given it much thought as I walked by on previous occasions. But, I decided I’d look inside on this trip; I mean, it’s a Ralph Lauren brand, what’s the worst that could happen? What I found was nothing but contrivance.

I understand that I’m not the authority on all things preppy. I attend a public school, and I’ve never been to Nantucket, but I know what it means to be preppy. From a very early age, my mother, a University of Virginia graduate, instilled in my sister and me the value of dressing well and proper etiquette. In a very roundabout sort of way, she taught us to be preppy. This, in my opinion, is the only way one can become a “prep.”

One does not decide to become preppy. You can’t just buy preppy clothing because the way we dress is not a fashion statement. It’s a statement about the way we live life. We dress in a manner that’s best described as “practiced casual.” We wear what we wear because it’s effortless. Sportswear, like chinos and boat shoes, are staples of the preppy wardrobe not because they’re fashionable but because it’s just as easy to wear them to the docks as it is to wear them to the country club. Every style that is considered “preppy,” from rolled cuffs to popped collars, has some background in practicality. We are a very utilitarian people.

And that trait brings me back to my original point about Rugby. Nothing, and I mean nothing, in that store could be looked at as practical. They sell distressed jeans. No self-respecting prep would ever purchase a pair of distressed jeans. It just doesn’t make sense. Why would you pay extra to have something that looks old? We’ll buy things that are vintage, sure. But if it’s ripped, then it’s just old. Even their blue cotton blazer, the hallmark of all preppy style, is a crass, trendy imitation of what a blazer should be. Could someone wear that to a summer party without being freely judged? I think not.

In short, it takes more than rugby stripes and a collared shirt to be preppy. If you want true prep style, grow up and shop at Brooks Brothers and L.L. Bean. Until then, enjoy your spot at the kids’ table.