A Preppy Primer Revisited

I still have my copy of “The Official Preppy Handbook," which was a great spoof on many of my friends and fraternity brothers at the University of Virginia, not to mention many of my law school class mates (e.g., my classmate Evan Thomas - now an author and bureau chief at Newsweek - was always the perfect preppie). Back in the 1970's, UVA was definitely a world of khaki pants, topsiders - I of course had some - and girls from women's colleges "down the road" dressed in their pink and green. The book was all too funny since it definitely was all too accurate on some of its points of satire. Now, a sequel if you will , called "True Prep" is coming out. I'll admit up front that I will likely buy a copy for laughs. The New York Times reviews the upcoming book and notes that the world of preppies has expanded and even includes gays. Here are some highlights:
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[E]ven for prepsters, it turns out, the world has changed.
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While the original book dwelled on such themes as the timelessness of preppy culture (“In a true democracy, everyone can be upper class and live in Connecticut”), the secret language of prepsters (“Summer is a verb”) and when it is proper to wear socks with Gucci loafers (Never!), the sequel will include segments on alcohol rehab and newfangled technology (no texting at the table, if you please). Edmund White contributes an essay on the gay preppy scene.
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And while “True Prep” dispenses a dollop of the upper-class frugality, many of its featured items are a bit more upmarket than the duck shoes and other L.L. Bean duds that dominated the first volume. Think Tory Burch, E. Goyard bags and the luxury jewelry brand Verdura.
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The new book also includes a section on black preppies, led by President Obama, noting that his wife, Michelle, often appears in J. Crew outfits.

Charlottesville - Club 216

I ended up going out last night to Charlottesville's only gay club, Club216, which is owned and operated by the PIEDMONT TRIANGLE SOCIETY, a non-profit organization established to promote the interests of the Gay community in Virginia, and which works to create a supportive social environment for its' members and guests. The club is a private club - you can pay a one night admission or join on an annual basis - which means it stays open until 5:00 AM and when I left at 2:30 AM, a long line was at the door waiting to get in. The dance music was great (if one likes club dance music) and the crowd was very diverse: straights, gays, blacks, whites, Asians, Indians (as in from India), and Hispanics. The club has, in addition to a large dance floor that takes up roughly 1/3 of the club, two rooms with pool tables, two bars, a stage for shows and an area with tables for those who want to sit and talk over the music.

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Having first come to Charlottesville for college at the beginnings of the 1970's when there were basically only one or two bars in the entire town, little would I have dreamed that Charlottesville would ever be like it is now or that it would have a gay club like Club216. How the world has changed! In addition to some beautiful lipstick lesbians who stood out in the crowd, there were several young gay couples dancing together - very intimately, I might add - that looked like Abercrombie model quality fraternity boys who would easily have blended in with my former Southern aristocracy fraternity brothers at Zeta Psi so many years ago. These boys were HOT. As the area's only after hours club, there were many straights too, all of whom seemed just fine about dancing side by side with the gay couples.

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In any event, if you are in town on a Friday or Saturday night (the only nights that it is open other than for special events), it's worth checking out Club216 - just be advised that things don't really get going full steam until after 1:00AM.