Kitch Lives On: The Nantucket Whale

Among other notable styles that surfaced in the eighties, the preppy thing was all in. It was the rage to sport those little alligator Izod golf tees, red or pale yellow clam diggers, and canvas tote bags with repeated Nantucket whale motifs on them.

I thought everyone knew about these, but last night, at a friend's house for dinner, the hostess had never heard of the Nantucket whale pattern (that I thought was so popular, because I had a college roommate who owned one of everything ever made, that had a whale on it).

Perhaps the East Coast fad wasn't as commonplace as I remember it being, but apparently there are still a few Bif's and Buffy's roaming the planet. They keep places like Vineyard Vines (who are actually cultivating a following of sorts, by showcasing some particularly interesting preppy people here), in business.