With classes finished, there was one thing left for me to do before graduating, and that was the National Academic Championship. Our team consisted of the same players as it did for the TV show It's Academic (see my earlier posts), with three additional players to fill a fourth spot. The competition was held at the Mark Center Hilton in Alexandria, VA, by Chip Beall, a former game show host. While most of the other teams competing faced a long flight or car trip, our trip to Alexandria was less than three hours. As we were staying at the hotel where the competition was taking place, this put us in walking distance of a Chesapeake Bay tradition: Clyde's restaurant.
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| Originally a bar in Georgetown opened in '63, Clyde's has since expanded to a chain of upscale restaurants in the DC area (and even gets a shoutout in The Official Preppy Handbook). |
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| The room our team was sat in was themed as a Chesapeake Bay hunt club (notice the guns and decoys). The restaurant also has an Adirondack themed dining room, as well as a nautical one which is home to the famous bar. |
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| When you order a lobster roll and are given two of them with your order, you know you've paid your money's worth. |
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| Dessert: Bailey's Cheesecake with Kahlua sauce. |
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| "Let's get a picture at Clyde's" -Nick Selser Me: University Stripe OCBD (Vineyard Vines) Nautical Flag Belt (Leatherman Ltd.) USA Nantucket Reds (Murray's Toggery Shop) Horsebit Loafers (Cole Haan) Nick: Vanderbilt Longsleeve Frocket Tee (League Outfitters) Whale Shorts (Ralph Lauren) Canvas Deckshoes (Sperry) |
- Vineyard Vines University Stripe OCBD- See Winter 2017.
- Leatherman Ltd Nautical Flag Belt- Bought from the boutique/men's store Sailor in Easton, MD. Motif belts are tricky to pair with Nantucket Reds. However, the navy in the belt ribbon was able to bring both the belt and the pants together in a tasteful combination. After all, these pants were originally worn by sailors. Can be paired with khaki or stone chinos as well. Made in USA.
- Genuine Nantucket Reds- Bought from Orvis outlet in Rehoboth, DE for only $35. These typically go for over $80, so I was quick to snatch these up in Delaware rather than driving up to Nantucket or getting hit hard with shipping fees and high prices. While obtaining genuine Nantucket Reds is a struggle even on Ebay, I recommend buying similar colored pants from other companies (like I did with Banana Republic before getting these) before getting lucky like myself or blowing nearly $100 on pants that are also imported. Murray's does offer US made Nantuckets online and in their flagship store, but they are sold at a much higher price.
- Cole Haan Horsebit Loafers- See Winter 2017.
- Nick decided upon a Vanderbilt University frocket tee, whale shorts, and deck shoes for the occasion. While he purchased the shirt during his visit to his chosen school, the whale shorts were found at Uptown Cheapskate during a post-birthday shopping spree that happened to correspond with a Memorial Day sale. Nick walked out of the store with over $1000 worth of clothes while having spent less than $100.
The following day, our team competed in the tournament but sadly did not make it to the playoffs. However, this did not bother us, as we would have had to return to Alexandria after graduating the next day, and played with minimal sleep on Sunday. So Nick and I decided to make the most of our opportunity and visit Alexandria's Old Town historic district as we had done during the competition last year. While walking around the waterfront, we both made a point to visit a preppy favorite in Alexandria, The Lucky Knot.
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| The Lucky Knot's Kings Street location in Alexandria. Its other location is in Annapolis, MD, which I sadly have not had the chance to visit yet. |
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| The Lucky Knot specializes in mainly college preppy brands (Southern Tide, Vineyard Vines, Southern Proper, Etc.) that are popular in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, but also pays homage to New England through its sale of Barbour waxed jackets and Kiel James Patrick bracelets. |
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| You know its a gentleman's store when these boys are on the wall. |
After purchasing matching croakies from the store (and a bow-tie on Nick's part), the two of us hit the harbor before getting dinner and leaving the city at 9. We are already planning a return trip for this summer, so stay tuned for Alexandria, VA part II!
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| For the competition, our captain told us to dress overly preppy. This only made us blend in even more while in Old Town. While strange looks may have met us in Salisbury, this was not the case here. Me: Navy Blazer (Andhurst/Belk) USA Blue Oxford (Lands End) USA Leather Belt (J. Crew) USA Whale Shorts (Ralph Lauren) Horsebit Loafers (Cole Haan) Clubmaster Shades (Rayban) Italy Nick: Frat Hat (Southern Proper) Aviator Shades (Rayban) Italy Reversible Bowtie (The Tie Bar) Tattersall OCBD (J. Crew) 5" Shorts (J. Crew) Original Topsiders (Sperry) |
- Andhurst Navy Blazer- Worn with shorts for a WASPy look. Add a hat, and it will turn fratty. For more, see It's Academic.
- Lands End Blue OCBD- Bought from Uptown Cheapskate. Made before LE decided to globalize their production, this shirt is probably my highest in quality and best fitting, and is coveted by my father. Made in the USA.
- Ralph Lauren Whale Shorts- Not an uncommon sight in preppy towns like Alexandria. For more, see Senior Skip Day.
- Nick is on the frattier end of the spectrum, wearing his Frat Hat from SoPro (which he purchased from The Lucky Knot last year), OCBD, bowtie, and Chubbie length shorts with Sperrys.
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