Compared to Western fashion magazines, Japanese magazines often get very specific about how to achieve a certain look. Editors and stylists do not just play with themes, as with most fashion editorial, but painstakingly recreate the exact styling from definitive fashion guides and personages.

In its February 2010 issue, Japanese weekend wear magazine 2nd decided to go back to the bibles of Trad/Ivy/Preppy to build perfectly authentic outfits of American casual (see scans below). Stylist Hajime Suzuki showed readers how to replicate exact outfits from the works “Take Ivy,” “Ivy Illustrated” and “The Official Preppy Handbook” with new brands.

First up is “Take Ivy,” a photo book that was incredibly influential in Japanese Ivy circles for decades before recently being rediscovered in the West. Suzuki kicks things off with a suggestion of white oxford button-downs from Michael Tapia, Individualized Shirts or Gambert. 2nd, unfortunately, had to go to vintage pieces from Tokyo’s best clothing recycle shops to find the letter sweater famously worn by a Princeton undergrad in the book. Barns Outfitters, meanwhile, somehow has the identical faded Brown University sweatshirt from the book for a mere ¥13400 — likely more than what the Brown Co-Op wants for something more modern. Other key items include plaid flannel shirts, classic sneakers, varsity jackets, white pants, rugby shirts, chinos and anorak parkas. The overall feel is sporty, but these were students after all.

Suzuki then presents real-life recreations of the Kazuo Hozumi-illustrated work “Ivy Illustrated,” another bible of Ivy style amongst Japanese baby boomers. The book’s images come to life in comical and somewhat unrealistic ways, including goofy smiles and more than one bandana ascot. The general impact is very Tokyo weekend dad rather than New England during the Kennedy era.

Finally, 2nd recreates some looks from “The Official Preppy Handbook,” which had an official translated release in Japan back in the early ’80s. Suzuki outfits a dummy in perfect ski vest over thick sweater with a hint of 2010 magic (it’s all about the plaid bits on the green vest from Cresent Down Works). 2nd doesn’t go for the classic LL Bean Norwegian Sweater oddly, perhaps because LL Bean Japan failed to sell the sweater this year despite its revival in America. The second look in the series does, however, manage to replicate prep-school sloppiness in orderly Japanese fashion by using paint-flecked, art-damaged khakis from Waste(Twice).

The overall feature does a relatively good job of distinguishing the differences between Ivy (in its “authoritative” ’60s incarnation) and preppy (in its “authoritative” early ’80s, Birnbach-curated incarnation.) While most Japanese fashion culture is not particularly comfortable with wild extrapolation, stylist Suzuki does deserve credit for not making the outfits look like period costumes. Traditional clothing presumes a timeless elegance, but the breath of brand options here in Japan for these items gives the wearer a considerable amount of flexibility between playing the classics and playing around with the classics. — W. DAVID MARX

W. David Marx is a writer living in Tokyo whose work has appeared in GQ, Brutus, Nylon, and Best Music Writing 2009, among other publications. He is currently Tokyo City Editor of CNNGo and Chief Editor of web journal Néojaponisme. (Continue)

One of the great things about visiting Paul Winston is that you never know what he’s going to break out for show and tell.

The other day Paul pulled out a stack of several dozen deadstock Chipp pocket squares he’d recently found stashed away somewhere. He figures they must be 30 years old, give or take a decade. Some are English-made, while others are from India. And among this pile of cotton and silk was one remaining price tag that read $11.50.

In a brilliant stroke of inspiration, Paul is selling the pocket squares for their original price.

You’ll need to come pick them out in person, however, as he’s not going to photograph 50 different pocket squares for the purposes of e-commerce. I chose the navy foulard above.

For a souvenir from one of America’s most legendary clothiers, as well as for the best value in pocket squares today, visit Winston Tailors at 11 E. 44th Street #501, right next to Brooks Brothers.

And hurry, because once they’re gone, they’re gone. At least until Paul find another box of goodies. — CC

Yesterday Bruce Boyer and I visited Brooks Brothers, who were showing the Fall/Winter 2010 collection on the sixth floor of the 346 Madison flagship store. The goods represented the company’s growing commitment to reclaiming its heritage, and there were many nods to its golden age in addition to the new girls and home collections.

Though not a separate line, University has a distinctly younger feel, similar to the Brooksgate of yore. This section of the showroom was set up like a locker room, with trophies and athletic gear scattered among the clothes. (Continue)

Nomenclature in Tradsville is a tricky thing, and depends largely on your point of view. Those who like hair-splitting will tell you that a short-sleeved gingham shirt is Trad but not Preppy. Likewise, bit loafers are WASPy but not Ivy.

Fair points to an extent, though it gets tedious pretty fast, and bloggers and forum posters have to use slashes — Ivy/preppy/trad — to make sure they’re covering all the bases.

The March issue of Esquire also weighs in on the taxonomy of Tradsville by differentiating between The WASP and The Trad in its fashion spread on American style tribes. This despite that, save for the double-breasted blazer, most of us would consider the clothing items that are mentioned (go-to-hell pants, rep ties, herringbone sport coats) and tastes and pursuits (John Cheever, squash) pretty interchangable.

Which is why this whole WASP vs. Trad thing is pretty silly. — CC

Our recent J. Press scarf giveaway yielded many pearls of wisdom in the comments section, the best of which form a veritable handbook on deportment for the young man just embarking on life’s adventure, which usually begins when he heads off to college.

While studies and girls will be your main concern (they were certainly ours), here are a few things to be mindful of, according to your fellow Ivy-Style readers.

Feel free to leave a comment and add to the wisdom.

* * *

Wake up every morning thinking the day has the potential to be the best day of your life.

Follow your heart and go for it. You’ll only regret what you didn’t do, adventures you didn’t take, lips you didn’t kiss.

Fake it ’til you make it. No one will know the difference.

Try not to be such an asshole. (Continue)

For spring, Sebago has released its classic penny loafer in new colors and with a roughed-out sole and stacked heel. Colors include navy (evidently the hot new shoe color, for reasons Reason can’t explain), sand, white, and light brown (pictured).

The shoes are available now from Sebago’s website and sell for $130. Click here and choose “Alternate Colors.” — CC

The March, 1991 M Magazine article — of which scans are presented below after the jump (click “Continue”) — is our second article on Brooks Brothers during the Marks & Spencer era.

Along with the previous one from Forbes, the article is part of a cache I collected while doing a paper for a Business 101 course. I titled my paper “The Fleecing of Brooks Brothers?” and chose the company as a subject because as a customer I had a vested interest in the changes going on.

Some of the changes make sense. Wardrobe sizing — the ability to buy separate pants in different waist sizes — allowed Brooks Brothers to fit people with non-standard drops. And wholesaling Brooks Brothers shirts to independent retailers opened the product to customers who were geographically isolated.

So what went wrong? I was uneasy from the start, considering that the best thing the press could say about Marks & Spencer was that they supplied Margaret Thatcher’s underwear. There were brash advertisements, new products, and perception of chasing a younger and hipper customer. There seemed to be a break with the past, and longtime customers lost confidence.

Richard Press, vice president of J. Press at the time, was spot on when he observed, “A number of customers are coming to us who can’t find what they want at places they’ve been shopping in the past. These customers have an allegiance to classical American clothing. Some of our competitors don’t seem to have confidence in that anymore.” — CHRISTOPHER SHARP

Christopher Sharp lives in upstate New York. He is a former community-newspaper reporter who has served in the Navy Reserve for over 20 years, currently supporting the Global War on Terror. He recently acquired the Brooks Brothers cigar label pictured above. (Continue)

As promised, a few notes on the ENK menswear trade show held last week.

For spring and fall, Allen Edmonds will be bringing out a number of updated shoes in the trad category. Three of them are highlighted above, while all six are in the photo below (apologies for the bad shot). (Continue)

Harvard’s financial troubles have been well publicized. The university also made news several months ago when it was announced that it had licensed its name for a contemporary fashion collection called Harvard Yard, and was criticized for selling out its name for a frivolous new revenue stream.

Earlier this week, Wearwolf Group, the company that holds the license, invited me to the ENK menswear trade show to view the collection.

While chatting with the founder and checking out the clothes in the trade show booth, I noticed a piece of marketing collateral sitting on the table. It was a montage of vintage images meant to give potential buyers the vibe of the collection. I recognized a number of images from Ivy-Style, then went back to chatting with the founder, when suddenly I did a double take because right next to Aga Khan is my madras-clad posterior.

It’s true: Harvard is using my ass to sell clothing. I should be getting a cut off the back end. — CHRISTIAN CHENSVOLD

More on the collection and trade show in the next post. Image graciously provided by Harvard Yard at Ivy-Style’s humble request.

This weekend I attended Designer Forum New York, a menswear trade show sponsored by the Custom Tailors and Designers Association, the oldest trade organization in the US. The event allowed me to finally meet two cyber-colleagues in person: Ivy-Style contributor Zachary DeLuca and author G. Bruce Boyer. Meanwhile, the clothes on display (such as the above ties by R. Hanauer), included some bright preppy garb and licensed collegiate stuff.

Ivy-Style contributor Zach DeLuca was down from Cambridge for his second fitting of a custom suit. He’s promised a full report when it’s done. He stopped by the show on Saturday; it was his first time at a menswear trade event. “I’ve never had so many straight guys look me over,” he said. (Continue)