During the heyday of the Ivy League Look, the natural-shoulder diaspora spread not only from the Ancient Eight to campuses across America, it also spread to far corners of the globe. In March of 1957, The Sydney Morning Herald reported on the growing trend for American Ivy League clothes. Farmer’s is a department store that …
In honor of Bastille Day, we revisit this post on France’s great contribution to the preppy-Ivy wardrobe. * * * One of the pleasures of spending time among archival material is the chance discovery. We recently came across an Izod Lacoste advertisement that was used in 1958 and 1959, placed by The Andover Shop. On …
In the spirit of “just clothes,” Ivy Style is pleased to present this ode to one of menswear’s most precariously pretentious items. It was written exclusively for us by James Kraus, previous contributor and founder of Auto Universum. * * * Five years ago I decided to take a long-considered plunge into the world of …
Today we honor those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. It’s also the unofficial start of summer, and therefore the start of madras season. Pictured above is a shot of 25 people, only one of whom is wearing madras, the man who would become known as our preppiest prez. Happy Memorial Day.
If you were off on Spring Break or spending the winter in Palm Beach, Princeton’s clothiers of the 1940s had just the clothes you needed, including plenty of seersucker. While not graphically interesting, these ads include interesting copy revealing what was popular with students at the time.
H.I.S Inc. may be the missing link between workwear and Ivy-styled clothing. The company was originally founded as Honesdale manufacturing in 1923 by Henry I. Siegel. It specialized in workwear, including denim, and was a contract manufacturer for JC Penny and Montgomery Ward. The firm was headquartered in New York with manufacturing facilities in Tennessee. …
The chaps at the Fine & Dandy Shop blog dug up these images from the 1956 Princeton yearbook. Say, is that Dickie Greenleaf’s graduating class? Above, the glee club. If being in the glee club isn’t quite as masculine as being on the football team, at least it’s better than being a cheerleader: Next, summer …
While mostly stuck at home, let us remember more active times with this tribute to “manly trad” courtesy of Japanese clothier Kent and a little inspiration from Steve McQueen. Always remember that trad is man’s clothes, and that nothing compliments a three-piece sack suit, buttondown oxford and rep tie like a Ferrari Berlinetta Lusso. Running with the …
The French preppy blog Greensleeves To A Ground dug up a series of photos depicting couples at Eastern Kentucky University from 1963-1964. Plenty of chinos, penny loafers, collegiate haircuts, and third button on the back of shirt collars. Not to mention young couples gazing longingly into each other’s eyes at the most feverish “should we or …
The May 2011 issue of Japanese mag Free & Easy carried these illustrations based on photos from “Take Ivy.” Despite the sedate outfit, the copy accompanying the image above is the same phrase on the cover of the magazine: “Bankara Ivy no susume,” or “In praise of roguish Ivy.” Perhaps Mr. Salaryman has a dark side. Breathe well …
Ivy League house party, because there’s no place like home!
Take your mind off things by remembering that all things pass. Here are some photos from “Take Ivy” featuring bicycles. Get on one if you can. From Take Ivy by Teruyoshi Hayashida, published by powerHouse Books.
The Yale-Vassar bike race found its origins in a drunken wager. At a meeting of Yale’s Trumbull Beer and Bike Society, one student declared he could beat another in a bicycle race all the way to Vassar. However, this valiant duel between two determined Trumbull residents quickly became a popular annual tradition in the early …
Frequent comment-leaver SE sent in this vintage Southwick ad promoting the color “olive gray.” Alas as the image is in black and white, we can only see the gray. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday evening, and see you tomorrow with a stimulating Q&A on the charm — and status — of old clothes. — …
As “Take Ivy” becomes a menswear touchstone once again, we revisit this post from the last time around, in which I wrote that the lasting legacy of the book will be isolating certain motifs. It’s like rewatching a movie: First you take in the whole, and then in subsequent viewings you focus on more subtle …
There’s something about light-colored socks that puts a spring in your step. As you move, you catch the light color from the corner of your eye, especially if you’re wearing pants with a barely-there break. Gradually this sinks into your mind so that you’re always slightly conscious — which is not the same as being self-conscious …
After our pipe post it seemed logical to look at cigarettes — specifically vintage ads with a campus setting. You may think it foolish to smoke cigarettes, but the planet will likely die of cancer before you do. Above, Chesterfield ad from the ’40s, while below is a Pall Mall ad from 1962 depicting campus …
Recently we revisited an old post on the Yale Co-op. Back in 2011 it was followed by this post mentioning The Owl Shop, the tobacconist serving the Yale community, so let’s light up this 2011 puff piece again. Frequent comment-leaver and one-time contributor Old School has dug up a 1962 Owl Shop catalog: Keeping with …