Ivy Trendwatch: Take 8 Ivy

Yesterday The Sartorialist ran a photo of “Take Ivy” author Shiro Itoh and announced the publication next month of “Take 8 Ivy,” which was touted as a sequel to the seminal Japanese book chronicling American collegiate style.

I was able to flip through “Take 8 Ivy” here in Tokyo a couple of weeks ago. Basically it’s nothing near a true sequel to “Take Ivy.” It’s a collection of short photo essays about each Ivy college — with most of the photos taken of buildings in the 1980s.

Photographer Teruyoshi Hayashida did an incredibly boring book in the ’80s consisting of just architectural shots, and I suspect some of these photos come from that. There are some student pictures, but it’s mostly late ’70s/early ’80s style — far from the classic Ivy League Look everybody so idolizes. There are a few ’60s photos scattered throughout, likely outtakes from “Take Ivy” or alternate versions of the same pictures.

But overall this feels more like something they would sell to tourists at Harvard’s Coop than a book for style aficionados. — W. DAVID MARX

14 Comments on "Ivy Trendwatch: Take 8 Ivy"

  1. Well, I think I shall be preordering this on Amazon asap

  2. Michael Mattis | June 22, 2011 at 5:02 pm |

    Wow. Are those “go-to-heaven” shorts?

  3. Why don’t they just stick to electronics, raw fish, seaweed, and kimonos?

  4. @Grouch

    Are you 12?

  5. @J.Ivy

    No, I’m not 12, I’m old enough to realize that being honest is far more important than being politically correct.

  6. thanks for saving me some $

  7. @Grouch

    “honest”?

    Ah…the old rightwing bigot default/standby defense : spewing juvenile stereotypes under the guise of “humor” is “just being honest”…

    like I said, either you have the mental development of a 12-year old….or you are just trolling trite racial stereotypes – which *still* means you have the mental development of a 12-year-old.

    There, you got some attention. Feel better?

  8. @Grouch

    BTW…since when is it “important” to provoke animosity with racial stereotypes? “Important” to who? You?

    One might then wonder WHY racial stereotypes are so “important” to you.

    Don’t have to wonder very long though.

  9. J.Ivy – prejudice? “Rightwing bigot?” And who’s the narrow-minded one? I agree that Grouch made hateful statements, but you’ve flown your prejudicial colors for all to see.

  10. @Thomas

    Ah…the old rightwing bigot default/standby defense : accuse the person pointing out your obvious bigotry of being “narrow-minded” and “prejudicial” against all those poor oppressed rightwing bigots.

    That is (was) a Glenn Beck daily tactic: You’re a racist if you point out the racism. Whatever happened to that Beck character after 300 advertisers ditched his show and Fox cancelled him?

  11. Jivy – I’ll bet that echo chamber of yours is chock full of the brown stuff; shovel it elsewhere.

  12. Actually the Grouch has a point. Its really annoying that Japanese people can’t seem to stop stealing european tropes. From Anime to clothing they do nothing but rip us off. Don’t they have their own style and stories to work with?or is japanese culture so terribly boring to Japanese people that they would rather idolize everything from Elvis, to vampires to Goths to Ivy League as long as it isn’t Asian. Maybe we should charge a tariff.

  13. Sorry about the random capital letters. My keyboard is a bit wonky.

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