It’s kind of funny to think that standards of dress for a football game half a century ago were higher than for much of corporate America today. Several shots of the crowd reveal all the requisite gear: natural shoulders, buttondown collars, rep ties, short haircuts, and crewneck sweaters worn high in the front. — CC
The decline in America’s apparel has gone hand in hand with the decline in civility. Era Vulgaris indeed.
Excellent footage — and, actually, it reminds me of the awful film, “Mars Needs Women;” beautiful atmospheric shots of early-60’s America (including a long photo-survey — in color– of a similar football crowd). Terrible movie, wonderful look at the time period.
Hi, I work in a fairly casual office. I am a financial analyst. Most people wear polos, and khakis or OCBD. Some wear ties, some do not. I think coming to work with a blazer and removing it when I arrive (due to the colder weather) is appropriate. However, I know I will get some comments and I’ll be over dressed in a blazer. Any thoughts?
Reminds me of the New Yorker sports column by, I believe, “Audax Minor” which may or may not have mentioned Texas, UCLA, Alabama et al, but faithfully reported the Ivies, Army, and a very few other “acceptable” contests
Great film, thanks! The views of the crowd do indeed show an era of dressing for a game, that are long gone. Tail gate parties often featured white table cloths, and silver candelabra. Now, a 6 pack, and something like a ham sandwich out of a cooler.
Today, dress can best be described as neo homeless. Not only for students, but for adults, as well. Still fun to wear a jacket and tie. No one seems to notice, or care.
Over the past few years, I’ve have seen a number of streakers across the field. Sign of the times, I guess.
Have always wondered about the proper wearing of the crew neck. Reviewed all of the comments, and I guess no one has a proper explanation.
The best that I can come up with; is that if you got the crew neck over the OCBD so that you looked a bit like a priest, you had it nailed. Why? I have no idea. We just took our guidance from watching the upperclassmen.
Still wear it that was today, from habit.
Some of the old timers will still dress as if it were 1955, but very few. Most are, as was said previously, “neo-homeless” (an excellent term). I plan on a casual Ivy look for the Yale/Princeton game in New Haven next month.
Not entirely true. Students still dress up for football games in the South. Guys in ties, girls in pearls.
Wahoo-wa Wahoo-wa Uni-V Virginia
Hoo-rah-rau Hoo-rah-ray ray ray UVA
Steve makes a superb point about the old timers; and jackets and ties at football games. (Princeton had such casualties against Brown this past Saturday, that some of us may have to suit up against Harvard this Saturday.)
His point illustrates why the few of us that really appreciate Ivy, have adopted it as a way of life since we were about 16, and have never felt the need to change.
>It is a “uniform.” You have to devote zero effort trying to decide what to wear. Jacket & tie for football games. “Always been that way”, and no one else notices, or is remotely impressed. Dressing to impress is never the point with “IVY”, IMO. That’s why many of us cringe a bit at “the pony.” For some of us it is a bit aspirational. (No, we don’t have our polo pony tied up to the parking meter, while we are in the restaurant.)
Suits to church, without fail. Most today don’t. We have just “Always Dressed that way”, and don’t give it a second thought.
>Furthermore,”Ivy” always seems age appropriate. As Steve says, when you see an old guy in “Ivy”, no one thinks that the individual is trying to look “35”, far from it.
However, if those of us that wear jackets and ties to football games, and suits to church, showed up at our club in the latest from “the Gap”, someone would surely call 911.
We wore suits and ties to church, funerals, weddings, dinner dates and work. Sport coats/blazers and ties to football and hockey games and some baseball games (the Beanpot and Red Sox games after work). If there were any question as to dress, better to err on the side of coats and ties. However, it was second nature.
Things began to go to hell the day the Dodgers left Brooklyn after the 1957 season. It was the beginning of the end.
Jonathan,
Don’t let the Philistines drag you down to their level. Dress like a man, dress like an adult, and don’t make a big deal of it.
I work in a dress-code-free workplace, yet I wear a jacket and tie Every. Single. Day. I wear a suit for meetings and other important events. My example (and that of someone else I work with) seems to have influenced at least some of our co-workers, as more men I work with are at least wearing a tie in our professional environment.
It’s not easy–but few important things are.
Always set the higher standard, you’ll be surprised the affect you will have on others.