Today on Ivy Style’s Facebook page (which you should follow, by the way, for yet another vehicle for trad camaraderie and debate) a member posted a link to a recently uploaded slideshow of William F. Buckley. Included is the above shot of the family playing football on Thanksgiving weekend in 1971.
I thought this one of the Buckley family in 1958 was also interesting, given the recent discussion about loafers with suits (exposed shins increase the nonchalance). The shoes look laceless to me, but if I’m wrong, it’s a nice pic anyway. — CC
@ Christian
I like your use of ‘nonchalance’. If Ivy has defining characteristics, this has to be a key one. Yet it’s so different from the stiffness of those who try to reenact.
Not much style difference between Sharon, CT and Hyannisport, MA.
Yes, although anecdotes show that the nonchalance was often a forced pose.
Spitting image of his Mother.
Is that a sweatshirt with printed sketch of WFB Jr.’s face?
Brother (Senator, Judge, etc.) James kept the Ivy/Trad thing going well into his years.
Happy Thanksgiving,Chris.
See this interesting advertising of 1927: “College men know what’s what so do we”, http://www.ebay.com/itm/1927-OLD-MAGAZINE-PRINT-AD-HART-SCHAFFNER-MARX-FOR-COLLEGE-MEN-FASHION-ART-/291024536085?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43c26a0215#ht_2064wt_706
When I look at photographs like this I’m struck by what a gulf there is between those who look good seemingly effortlessly and clothing hobbyists who simply don’t, no matter how hard they try, Why is that? This is not a rhetorical question. I really don’t know.
I’ve been developing an essay along these lines, the thesis of which is that there are “style” guys and clothes geeks. The style guys tend to be extroverted, have a joie de vivre, and while they enjoy choosing and wearing their clothes, they’re more interested in socializing and their hobbies, plus good old fashioned pastimes like having sex and making money.
The clothes geeks are more introverted and the clothes are not vehicles for the art of living, they are an end in themselves, objects to be collected and fetishized. They are the sartorial equivalent of stamp collectors.
Now here’s the kicker. Even though the geeks know more, spend far more time pouring over photos and analyzing everything, and have enormous, almost endless wardrobes, they’re not better dressed than the stylists. They’re often pretty boring, in fact.
But also what you’re seeing in candids of the past is that the guys are actually in the act of doing something (even if it’s just holding a drink and laughing at a party). Getting dressed up to pose for a camera generally leads to contrived results. Take it from me.
Uh oh. I think I’m a “clothes feel”. Boring can still look good, right?
Clothes geek**
Weird typo.
On the money. Another interesting phenomenon is the criticism of other hobbyists that is rampant ( in some places more so than others).The lack of self awareness is baffling..
*poring
Yes, but can a “clothes geek” turn into a “style guy”?
To see what I mean about the lack of self- awareness, check out this thread of ‘admire my style’ http://forums.filmnoirbuff.com/viewtopic.php?pid=302970#p302970 with this one where the same folk laugh at others.http://forums.filmnoirbuff.com/viewtopic.php?pid=302955#p302955
Quite bizarre.
Christian,
I look forward to your guys and geeks essay. Should we expect it soon?
Christian, I think that your style guys and clothes nerds article sounds interesting. I would throw out there that looking cool might have a lot more to do with having personal style (being cool) than just not being a clothes geek. There just aren’t as many cool people as there are style guys and clothes geeks.
Interesting idea for an article, although I think the connections to introversion/extroversion are tenuous if not downright wrong. Best not to drag this into it unless you have consulted a psychologist to vet the idea.
As an example, one could equally argue that introverts are so internally focused that they pay only scant attention to their clothing, and hence achieve a more “natural” (less contrived) look, while extroverts are so concerned with outward appearances that their stuff can appear contrived, melodramatic, attention seeking, etc.
I don’t think either theory holds water which is why I recommend dropping the psychological connection.
A new kind of creature exists that lives only in the internet, it seems. For them, the selfie is not an image, is an act; they exist in being seen and refreshed. The image is a kind of being, an idol. This creature is Instagram Man.
For his ancestors, photographs are epitaphs. They attest that once there was a life, lived elsewhere, but it is not there in the image. You’re looking at a ghost, a fossil.
“I’ve been developing an essay along these lines, the thesis of which is that there are “style” guys and clothes geeks. The style guys tend to be extroverted, have a joie de vivre, and while they enjoy choosing and wearing their clothes, they’re more interested in socializing and their hobbies, plus good old fashioned pastimes like having sex and making money.”
–Christian
Huh?
First:
A lot of guys I know who are picky about details and have a keen sense of what looks good and what doesn’t (and select clothing carefully) consider clothing just one part of their full lives. A fun part, but one amidst many. One can be a “clothes geek” (easy on the pejoratives, CC) and be an extraverted, well rounded person.
Second:
A lot of guys who seems themselves “stylish” (but oh gosh, not geeky about clothes!) wear clothing that, for a variety of reasons, doesn’t suit or flatter. So, they just plain don’t look so great. Some, no matter how much joie de vivre, look silly.
If the suggested essay does finally develop along the lines of the aforementioned thesis, it will be an entertaining read. Sometimes “thesis” is a fancy word for “opinion.”
Comment by C. Ray — December 3, 2013 @ 1:02 pm
A new kind of creature exists that lives only in the internet, it seems. For them, the selfie is not an image, is an act; they exist in being seen and refreshed. The image is a kind of being, an idol. This creature is Instagram Man.
For his ancestors, photographs are epitaphs. They attest that once there was a life, lived elsewhere, but it is not there in the image. You’re looking at a ghost, a fossil.
Very interesting. And the frequency with which some post their acts of existence surely precludes any vigorous life in the real world.
@ Oxford Cloth Button Down
I think the evidence is rather on Christan’s side.
Many would like to look ‘cool’ in their dreams.
Alas, that’s where their style begins and ends if one excludes the coterie of similar geeks they parade in front of.
@Pasquale Sabino
I disagree. I see many “style” guys that look awful. I think that they are more susceptible to trends and unnecessary spezzatura. I do agree that almost all people would like to look “cool” in their dreams.
@ o
Someone who certainly wants to wake up is this one.
http://forums.filmnoirbuff.com/viewtopic.php?id=3361&p=629
These clowns of course spend their time setting the sartorial world to rights..
@ Pasquale Sabino
I love the fact that the freak with the vacant stare you’re referring to (featuring in numerous action poses on your link) is a regular commenter on this very site. In fact he comment can be found just above yours – one Mr Oxford Cloth Button Down
It couldn’t have been scripted better.