Once a week or so we will profile a member of the Facebook Group to see how Ivy Style translates to Real Life. They take place over text or Messenger.
Laura Arnold is relatively new to the group, she has been there for about a year, but has received a tremendous response because (1) she has absolutely the best attitude (2) she knows her Ivy and when she doesn’t she says so (3) her outfits are so spot on.
JB: Alright, the 30 second bio please.
LA: From the Philly suburbs – Have lived in NYC for about 5 years now – Currently do product design/graphic design/marketing for a smaller heritage goods brand Upstate Stock – Very into true vintage menswear and that’s how I stumbled upon Ivy.
JB: You are getting tremendous feedback.
LA: Thank you! I always really appreciate the compliments but even more so the suggestions some people make for things I didn’t pick up on when putting the outfit together like adding a pocket square or tying the bow tie a bit less perfectly. It’s helpful hearing from people who were there what does or doesn’t look genuine.
JB: Yes, as long as that is what you are shooting for. What I worry about is the heyday folks who say that something isn’t the way it was, and that turns off the evolution of the style. I am all about the historical accuracy as both a strict rule if you like that, or a foundation if you prefer that, but the whole hey-kid-get-off-my-lawn thing sets us all back.
LA: I agree I think the helpful part is hearing what patterns work, what colors go well together, if something has an overall vibe of being genuine, things like that. What I don’t agree with are people nitpicking subtleties like saying hems are too high or that some things are pushing the envelope when they’re really not.
JB: You had the same member write in one thread that the idea of tying your bowtie loosely is “all affectation” and later on in the same post say that as long as it is tied properly it doesn’t have to be perfect.” And I am like, which (and what) is it?
LA: Yes! There tend to be a lot of contradictions.
JB: I understand contradictions as a difference of opinion between people. I don’t get it when it is a difference of opinion with ONE person and themselves. But that aside, what I absolutely think is SO IVY and am encouraged by is that it seems that you don’t get much crap for gender identification. I am rabid about being open and affirming, and I have to say I was amazed that there isn’t more pushback on that. I attribute that to two things – first, maybe we are growing after all, and second, you are just so good at this that no one cares about much else. What do you think?
LA: Haha I was also very taken aback to be honest. I posted the first few times and was bracing myself for any negative comments about that and was really pleasantly surprised when there weren’t any. It’s been even nicer that some members have reached out through DMs specifically about that and showed support. A part of me does feel that the specific group of people in the Ivy Style group is a bit more open minded than say other groups but I do think some part of it comes down to that I pass as looking like a college-aged waspy white boy even if that’s just a small fraction of it. I’ve actually been pretty surprised that my tattoos have gotten more negative comments than gender.
JB: I was surprised about the tattoos too. But I think it comes down to – hey, she dresses better than I do, and there’s gotta be SOMETHING
LA: Haha yes I agree.
JB: I’m a part time singer/songwriter and dress like John Butler (not on purpose) when I am playing out. Do you have other styles of dress?
LA: I do vaguely know of John Butler! (I’ve played guitar for about 15 years now). I do have other styles and Ivy is becoming more prominent in my outfits.
JB: Do you have rules when you are putting things together?
LA: I don’t have any kind of rigid rules but I try to have things be complementary to each other like a slimmer top with looser bottoms or matching colors closely and things like that. I never put too much thought into following strict guidelines.
JB: Then what’s the secret, because you almost never miss? (except you refuse wrinkles and rolling up your khakis which for the life of me…)
LA: I focus a lot on the fit of things and how they fall on me specifically and I feel like the majority of people don’t realize how much finding your correct measurements affects the look of an outfit. When it comes to patterns and stylistic choices I really just go with my instincts. I do choose to use a lot of basic colors and patterns and rarely go bold because it’s easier to pair and accessorize when things are simpler and often simpler looks more relaxed and natural. Haha I only refuse wrinkles honestly because I’ve been called out for them a few times but I personally don’t see anything wrong with them or rolling khakis up! I need to do it more.
JB: This is a much bigger question than it sounds like: why do you care about how you dress?
(at this point I forwarded one of the requests for a profile of Laura to her and the compliments – we talked about that for a second and then -)
LA: Honestly that question throws me for a bit of a loop bc I’ve asked myself it before and have never come up with an answer I’m happy with.The very simplified answer is I just love clothes and everything about them like construction, fit, color, patterns, fabric, everything. I don’t care much about how I look but I care about how the clothes look on me and how they change with different stances and expressions I make—I mostly see myself as somewhat of a mannequin and the clothes are the focal point. I do care in the sense that I want to be presentable and fill a space in a room because I’m small and a woman and part of the lgbtq+ community so my identities usually fall on the outskirts. I don’t speak much so I like to make my presence known by how I look because I think that speaks for itself.
I really enjoyed reading this profile. Laura seems to embody the kind of confidence and relaxed self-possession that makes ivy and ivy-inspired style cool. It’s the same “cool” that has inspired a number of posts on this site over the years. Some people really search for it, some find it eventually (usually with age) and some just seem to have it as a built-in feature.
Wonderful profile. A good demonstration that a key part of “pulling off” a look that is somewhat anachronistic in modern society is simply being comfortable with oneself and dressing in a way that reinforces that.
John & Laura: Well done, interesting interview. Back in the mid 1960s, many clothing items, now considered classic Ivy clothing, were manufactured in identical styles in both men’s and women’s sizing, such as Gant shirts, BB OCBD shirts, etc, and some college stores, such as Jack Harper Custom Shop, across from the Penn State Main Campus, were popular with both men and women for a wide range of sizes of quality, affordable “ivy style” clothing.
I’m not a fan of the wrinkled look–I wield a mean steam iron, but the clothes look so natural on Laura (with the exception of those antiqued patina shoes), that all I can say in Kudos!!!
Something about her style makes me want to sit down with a glass of milk and a slice of carrot cake or apple pie.
There appears to be a natural acuity here. The shoes and trouser cuffs in the second picture illustrate there is hope. I agree that a steam iron or a Chinese laundry can work wonders.
“Nice people are so damn nice!”
—E Hemingway to Scott Fitzgerald on Sara and Gerald Murphy. Very nice interview.
Great interview! and good transition to the new(er) format!.
Laura, what I always like about your posts is the “positivity” in them…and you always seem to be wearing the clothes and not the other way round.
Great interview, and especially appreciate the focus on how Ivy is actually quite accessible and versatile for so many people and circumstances – I’ve been following Laura’s posts on the FB group, and they’re just right. Keep it up, Laura – this is a community that is proud to have you
But that aside, what I absolutely think is SO IVY and am encouraged by is that it seems that you don’t get much crap for gender identification. I am rabid about being open and affirming, and I have to say I was amazed that there isn’t more pushback on that. I attribute that to two things – first, maybe we are growing after all, and second, you are just so good at this that no one cares about much else. What do you think?
Great profile! I think everyone here should aspire to to dress like Laura when we grow (or, rather, glow?) up!
I really enjoyed reading this profile. Laura seems to embody the kind of confidence and relaxed self-possession that makes ivy and ivy-inspired style cool. It’s the same “cool” that has inspired a number of posts on this site over the years. Some people really search for it, some find it eventually (usually with age) and some just seem to have it as a built-in feature.
Excellent. Looks terrific.
Philly suburbs, eh? A Chestnut Hill vibe here, or maybe Bryn Mawr/Villanova/Wayne.
The overtly antiqued shoes the second picture seem to
reveal latent I-Gent tendencies. Not a good sign.
Impressive perfectively imperfect style!
Wonderful profile. A good demonstration that a key part of “pulling off” a look that is somewhat anachronistic in modern society is simply being comfortable with oneself and dressing in a way that reinforces that.
Just to clarify, the anachronistic look I refer to is ivy.
John & Laura: Well done, interesting interview. Back in the mid 1960s, many clothing items, now considered classic Ivy clothing, were manufactured in identical styles in both men’s and women’s sizing, such as Gant shirts, BB OCBD shirts, etc, and some college stores, such as Jack Harper Custom Shop, across from the Penn State Main Campus, were popular with both men and women for a wide range of sizes of quality, affordable “ivy style” clothing.
I’m not a fan of the wrinkled look–I wield a mean steam iron, but the clothes look so natural on Laura (with the exception of those antiqued patina shoes), that all I can say in Kudos!!!
Something about her style makes me want to sit down with a glass of milk and a slice of carrot cake or apple pie.
…all I can say is Kudos…
There appears to be a natural acuity here. The shoes and trouser cuffs in the second picture illustrate there is hope. I agree that a steam iron or a Chinese laundry can work wonders.
“Nice people are so damn nice!”
—E Hemingway to Scott Fitzgerald on Sara and Gerald Murphy. Very nice interview.
Great interview! and good transition to the new(er) format!.
Laura, what I always like about your posts is the “positivity” in them…and you always seem to be wearing the clothes and not the other way round.
The OCBDs look fabulous. What make are they, please? Thanks.
Great interview, and especially appreciate the focus on how Ivy is actually quite accessible and versatile for so many people and circumstances – I’ve been following Laura’s posts on the FB group, and they’re just right. Keep it up, Laura – this is a community that is proud to have you
Sprezzatura