Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette!
Today's video is a primer about Ivy style.
We discuss the history, what it contains, how it's different to prep style, and what
you can do to incorporate elements of it into your wardrobe.
For many people out there, the terms Ivy, prep, or trad blend together in a way that
makes it very difficult to distinguish between the three.
While there are certain similarities between those styles, the real difference is in how
the garment's worn.
For example, the prep look is more nautical in appearance and more suited to the beach,
in Cape Cod, or the Hamptons, that being said, last time I was in Cape Cod, it was really
disappointing to see how few people actually dressed properly.
Ivy style, on the other hand, is a dressier version that was originally developed in the
halls of the Ivy League schools.
In terms of historical differences, the prep style has been around since about the 1900s
to 1910s whereas the Ivy style starts to really flourish in 1950s, so much later.
Ivy style was born out of an interest to appear more elegant and less casual than the prep
culture.
Ivy style, on the other hand, was for more formal events but always with a slightly more
casual touch than people knew from their fathers.
Ivy style, in particular, was a direct reflection of what men would wear at the elite colleges
in the US.
The Ivy style connoisseur was immediately able to identify a member simply by the way
he dressed, of course, the style wasn't just limited to members of Ivy League schools but
it was also adapted by other people from around the world, specifically in Japan.
To them, it was mostly just a slightly more formal version than prep and because of that,
the blending between the two styles became even more.
The rest of world simply saw Ivy style as being more formal than the prep style and
because of that, the blending between the two styles became even more accelerated.
So what exactly is Ivy style?
At the core, they're just two things, on the one hand, it's you wanting to address and
represent that you're a member of an Ivy League school.
On the other hand, you wanted to be a little bit rebellious maybe against your father who
will put on a formal outfit and in that same instance, you would dress down your outfit.
You even wear a worsted suit, you would wear a flannel suit.
If he would wear a regular silk tie, you would wear a knit tie.
If he would wear a solid dress shirt, you would wear a patterned dress shirt, and so
forth.
So today, one could argue that the differences between Ivy style and prep style are about
the degree of formality, yet in reality, it's more about semantics.
While Ivy leaguers will opt for penny loafers, prep style followers go for boat shoes.
So preps will roll up their pants and wear their shoes without socks as soon as it's
warm enough, whereas Ivy Leaguers will usually wear socks and only skip them during the really
peak heat of summer.
Prep style enthusiasts will rarely wear a full suit instead, they will go with Blazers,
sport coats, maybe seersucker pants, Nantucket red chinos, or anything in between.
They like to add color and not so much into the suits.
Ivy Leaguers, on the other hand, still wear suits about half of the time; usually more
casual suits, flannel suits, but they also like tweed jackets and combinations maybe
with an elbow patch that gives you a nice old school feel that is still casual yet more
formal and maybe a little less colorful than the prep style.
Some people might argue that prep style is more about comfort and convenience in the
first place with style being the second focus, whereas Ivy style is at first, about the style
and only then about comfort and convenience.
When it came to sports and lifestyle, those two styles were really very closely intertwined
and because of that, it doesn't come as a surprise that the main purveyors of both styles
also offered prep style as well as Ivy style.
Probably the most identifiable brand of the Ivy style is J press.
I think today they're Japanese owned but they still have the very typical Ivy style feel.
Back in the day, they were very closely followed by Brooks Brothers.
I think today, Brooks Brothers has gone more mainstream but it still contains elements
of the prep style and Ivy style.
If I had to choose between the two, I'd go with J press, all the time.
So what are typical Ivy style items that you can use in your outfits to get that distinguished
look?
First of all, I think it's the penny loafer.
Introduced by the GH bass shoe company in 1936, it became an instant hit with students.
It was particularly popular with the Ivy League under grads because it was much more casual
than an Oxford shoe or derby, at the same time, the ease of just slipping on a loafer
paired with a leather texture or even a suede, may be the perfect companion to the formal
yet somewhat casual Ivy style.
The second classic staple in Ivy style is khaki pants or chinos.
We had an extensive guide about chinos which you can check out here but basically, it's
pants made out of 100% cotton usually in earthy tones such as khakis, sometimes olive green,
shades in between, sand, or stone.
Yes, you can also get them in other colors such as Nantucket red or maybe navy but those
earthy tones are more typical for the Ivy style.
They combine well with a blazer, dress shirt, and a tie, or with a sweater or polo shirt.
Originally designed as a pair of business casual trousers that were appropriate for
many different events.
Compared to wool, they're a little rougher and they wrinkle a little more easily and
because of that, it's the perfect staple for the Ivy style.
The third thing to invest in are knit ties.
You could either go with silk knit ties in two tones or maybe with a mottled yarn so
you have a multitude of colors.
Alternatively, you can look into wool ties or cashmere ties because they provide a softer
look and overall, still have that element of a tie.
So it's a mix between formal and casual.
The fourth Ivy style item to invest in is a herringbone tweed sport coat.
It could either be a color like oatmeal or something like you can see right here next
to me.
It's a darker mix and it's perfect for the for the fall-winter season.
Herringbone is very classic and traditional.
It's different and visually more interesting than a solid worsted suit, at the same time,
it's not a bold windowpane.
It sits right in that sweet spot.
Of course, it also has somewhat of a country appeal so people who picked up equestrian
sports really liked the fabric.
Also, it doesn't wrinkle very much, it's usually cut a little more roomy, always single breasted
and never double-breasted, and it's such a perfect staple of the Ivy style wardrobe.
I suggest you always have either flap pockets or patch pockets, as well as two buttons,
or a three roll two jacket front, but if you want to change the buttons slightly larger
to underline the casual character of the garment.
A typical fall winter Ivy style combination would consist of a tweed herringbone jacket
with maybe a light blue Oxford cloth button-down shirt and some corduroys.
To learn more about the OCBD shirt as well as corduroy please check out our respective
guides here.
Another detail of an Ivy style jacket were the two buttons on the sleeve cuff of the
jacket.
Now if you look at most jackets today, you have four buttons on the sleeve cuff.
if they have three usually in the case is slightly less formal two is even more casual
and one usually is reserved for a rough country jacket.
now there are no exact rules and I've seen formal morning coats with two buttons and
a cuff but in terms of Ivy style, it became very popular to have two cuff buttons because
that set you apart from your father and as such, became an Ivy style staple.
Last but not least, another Ivy style staple are school sweaters.
Back in the day in the 50s, those would be heavy knit sweaters in the colors of your
school with a big letter in the front.
Today they've become slightly less popular and you might see them during game days on
and off campus to show the support for your school team.
If you enjoyed this video please give us a thumbs up and stay tuned for our trad primer.
to get a notification please subscribe to our channel so videos come right to your inbox.
In today's outfit you can see me wearing my take on the Ivy style.
rather than a worsted suit I opted for a flannel suit and while it's not a true two button
jacket it is a three roll two and it has more casual details such as a half belt in the
back and shooting plates makes it all a little more casual In terms of cuff buttons I have
three that are spaced a little further apart which underlines a casual character just the
same way a two button cuff jacket would.
my dress shirt has a very classic collar with French cuffs for cufflinks and I opted for
a loop here that is made in England it has that vintage feel to it
yet it's bolder in color and provides a contrast also instead of a solid dress shirt I opted
for a green and white striped one and my tie is a knit tie that provides more texture and
that mix between formality and casualness my Paisley pocket square picks up the blue
color of the tie as well as the color of my shoes and part of that brown houndstooth of
the suit so it's all a harmonious look for shoes of course I went with the option for
penny loafers and I combined them with a shadow striped socks in gray and turquoise which
is kind of a mix between the blue and green so it picks up the outfit creates some visual
interest on the penny loafer and shoes so it's not as formal but at the same time they're
over the calf socks and they're not super casual either last but not least aI am wearing
a pinky ring with a bloodstone that picks the green tones in my outfit