Ivy League (clothes)
Encyclopedia
For other uses of the term Ivy League see Ivy League (disambiguation)
Ivy League is a style of men's dress, popular in the late 1950s, and said to have originated on college campuses. The clothing stores J. Press
and Brooks Brothers
represent perhaps the quintessential Ivy League dress manner, the former with two of its four locations found at Harvard and Yale
Universities (the Princeton
branch closed in 1942). The Ivy League style was the predecessor to the preppy
style of dress. The Ivy League Style is epitomized by the sack suit which is defined as being a 3-to-2 (3 buttons with the top button "rolled" back to reveal only two usable buttons) blazer without darts and a single "hooked" vent. The pants are typically cuffed and without pleats. It was also characterized by the use of natural fabrics, shirts with button-down collars, and penny loafers
. In suits, the Ivy League style was promoted by clothier Brooks Brothers and included natural shoulder single-breasted suit jackets. In 1957 and 1958, about 70% of all suits sold were in the "Ivy League" style.
Controversially, in a recently revised form, a version of this style is sometimes promoted and marketed online (and elsewhere) as "American Trad" or simply "Trad," although there are marked differences between the two styles. 'Trad' is considerably narrower in scope than the original Ivy League style.
An American style known as preppy
is similar to Ivy League but more colorful, especially in spring and summer. It was first popularized in the late 1970s as return to Ivy League styles after a decade of more modern trends, but today Preppy differs from historic Ivy League in that it is a personal style rather than a general trend, and generally viewed as more youthful. Today Polo Ralph Lauren
, Vinyard Vines, and J. Crew are the largest marketers of this kind of clothing, though each offers a wide range of styles.
Toff
and Sloane Ranger
, as well as the more current young fogey
, refer to similar fashion trends and styles in Britain which reflect traditional aristocratic tastes.
The style was parodied in Clark Gesner
's "The Ivy League Look".
Ivy League (disambiguation)
Ivy League can refer to:*Ivy League, an NCAA Division I athletic conference formed from eight schools and a name for the schools as a group*Ivy League Records, a record label*The Ivy League , a 1960s British pop trio...
Ivy League is a style of men's dress, popular in the late 1950s, and said to have originated on college campuses. The clothing stores J. Press
J. Press
J. Press is a men's clothier in the United States. Founded in 1902 in New Haven, Connecticut, by Jacobi Press, the company now operates stores in three additional locations: New York, New York, Washington, D.C., and Cambridge, Massachusetts. J. Press formerly had branches in San Francisco and...
and Brooks Brothers
Brooks Brothers
Brooks Brothers is the oldest men's clothier chain in the United States. Founded in 1818 as a family business, the privately owned company is now owned by Retail Brand Alliance, also features clothing for women, and is headquartered on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York City.-History:On April 7,...
represent perhaps the quintessential Ivy League dress manner, the former with two of its four locations found at Harvard and Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
Universities (the Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
branch closed in 1942). The Ivy League style was the predecessor to the preppy
Preppy
Preppy, preppie, or prep refers to a modern, widespread United States clique, often considered a subculture...
style of dress. The Ivy League Style is epitomized by the sack suit which is defined as being a 3-to-2 (3 buttons with the top button "rolled" back to reveal only two usable buttons) blazer without darts and a single "hooked" vent. The pants are typically cuffed and without pleats. It was also characterized by the use of natural fabrics, shirts with button-down collars, and penny loafers
Penny Loafers
The Penny Loafers was founded in 1986 as a co-ed a cappella group from the University of Pennsylvania focusing on pop and rock music. They have performed at many events around campus, throughout the East Coast, and most recently in Beijing, China at the Greenpeace International Charity Concert...
. In suits, the Ivy League style was promoted by clothier Brooks Brothers and included natural shoulder single-breasted suit jackets. In 1957 and 1958, about 70% of all suits sold were in the "Ivy League" style.
Controversially, in a recently revised form, a version of this style is sometimes promoted and marketed online (and elsewhere) as "American Trad" or simply "Trad," although there are marked differences between the two styles. 'Trad' is considerably narrower in scope than the original Ivy League style.
An American style known as preppy
Preppy
Preppy, preppie, or prep refers to a modern, widespread United States clique, often considered a subculture...
is similar to Ivy League but more colorful, especially in spring and summer. It was first popularized in the late 1970s as return to Ivy League styles after a decade of more modern trends, but today Preppy differs from historic Ivy League in that it is a personal style rather than a general trend, and generally viewed as more youthful. Today Polo Ralph Lauren
Polo Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren Corporation is a luxury clothing and goods company of the American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren specializes in high-end casual/semi-formal wear for men and women, as well as accessories, fragrances, home and housewares...
, Vinyard Vines, and J. Crew are the largest marketers of this kind of clothing, though each offers a wide range of styles.
Toff
Toff
In British English slang, a toff is a mildly derogatory term for someone with an aristocratic background or belonging to the landed gentry, particularly someone who exudes an air of superiority...
and Sloane Ranger
Sloane Ranger
The term Sloane Ranger refers to a stereotype in the UK of young, upper class or upper-middle-class women, or men who share distinctive and common lifestyle traits...
, as well as the more current young fogey
Young Fogey
The term young fogey was humorously applied, in British context, to some younger-generation, rather buttoned-down writers and journalists, such as Simon Heffer, Charles Moore and, for a while, A. N. Wilson...
, refer to similar fashion trends and styles in Britain which reflect traditional aristocratic tastes.
The style was parodied in Clark Gesner
Clark Gesner
Clark Gesner was an American composer, songwriter, author, and actor. He is probably best known for composing You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, a musical adaptation of the Charles M...
's "The Ivy League Look".