Ivy to me is a post modern take on mid century America. I do not separate it at all from "Americana". The same types of folks wore both styles seamlessly in the boom years. I've seen the evidence. To hold it up as only a historical artifact style or to simplify it by who wore it and when is criminal. The vast majority of the boom year folks who wore this stuff have gone on to truly dismal personal styles. Ivy to the enthusiast in this country is about using the American past as a different country and different culture to be drawn from.  It's about using your body as a canvas for expression. Making the clothes and how you wear them the artwork. It's about having an economy of choice, and embracing minimalism to the point of seeming boring to onlookers. It can be either a subtle rendering or an in your face rebellion depending on your geography but it should always be yet another way to fuck with the squares, the thick, and the mundane. This is my take alone.