Not strange at all.

We (my generation) were raised to believe that these items were always proper. You could never look bad. Getting dressed would never be an existential dilemma as it is for so many these days.

I hang out here precisely because the inhabitants understand that Trad or Ivy or Preppy  or whatever label doesn't quite fill the bill and cover all the bases. There's a greater appreciation here for the quality of these items. The Brooksgate items discussed in the other thread have a better quality than stuff being produced these days.

not any more weird than american anglophiles that are obsessed with english brands.  I know one guy that all he seems to buy is Fred Perry, baracuta, doc marten, trickers, paul smith, ben sherman, etc!!!

What's amusing is that several brands that turn up on Talk Ivy and were/are apparently stocked in the Simon shop, such as Haggar?, would have never been stocked in an upscale collegiate shop hundreds of miles from New England, much less near an Ivy campus. Haggar in its heyday was a mid-level department store brand, at best, in the '60s. Ditto Van Heusen(sp?) and several others. That's not a snide remark, just an observation of UK unfamiliarity with genuine Ivy type brands, most of which are defunct.

The New England brands were not necessarily made anywhere near New England. The Trad blog turned up some NOS Press shirts with RN# (manufacturers i.d.) of a rural South Carolina shirt manufacturer who probably also contracted department store private label shirts. Barrie Bootery's (two stores away from Press New Haven) better dress shoes were made by Cheaney in Northampton. Most Ivy knitwear was from the UK - it had Anglophilic snob appeal. Most of the wool fabric was from the UK. Troy Guild (Press, amongst others) shirtings were from D&J Anderson of Scotland. Hats from Chrisites, if not Lock. English silk neckties. English bridle leather belts. English made odd vests. Invertere, Burberry, Acquascutum. Corgi socks. Ivy shops specialized in U.S. tailored natural shoulder suits and sport coats of British fabrics. Heck, even khaki chino is British.

Of the few items of Ivy apparel not British in origin were tassel loafers, WeeJuns, saddle shoes(?) and a predilection for wearing cream colored wool crew socks with the aforementioned. Dart-less sack jackets, dunno?

Bean is a great case in point - You gotta be hip to wear Bean in the UK. You have to be I.T.K.

Andy - Post on the Brooks Bros. 'Spencer' collar to follow... Maybe tomorrow... Great to talk to you today. Thanks for your time.