Lots to mull over there Oliver. Your assertion that Ivy in itself isn't really a tailoring style does shift the goal posts somewhat. I've never looked at like that. Not sure I agree with you just now but I'll certainly bear the thought in mind in future.
I'll just say here for the record I don't consider material a factor in defining Ivy. Tweed, madras, batik printed cotton or tinfoil as long as the cut abd details are right then it's right.
You're not talking Ivy, you're talking what film stars wore..
I call what I wear middle century American because as much as I'd like it to much of it is popular clothing or campus style, Ivy is very much to my mind that sporting heritage of certain details and cuts. Dating back to the early 1900's.
Manufacturers did indeed start using the term Ivy to describe a tailoring style, especially when it started to really be marketed in the early 60's. Tapered shirts, trousers, etc were often described as Ivy styled or "Ivy League Cut". It can be found all over the ads of the era.
Last edited by Worried Man (2013-04-30 12:12:02)
You may have hit on an underground sub-culture I'm fortunately blissfully unaware of.
I'm not debating the 50 years before or after though - I'm specifically referring to modernism as an aesthetic and how the ivy league look fits in and even crosses over with continental styles during that mid century timeline, which is how the majority of us chose to interpret our style, I think. If you want to go right back to the campus code of the 20s, 30s etc. that's an entirely separate debate. I think that what we're discussing here is far broader because the "ivy look" extends way beyond sack jackets and exists within the realms of casual and weekend dress as well yet can still be clearly defined by the same terms. I think that we're in agreement when approaching this from an evolutionary stance, but I'm strictly speaking about ivy as a "look" and how it's intrinsically interwoven with modernism and aesthetically crosses over from mid century America to Italy, France, England, etc.
I don't get the Mike Nichols reference though; is that supposed to be me or Simon??
Last edited by Leer R. (2013-04-30 12:27:50)
Last edited by Oliver (2013-04-30 12:33:01)
Last edited by Worried Man (2013-04-30 13:23:48)
I'll restate how I really like that we've all got these varying interpretations of Ivy.
-For some, it's anything made of 100% cotton, for others, something 100% wool
-Thaw believes it to be only found in the details and tailoring of an old Brooks sack jacket
-Oliver, after earning his Masters of Mid Century Modern American Male Dress, sees Ivy as a ubiquitous look adopted by many figures of pop culture the world over during the middle 20th century.
-Liam, utterly confused, is not really sure what to think about it at the moment.
-Worried Man has never thought about Ivy, or clothes in general, as much as he has in the the past 2 pages and is again contemplating developing a strictly "greaser" or "rocker" style comprised of only white t-shirts, jeans, and bad tattoos.
-Leer and GW believe it's part of the dress code for Friday nights at Club Boudoir, Dubai.
Last edited by Worried Man (2013-04-30 14:21:44)
I know you're just kidding, but pop culture figures don't really fit into my classification of ivy at all. It's just a look for me, but not a style of tailoring. Aesthetically it's parallel to modernism, alongside elements and other characteristics of mid century men's fashion, but not interchangeable. It corresponds but is not distinguished exclusively by the Brooks mold. The Continental look of the '40s through '60s adopted facets of Ivy style but not inversely. The ivy league look was born of a traditional and prevalent American *style and imported ad-lib, in domestic men's fashions and internationally, throughout the boom years, but is not distinguished by environment, place or setting (that's silly)! Since this is the Film Noir Buff Style Forum, the simplest allegory is that of the forum's namesake - Ivy is a stylistic movement, not a genre.
Last edited by Oliver (2013-04-30 15:19:25)
Last edited by Worried Man (2013-04-30 18:22:50)
Surely the style of a cut of suit is in the silhouette? Ivy would be soft shouldered no? Sack or darted, there was after all both options to choose from was there not? Details may vary, but the important thing is the silhouette. If that isn't the case then you must realize you lot are as odd as those hohos who dress up in Victorian clothing.
A dart does change the silhouette though, to bring in suppression round the front gives an hour glass shape. You loose the straight cylindrical nature of the undarted sack, you can bring in at the back and side seams for a better fit. Doesn't have to flap about in the wind. But ideally it is straight up and down.
And I don't mind being that odd cu.nt that wants to dress in a certain way.
Last edited by THAW !!!! (2013-05-01 00:03:58)
What Thaw said.
If we are getting hung up on the 'silhouette' then overall the look posted is not an Ivy one.
A mentioned the waist suppression is decidedly un Ivy, the rise on the trousers is too low and the trousers lack the loose taper. If we are going on 'silhouette' then the natural shoulder is about all that outfit has in common with Ivy. And with that I go back to saying the natural shoulder is an Italian tradition as much as it is an American one... so your Italian jacket is Italian.