it is a cool article ... have seen it before ....
of all the items listed for the late '50s college wardrobe these were the *only* ones I had in the late '70s/early '80s which were admittedly preppy times but it was the good preppy of made-in-the-USA and Maine L. L. Bean rather than the later silly cliche pastels and critters neo-prep as purveyed by brocentric© country-club clothiers with Chinese-made goods:
oxford cloth buttondown shirts
cotton twill khaki trousers
Shetland crewneck sweaters
brown penny loafers
white tennis sneakers
dirty bucks
tweed sports jacket
navy single-breasted blazer
few J. Press and Brooks Brothers ties
but only a few wore the once-common tan poplin raincoats, tailored topcoats or polo coats ... that stuff was not really a big part of the look by then .....
we wore Levi's jackets and parkas, peacoats, down jackets, sweaters ....
Last edited by stanshall (2014-10-28 23:45:24)
Last edited by Leer R. (2014-11-03 04:53:12)
Rope has come up previously on this forum, and I am afraid I took the opposite view to Leer and Hep, in that the suits did nothing for me. It's not that I'm an ivy purist, but these suits just look crap to me. Fabrics are nice but too much shoulder (for one thing). The shirts and ties are superb though. (The day fused collars became the norm was a significant milestone in the downfall of mankind.)
Last edited by Yuca (2014-11-03 05:17:35)
Last edited by Yuca (2014-11-03 08:24:22)
Brooks Brothers epitomised the mainstream of menswear style in the US for most of the 20th century and a large proportion of their suits and jackets were cut with a 3/2 roll right through the 60s, 70s and 80s. During this time the fashion explosion occurred, styles were developed purely for young people and fads came and went, but Brooks and their competitors kept producing the 3/2 as a cornerstone of their look along with the natural shoulder. They still do to an extent, although tastes have changed and now most of their suits are a 2 button European influenced style.
Of course BB and the others kept it... The rest is fashion history and has got nothing to do with Clapton alone or with Mod... And yes 3 button buttoned up was always there as well as the 3/2 roll also still was there.
For the fashion-conscious they disappeared, but plenty of ivy wearers stuck with them in the 60s. Indeed my best suit, dated 66, came with cuffs, and I'm sure it can't have been the only one.
It seems that when looking at old American pictures or films from the '30s - '60s, I generally observe fewer 3/2 than 3 button and 2 button.