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#1 2008-08-14 05:48:01
- shuman
- Member
- Posts: 184
Classic Americana
While surfing the net, and re-reading some old magazine articles, I ran across a story of Andy Spades involvement with J. Crew. While not Trad in the Ask Andy sense, he is very much into what we can call "Classic Americana". Levis jeans, desert boots, basic cotton buttondowns, old time khakis, Jack Purcell Converse sneakers.
If you look at the items that are carried by retailers such as J. Crew, or even A&F, AE, etc, one will notice that the pieces are true old Americana, just destroyed, frayed, low rise, and worn in an untraditional way by the kids today. (That sounded old!)
Thanks for listening to my ramblings. Just hoping maybe there is a connection. One can still dress classically, without being brainwashed in the AAAT way. Myself included. Guess I started beleiving everything I read.
#2 2008-08-14 06:43:04
- Taylor McIntyre
- Son of Ivy...
- Posts: 342
Re: Classic Americana
There is a disconnect going on which you pinpoint very well.
The American Tradition is not Trad. Trad was just a great way to promote classic American style to the demographic of a place like Ask Andy: Middle class, middle aged, middle brow, wistful, romantic, nostalgic, snobbish, prone to re-writing the past, prone to playing the Internet Gentleman. It was absolutely the right marketing position for the market concerned.
People new to American style are picking up on Trad from the Internet and fervently arguing for it believing it to be Traditional when it is in fact nothing of the sort. It makes for some amusing fun.
Trad is an entirely modern look at Traditional American style. Never before has there been a 'Curriculum' for instance.
I quite like Trad as a way to get new people into the style to be honest. The best guys then graduate beyond it, the rest just remain stuck splashing around in the shallow end. I think that everybody finds their own level at the end of the day & that's perfectly fine.
Probably that other media creation 'Preppy' was just the same back in its day. I didn't think much of that either.
The great thing is that we now have more diversity and a more open debate on American style now that the iron rules of Trad have been exploded. Once you free Classic American style from having just one rather ill-informed way of looking at it then you see much more.
J.
#3 2008-08-14 06:54:18
- Taylor McIntyre
- Son of Ivy...
- Posts: 342
Re: Classic Americana
... And I have to say that Trad was absolutely necessary to start our discussions here on the Internet. Before a debate can be good or bad it first has to exist. Trad was the tool which we used to make that happen. There was no interest anywhere else on the Net in American style in '04 apart from in Andyland so to promote the style we had to do so in the language of Andyland. We were very lucky in having Harris' writings (poor as they actually were if you knew this subject) to use.
And - So far so good - The debate is moving on.
It's all a process.
#4 2008-08-15 04:45:20
- mike
- Member
- From: Covington, KY
- Posts: 1397
Re: Classic Americana
i'm trying to move from a preppy trad way of thinking to a more ivy old school American way of thinking, and i'm trying to reflect that in how i dress, i dont know if that is possible
You love him? He is hephaistion.
#6 2008-09-01 13:33:13
- Hard Bop Hank
- Ivy Soul Brother
- From: land of a 1000 dances
- Posts: 4923
Re: Classic Americana
It's all out there! As Moose mentioned elsewhere, you can even find the classic sweat shirt at C&A.
Sure, you can get some distorted fashionable variations, but I think some of this stuff looks a bit fake, lifeless...
I do like quality items and I'd like to wear them as long as possible. I got some high street stuff as well, and I am grateful that we have this option. Sometimes it's nice to have a little more T-shirts, sweatshirts etc. than I could afford if I bought high quality stuff exclusively. It gives you a feeling for combinations...
On the other hand, I always prefer good quality. Not necessarily luxury products, but something solid, something reliable. Clothes as good friends...
The fashionable frayed/ deconstructed is not my cup of tea... If you want to wear something that looks old, just wear it long enough!
“No Room For Squares”
”All political art is bad – all good art is political.”
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