Does this go some way towards proving that Ivy and prep have very little in common?  The distance between an American made loafer worn by politician or trumpeter - it really doesn't matter which - and a plastic boat shoe worn by some whelp pondering buying Birnbach on Amazon seems too great for there to be any convergence.  Oh, and Vineyard Vines are crap, too.  The women in my family go for North Face and Vera Bradley, but they are, after all, only women.

Well, they look great paired with an anorarak (hah ha).

In the midwest, mid 1980s--my high school days--they were standard issue prep wear, worn over an OCBD with jeans or khakis and, yes, boat shoes.

I'm not at all embarrassed by old pictures of myself in this get-up; seems a solid, sporty look for a young man.  Nobody played rugby, so maybe there were different connotations.  It was just a standard casual item, a sort of autumn version of the polo shirt.

I do think that they're probably best on the younger man.

Boat shoes are fine too. One of the few High Street shoes that look OK... and I am displaced High Street Man.

M & S offer two pages of what they call rugby shirts but are really long sleeved tops with a button up neck and a collar. The difference between them and long sleeve polos is not great. As someone pointed out long sleeve polo shirts used to be fairly popular in the mid sixties.

Does 'Talk Ivy' want someone to fill the valuable role that Cruiser plays on AAAC ? I am available to help out.

I forgot to mention the afformentionned rugby shirt wearers, are definately wearing Ralph Lauren all the time, thinking that Abercrombie and Fitch and Ralph Lauren are the height of stylishness and originality with there floppy hair and still, pyjama bottoms.

I'm not afraid to say however, that I am a fan of the boat shoe, in the summer months, along with white canvas keds.

I remember these being very popular early in my college years (between let's say 2001-2003), especially the Brooks and RL ones. The class of '02 and '03.  Lately, noticing them more and more infrequently, maybe they are not popular now.  I have never owned one. I think they look all right but the stripes are too big to suit me. Rather have one of those "sailor" shirts with the narrow stripes like Press sells.

Last edited by Coolidge (2009-07-03 00:32:29)

Surely inocuous enough, the old boatshoe. I've been tempted in the past. There's no denying their practicality.

Where I come from they do still remain firmly rooted in the domain of every floppy-haired twat who ever donned a pair of Hilfiger jeans and an untucked Ralphy shirt. There's a lot of them about.

Rugby shirts were a student staple along with greatcoats and loon pants in the70s.

How did I miss this one first time round? What a perfect opportunity for me to vent all of my class frustrations on a subject I feel so effortlessly bigoted about? We do have a general election raging here you know and I find my primitive urges are being ticked by the hour at the moment. So indulge me when I scream - I fucking hate rugby shirts and every hoho who wears one. Russell is right - the only pricks who wore them were the tossers who wanked over the Timberlands in the Ivy Shop circa 87/88. As I get older I see more and more clearly the need to define oneself against these types - smug hoorays with no style and no personality. There'll be one on the TV tonight at 8.30. Mr.Cameron. If that twat hasn't got a wardrobe of Boden rugger shirts then I'm not an 'Ivy League expert' (For Him magazine, 1989).

g.g.

Haspel seersucker suit. Pink Brooks BD. Repp tie. Tan Scotch grain penny Buffalo Creek Traders loafers. Everything was Made in USA and absolutely kosher Ivy gear. I wanted to look like Miles but looked more like an effete bouncer. I alm also holding some rare type of American spaniel on a lead (the 'stylist's' idea...). It shat all over the floor and I skidded in it in my penny loafers. Like, cool... It never happened to Miles like that.

g.g.

Vote Arthur!

He makes wrong things feel right!