The analysis of Preppy in 'Tipsy in Madras' is very good I think.
The history is nicely & quickly presented.
Yes, it was all about  fashion, but then Ivy in the 50's/60's was fashionable too.
I think the difference is that the Preppy  phemonenon was the creation of journalists looking towards the 'Official Sloane Ranger Handbook' & cataloging a style as an exercise in Sunday supliment style writing. The Ivy style of the 50's was less contrived (although still of course marketed, manipulated & sold like any other product).
The Sloan Ranger book is the same as the OPH, ditto The Young Fogey handbook: Journalism.

Who ever called themselves 'Preppy' before the OPH? Very few I'm sure. Yes, the word is in 'Love Story' as a put-down,  but who went around self describing themselves as such? If they did they were probably being ironic.
'Trad' is a similar thing. Who called anything or anyone 'Trad' in 2003? In Japan, yes. In the U.S? Come off it. There was Trad Jazz in England in the 50's but that's nothing to do with anything. 'Trad' is a Japanese term adopted in the US on the MBs for the old Ivy style.

Actually to be fair 'Trad' is just a fragment of the Ivy Style. A sliver. And it does confuse people who might not know the big picture of TNSIL. Just look at AAAT (NO offence).

t.

From: The Soul Stylists. Paolo Hewitt. 2000. Mainstream Publishing.

John Simons talks about the Ivy Boom years in the US. He has them really starting in a big way in the early '50's -

"The Americans tried to give an aristocratic look to everyone. It was an egalitarian culture. They wanted everyone to have an equal opportunuty. So in America, everybody wore Ivy league. I read in an American menswear magazine that 85 per cent of the business was in the Ivy League look. Huge money was turned over. They didn't have a tradition so in a sense it gave everyone a tradition. Ye Olde Ivy League look. The shield on the jacket pockets, everything referred to a subliminal tradition."

An English point of view on if America did or didn't have a 'tradition', of course.

t.

who is John Simons? I have no idea. I do know a little about clothing in an Ivy league city. There were a number of clothiers within walking distance of the Yale campus into the 70s. Saks fifth Avenue had a branch on York St. Rosenbergs was still a real store. Press was Press. Gentree was on York. The Yale Coop had  a very good sack selection. There was another men's store very near there. Whites was on Chapel. Ensons is one of the only survivors. barrie's the shoe shop had a small space in the press store.
    It began to change with Yale's changing in the 60s. they accepted smarter people and they accepted people from a different social class. The faculty changed as well. It used to be culled form Yale Grads but Kingman Brewster felt they needed a faculty with a national reputation. The people who used to be New Haven natives, who started the Country Club, were members of the Lawn Club, were invited to be members of the Assembly dropped in number in the 60s and beyond. very smart people now but they don't have the aspiratioons or the connections (and I suppose have little interest). Yale went coed in the 70s. Not claiming there was a connection but it definitely completely changed in that era.
    Today there are three clothing stores of note in New Haven (well maybe a fashion forward Raggs makes four). Only Ensons and Press are the old school. a nice shoe store has replaced Barries run by its former employees. There are other stores, but they are college kids stores, not stores for adults.

Last edited by tom22 (2006-12-09 13:46:59)

What was it that Abbie Hoffman said about Pat Boone and his white bucks?

Interesting as ever, Tony.
I like all the tangents & add-ons to Ivy - That big picture is what interests me.