A deliberate lack of fit is stressed in the Official Preppy Handbook as being vital to the look. AAAC Trads enthusiastically picked up on this too as a badge of their proud frumpishness, however with all the subsequent morphing of what the heck 'Trad' is meant to be that 'rule' is probably now in a state of muddled flux also.

The 'right' brands are also stressed in the OPH - It's all the same mentality as any logo queen from the mall really...

What is never stressed in the OPH is looking good in your clothes. Being a joke book, if anything they stress that looking awful is an important part of the look and shows you 'belong'. Something else which was picked up on by AAAC Trads and which comes and goes in their ever changing ethos.

I was out last night and saw many a young man in prep. One kiddo was in very short white chinos with a roll, short two button blazer, very tight fit, white BD, blue dickie bow, blue boat shoes, nice hair cut. He looked pretty good IMO. Its a style of dress within the realms of fashion. As fashion styles go its not the worse. I think we have to realise that its a very popular look at the moment and the vast amount of young people wearing it aren't taking their lead from clothing forums. I'm not really convinced they wear these clothes to represent a choice of lifestyle, maybe its more a choice of whats on offer in the shops? I mean its all pretty dull really isn't it? Prep at least seems to offer colour and smarter choices than other fashion styles. I can see the appeal when you look what else is on offer. This is fashion and people are happy to be fed fashion. To step outside of the herd and look at clothes subjectively isn't an option for most people. This is why men will spend the same or even more $$$ on a RTW garment as the price of the same thing made bespoke, in a fabric, pattern and styling that they would really like and maybe even suit them more, for sure fit them better. Ignoring cost, for ultimate integrity can I suggest bespoke? Who can be arsed to get a pair of jeans made bespoke? Not me. Yet I know someone who purchased a pair of LVC bedford 511s and then had the taper altered slightly. Another £20 and he could have had a pair made. We're all guilty of buying crap really aren't we? Maybe its more a question of buying crap in a style we're happy with. Then slagging anyone else off who doesn't dress in a style we like to make us feel better about our own short comings?

I'm having more LSD again tonight BTW.

Thats what I mean Jim...I don't don't think they're trying to be aspirational, they're just taking whats on offer that they like. I can understand why they don't want better. They just don't think about clothes in the way we do on here. They're not that interested to find out more about clothes.

Hey ho.

I get a lot of guys coming into are shop, and I'll never grasp why they spend £180 on a RTW shirt, when they could go down Budd or somewhere like that and get a better shirt for the same or less, ok our tailor darts them and alters anything else to give them a good fit and that is usually enough for them to look decent enough, but I don't see the point in M2M over altered RTW because the patterns aren't altered and issues with fit generally can still arise, bespoke however would make sense for everything apart from casual clothing, but the simplest thing as getting a leg hemmed to the right amount on a chino say should be standard, or at least buying your right leg length would be an idea. I think cause I do care about the design of clothes, this is the type of thing that pisses me off with prep, I mean if someone is wearing street style vs prep I can see why you think it's better, but I'd still be thinking my god the fit is awful, these kids are wearing smartish clothes with the same consideration to fit as the hip-hop gentlemen.

Last edited by One For Bop (2012-05-18 06:06:01)

The reason Prep has an anti-fit look is because of the way people go about selling it, it's there ready for you on the shelf, like the no hassle approach of hoodies and jeans. Things can be bought online easily, you don't have to try it on because, hey, the fit don't matter as long as it's got the brand, but to me, I'm not down with that. It's just marketing and its aspirational bullshit, where as the whole beauty of clothing is sidelined. Why should that be accept? Why should ignorance be celebrated? Just because there is money to be had. I get more respect for JS time and time again for how he runs his business, he could jump on this cash cow quite easily with an online JS shop, but I think it means a lot more to him than that, and I think that is pretty respectable, maybe it's why he dresses like a hobo though?

Even worse - He'll just raise his eyebrows and then look away to one side.

.... Now Theo, Theo might try for a swing !   

(But he's off the project now)

Haha, I still feel the same about my attitude to clothes in those terms, I have to admit to myself I'm always going to care about their design, like I would a painting, or a piece of music, whether that means I have to obsess about owning them any longer is a side issue, but as it stands I do like moaning to people on here for as long as they'll have me, I can see your point about prep sitting close to Ivy, so that annoys me more than say a different look, I appreciate all looks if they concerned primary with clothes as design, even the more way out there stuff by designers I'd never wear, I can still really appreciate, a lot of this stuff though is money for old rope, I feel as though that is worthy of a gripe, like I said why should humans celebrate shit things just because we have been duped by the marketing? I've seen it first hand from making Ralph furniture, and I've seen people loose jobs because their craft wasn't supported, ok it is an ideology, but we are all living someones ideology, why should it have to be theirs? All respect to JS once again for working the way he does.

Last edited by One For Bop (2012-05-18 07:09:05)

Sometimes I think prep is to ivy what the revivalists of 79 are to mod. When it comes to slagging, I prefer the shirt over trouser crowd. The "professional juveniles". The people who try to be cool and smart by wearing a shirt over their jeans. And an orphaned suit jacket along with it. A few days ago I read a bit about a "soul band". I became interested and clicked their website to find publicity shots of them with jeans, awful sneakers, shirts over their ill-fitting jeans and ties. Very cool. The casual thing went much too far and lasted much too long. Just see when a 15-year old was born. Where should he pick up style? From his dad with his suit jacket over his jeans? People are afraid to make an effort and stand out. It's a bit sad when you go to a wedding and many of the guests look like they just came from the field.

For the record - I do not see myself as a bastion of something, I do not think I am where I want to be clotheswise and I think there are also other good-looking styles outside of ivy.

LSD It's a powerful tool, but like a table saw, you wouldn't trap your head in it.

With RL I had to work with the cloth supply to our company, and oversee the furniture's, progress through the factory, it was a fun job I have to admit I do miss it compared to selling people clothes, I think this is just because any job working with the general public is of course hell.

Anyway the company I worked for had a reputation of producing really fine furniture, to traditional techniques. And there were many years of experience and skill there at the factory.

The company took on RL home in the early 90's I believe Ralph started RL Home in 1983 though.

But my point with that was, our own brand, which was in every way better, did not get bought, when put alongside the RL brand in Harrods, ok, it may have need a bit more expensive, but not by much in most buyers terms, the fact was it was missing the badge, and where as our brand had a much better build quality to it, the RL stuff was made to a lesser standard. Like I said though RL always has eye catching things going on visually exciting, but always seemed to be undermined in someway by how or where it was constructed. I'm not saying all things were of poor quality, some where well-made, but many of the case goods we received from abroad weren't very well made, lots of defects etc. Ok most of this didn't get to the consumer, but it could've quite easily.