Last edited by katon (2007-11-07 16:22:12)

On a related note, I had my jacket thrown over my chair at work the other day, and one of my clients remarked "looks like a Harris tweed."  Go figure he was in his 80's.  His grin ran ear to ear.

Had a v-neck sweater vest today under a tweed jacket, and someone commented that I looked "collegiate". When I commented that I should have added a bow tie, the mood darkened. Guess I crossed some sort of line.

Yes absolutely Jack. I like to try to keep an open -minded approach to all of this.Bow-ties aren`t for me at this prcise time but who`s to say i might not want to add one in the near future to an ensemble in order to add a touch of `wit`or `irony`...?? Alot of what this is all  about for me is doing the unexpected ...Fair-isle sweaters or Norwegian sweaters are good and bad but aren`t not seen about so much these day`s.So why not take the time to pick a decent one to compliment an ensemble? To be honest i`ve learnt alot of stuff about  ye olde American `trad` tradition from the same forum.There are alot of very knowledgeable people on their aswell it seems to me.I can feel a little puzzled at seeing some of the clothing choices at times(!).But they are still stylistic cousins (even though some of them might be considered distant or second cousins.I honestly think there are some great characters on that particular forum and i really don`t mean that in a deprecatory way at all....).I owe that forum a huge debt because i knew precious little about putting together a trad wardrobe and about individual trad items of clothing before i began to take an interest in `Ivy` fashion.(You have to get your info wherever you can find it ).I do believe you need to try to glean just as much information as you possibly can about all of this so that you can assimilate it all up and try to learn what`s what and then be in a better and more informed position to sartorially say what it is that you like and that you want to express  and equally importantly perhaps what it is that you don`t like and what you don`t want to sartorially say.

It seems to me that some of those guys on that forum are great guys who like us also have a huge appetite for `trad` American clothing.I do wholeheartedly agree with you though that i think they may want to say different things with the clothes they are wearing than you or i might want to say.For me personally i find that  alot of their choices would personally make me feel old before my years.I feel  that some of the choices that are made on that forum could actually be considered  quite limited and `safe`....It seems to me that their choices are invariably more often than not about quite a `pressed` and mature, solvent, conservative look.I can find some of the ensemble choices quite dull and stolid. They don`t move or interest me .Pure and simple.It`s not that i feel way one or another about these choices...

What interests me is throwing up the unexpected so that people think`Ah!` what`s going on here..?`.It`s about digging deep.Really thinking about those choices and what they are saying.It`s about constantly trying to be `fresh` and to come at it leftfield. My motivation is to source and find out just as much as i possibly can about all the old and often elusive US Ivy names that were worn back in the day and to find out wether all these classic brands are still producing the same items now.Then to try to pick classic items that say something for today and that are thus `fresh`  by dint of the fact they`ve been neglected or lost to common cognizance. Thaaaat is when i think we can be onto something....

In 1984 when i was 16 i worked just off Bond Street. I remember i was tipped off about a newish shop called `Paul Smith`.He was personally designing the stuff then and he really wasn`t so well known.The high street chain phenomena was just about to break and so there weren`t the same choices available to us as there are now.But i loved  Paul Smith because it was classic and with a twist.I think that is what i love ultimately..classic with a twist.

Ol Chums,

I had not really kept up with this thread since the school pictures (ahhh, kilted lasses).  Top stuff here and sooo much to think about.  Even the throw away observations are top notch.  Were this another fora, I might wax how profoundly honoured I am to be in the presence of such learned internet Gentlemen.  Instead, I shall just say thank you.

Cheers,
Trip