I suppose its more of a class thing, no one really wants to look like a petty-bourgeois lookalike in flumpy clothes, it carries a sort of posh but wet tag don't you think? Or even posh but thick as shit, like Princess Di or Tim Nice-but-Dim. If Ivy Jim had never met working class people into Ivy clothes he'd have been a Sloane Ranger type. I guess Ivy is much more cult friendly and less class based, even if it is marketed as aspirational dress. Though it often looks just as flumpy in its way to me at times. So I can see what your getting at.

After all, you can make the argument that the original form of traditional American style was invented by people in the United States who could never have the trappings of class that existed in England, so they invented their own way to be "upper class."

The traditional Sloanie hangout was Chelsea and Kensington, but now even the British upper class have been priced out of those areas by wealthy foreigners. They were very much a product of the 80's when it was good to flaunt your money with status symbols.

Now it's much cooler to live a pseudo eco-friendly lifestyle in the city by shopping at farmers markets, driving a plug-in hybrid and going on climate change protests. Wearing brands like Hermes and driving a Porsche just don't  fit into that image, that is left to slightly chavvy types and rich foreigners. It's hard to put your finger on just what is fashionable, particularly with menswear, many young men regard it all as a bit superficial. Their main requirement Of an outfit is that it is casual and low key.

I am sure if you do a bit of research, you will find out.

The U.S.A. is not the world.

I am not talking about Sloane Ranger vs. Montana farmboy look. "Ivy" and "preppy" both refer to fairly "elite" institutions and their inhabitants.

The sloane ranger look is NOT a UK equivalent to ivy style. Ivy style was originally the uniform of elite students but it soon crossed over to the majority of the US male population, including numerous creative types such as jazz musicians, advertising executives, actors and folk musicians. It was massive in the US from the mid 50s to the late 60s. I don't know who the UK equivalent to Miles Davis, Paul Newman or JFK would be but whoever they are I doubt they spent the 50s and 60s dressed as sloane rangers. Nor did sloane ranger style comes from the campus.

The only evidence I have seen suggests that prior to the boom years ivy was largely confined to campus. Not 100% of course but certainly the vast majority of pre boom years ivy was students. There are plenty of pre mid-50s ivy shots in old college year books and old Esquire adverts or articles about campus fashion. Whereas pre mid-50s shots of older generations in a BD or a sack suit exist but are far less common and often only feature one element of ivy rather than full ivy kit.

Pre mid-50s films tell a similar story. In the only examples I can think of with ivy it is worn by a student (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) or a young playboy (Sabrina).

Last edited by Yuca (2019-04-28 10:06:13)