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#26 2021-10-08 05:35:52
- A Fine Sadness
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- Posts: 3009
Re: Clear Your Heads: Are Preppie And Ivy League Not One And The Same?
Is this not relevant to a very recent discussion? It may have been that JFM was so busy trying to drive nails into CCs head that he refused to see the wood for the trees. In the USA, anyway, how could there fail to be crossover at some point? But - and old JFM was not mistaken here - some very informed choices have to be made for UK dressing. In London, of course, as has been pointed out elsewhere, you might get away with a fairly 'preppie' look around the trendier areas. Who will look twice at you in many tourist spots if you're wearing Madras and chinos (e.g.?).
Thank heavens I did not win those Halrin. I wonder who did.
On the plus side, accepting a dash of 'preppie' can lead us a long way from the 'spirit of '69', towards a Promised land of unbuttoned button-downs, lambswool jackets, softened cords in some modest tone and 'wine' loafers.
#27 2021-10-08 06:06:46
- An Unseen Scene
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- From: Nottingham, UK
- Posts: 1275
Re: Clear Your Heads: Are Preppie And Ivy League Not One And The Same?
I actually think the interview at Ivy Style today on the GQ article says all that needs saying, at least at first, Prep was a natural evolution of Ivy by younger people, who took some of its influence and items on in the mix of their lives at the time. It's not good for discussion, but ultimately that's good enough for me. Prep itself is a 40 year old topic.
Forty years later, Prep isn't generally a thing, it's a fashion trend used by brands. Ultimately fashion is a con, keep you spending, change it up every few months (weeks...days... now). So 'Prep is dead, it's work wear', then' ' Work wear is old, go casual sports wear.' Then 'you want to stand out and be smart-casual, so now it's Prep'. The kids see this cycle for the first time and are sold. It's just keep bringing it back, keep people consuming, don't worry about the environmental impact. It's ridicuous and we never learn as there is always another generation emerging to sell to. Neo-Prep or neo anything in fashion is just BS, it's not needed and trying to make people worry about their prior choice to spend again. We all did it, but some of the next generation have worked it out.
For young people it's about putting together their own mix - vintage/new, brands/no brand, home/going out. Hearing my sons and their friends talk, they have it sorted. One doesn't care about brands, just colours (black, red). The other vintage brands and modern basics. Both wear BDs, polos, harringtons etc. But they took that on from me and it's in their mix. Easy to buy them stuff when needed, otherwise they get on with it. Good on them.
Last edited by An Unseen Scene (2021-10-08 08:20:03)
#28 2021-10-08 06:31:25
- A Fine Sadness
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- Posts: 3009
Re: Clear Your Heads: Are Preppie And Ivy League Not One And The Same?
Good on them indeed. A practical approach. Just as my younger daughter realised she needed a winter coat and opted for Burberrys'.
#29 2021-10-08 08:22:40
- An Unseen Scene
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- From: Nottingham, UK
- Posts: 1275
Re: Clear Your Heads: Are Preppie And Ivy League Not One And The Same?
Yeh, it's interesting that the word 'Prep' gets a roll of the eyes from my student son - it's seen as a loaded term now. Perhaps 'trying too hard to fit in' or something. Those bow tie images mentioned before do it no favours. As my older lad would of said something like the ones in bow ties tended to be the ones in the 'Fez appreciation society' as his uni (a real thing!).
#30 2021-10-08 08:45:58
- A Fine Sadness
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Re: Clear Your Heads: Are Preppie And Ivy League Not One And The Same?
Mind you, 'Ivy' or 'Ivy League', the very mention of, gets a baffled shake of the head in most menswear shops. It was a real pleasure talking to Shaun at 'Wild', partly for that very reason. Unfortunately, as with so many vintage shops, their stock has to be picked over very carefully before it's likely to yield anything of interest to the Ivy wearer. As he told me, though, he isn't really selling to old farts like me but to the student population who meander round the area. I expect my daughter, now pretty firmly rooted in Radford, will find her way there from time to time. But buying via 'apps' seems to be second nature to her - and I'd guess her sister doesn't even buy dog biscuits unless it's on a smartphone or whatever.
'Wild' scores for me, though, because it has a changing room if interested in trousers. Slightly dubious about buying online if returns have to be made.
#31 2021-10-08 08:59:50
- An Unseen Scene
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- From: Nottingham, UK
- Posts: 1275
Re: Clear Your Heads: Are Preppie And Ivy League Not One And The Same?
There are plenty of vintage clothing apps favoured by students - the Depop type ones. They tend to end up being used in certain niche ways too. There's one my lad uses that's good in branded sports casual but I've never asked which that is. He's not a Depop fan, says that is more the girls on it.
ASOS has almost total reach among the young on clothes - their Amazon shop window of clothing.
Last edited by An Unseen Scene (2021-10-08 09:08:31)