Ivy, as our Gibson says elsewhere, is a mood.  It can be played around with.  The creative mind can't help but feel an affection for it and a mere glimpse of, say, a guy playing a wind instrument in the right kind of book can set you thinking and spinning: What kind of shoes is he wearing?  If only that picture wasn't in black and white I could study the colour combination: that kind of thing. 
Love?  What's the alternative? 
Ivy dressing is 'the display of a lack of display'.  Very difficult to explain to the uninitiated.  Very 'un-Mod' in many respects.  By no means all, though. 
I rather look forward to getting dressed each morning.

AFS - totally agree.
Ivy has become appropriated by a number of people who are clueless as to what it actually is. They think of it meaning traditional. Often confusing the key tenets of the style with their perception of what it is.

Case in point, there's a guy on Insta who regularly posts about what he is wearing under the hashtag of Ivy Style. Typically it consists of a spread collar shirt, structured jacket and Barbour quilted coat. He looks well turned out but in truth the antithesis of what many on here would see as Ivy. Looks far too British.

Yes, I appreciate Ivy is a broad term and the fun is in playing around with it but there is a certain slouchiness to it - a soft shoulder, rumpled Oxford and loafers that seemingly combines considered with relaxed. It's full of little details that elevate - a locker loop here, a rolled top button hole on a jacket there.

Part of the issue is that Ivy does tend to cover a broad spectrum and has some fuzzy edges. Sometimes it's easier to say what falls outside the broad parameters.

Also, there are some items that are now so ubiquitous, such as chinos, you really have to have some understanding of what constitutes an Ivy-fit.

Generally speaking, and I must stress this is a massive generalisation, I think on here two distinct groups have met somewhere in the middle. There are guys who have come from Modernist sensibility. Their appreciation of the clothes is coupled with them being highly knowledgeable around other related areas such as art, music and design.
The second group simply enjoys Americana - Bills khakis and LL Bean. Possibly a bit of vintage in the mix. The guys either grew up withe look or were attracted to it because it's bit different.

The uniting factor is both groups have an understanding of what constitutes ivy and what falls outside of the look.

Increasingly I see Ivy as a combination of small details and fit. Whilst the fit can vary with fashion the small details remain sacrosanct.

Welcome back Armchaired! For those who don't know: he's a moderator who has not been seen for some considerable time. I recall he once admitted to having made plans to be buried in a Makers BD. (Hopefully not any time soon.)

'Too British' definitely a step in the wrong direction as far as I'm concerned.

I suppose that would have its roots in the days when American's idea of 'British' was as fuzzy as our idea of 'Ivy' now? Crests on blazers. Repp ties, Polo players, brogues etc. To a certain extent they were trying to emulate a world that didn't really exist? Or if it did, it was a comparatively small world.

For me, if I HAD to give it a name (which I don't want to, and it's a shame the term is already taken) it would be 'Ivy Style'

I live in a market town in SE England. That English style is everywhere: Barbour, red cords, tattersall, flat caps, rugby shirts. It doesn't have any positive connotations for me. I'm not particularly in love with some mythical idea of my own country. In fact I detest quite a lot about it. But I can see why it would catch the imagination of a guy from say, Boston or Tokyo.

Conversely, I'm not a big fan of 'The USA' whatever that means. And I've only been once, so certainly only have an outsider's opinion. Most of what I see leaves me cold and depressed. Not fired up enough to insist every item of clothing I own has to be made by them. Or sanctioned by their kids sixty odd years ago. I'm not even a huge fan of jazz. But I would like to be.

I am a big fan of Europe and the continent. The (probably false) idea of Italian/French/Swedish living. The way The Greeks and Spanish live. But there's no point in me wafting around like Mastroianni, or Marcel Marceau

And I'm an old mod. With all those hang ups, obsessiveness and sensibilities.

So 'Ivy Style' is where I've settled. I love the hunt for the perfect chino or collar roll - even if it's only me that cares. In fact especially as it's only me that cares.

Last edited by Spendthrift (2022-01-07 13:50:17)

Hi @Yuca   Hope you are well and hopefully the forum can be resurrected.
Still own a plethora of Makers . Are you still in S America ?

A plethora eh. Not bad. I have a reasonable number myself.

'One of the very few chaps who sticks out a mile is the plump gay who works in Costa.'

Or a heart tugging segment from ‘Britain’s Got Talent’

And to you @Jdemy

Nice to see you again, doghouse.  Where's Sammy?

Not afar enough.

A Ft article about the differences between Prep and Ivy that was posted on the JS FB page, which I thought I would share here as not everyone does Feacesbook.

https://www.ft.com/content/4ca6e08f-dc2d-407c-a130-f9d5b4f9fb88?fbclid=IwAR1V8JEPyHG73NXnmadTlG0RNztNS17b5RyS1vUqq8B6gqnNwH4og3HpvH4

I like the bit about respecting traditional style while restlessly searching for ways to make it contemporary. Not sure about rejecting all nostalgia though!

An old item from 3-4 years about the Boston Tailors jackets sold in Chiltern Street came up on IS, quite an interesting read written by their ‘ London correspondent ‘ , can’t remember his name, apparently the BT guy just walked into the shop one day and the relationship went from there,