I suppose my love of the clothing is rooted in my mod past, yes. But I must stress that I haven't been part of mod since the early to mid nineties, and apart from references in High Numbers songs, knew nothing of Ivy League. Nobody I knew talked about it. I'm able to see that there are some similarities and huge differences between the two. I haven't just hopped over the fence from one camp to the other.

I'm more interested and influenced by the 'continental' angle then from The USA. I don't dislike Americans at all. But it's so far away culturally from anything that really interests me. I suppose it comes from being an 80's kid. All I really knew was Lethal Weapon, Big Macs, Bay Watch. And the way all those awful 'preppy' kids were portrait in films and tv (spoiled brats).

You're right. I can't avoid being put in a socioeconomic group. But I seem to have done my best to dodge around it. Well educated (privately for some of it) until 16 when I jacked and went to work on building sites. Self employed, but inherently averse to asking for, making, or being impressed by money. A chronic consumer with a copy of The Buddhist's Handbook in my back pocket. Ex heavy smoker who drinks too much and spends a large portion of the working day asleep. Mortgage nearly paid off before I'm 50. Drive a nice enough car. No debts to speak of. Can afford to sit doing this on a Monday afternoon. If anyone's got the time to work it out and let me know what group I'm in, that'd be great.

Even when I saw those US shows repeated as a kid, they never did a lot for me. As didn’t Champion The Wonder Horse or Flash Gordon.

For some reason I’ve always been drawn to the old British stuff. Alister Sims and Will Hay. Black and White Carry On’s. Not the terrible 70’s ones.

Having said that, I love Cary Grant’s stuff. And Gregory Peck’s Atticus Finch.

Mister Ed (of course)

Must start an ivy horses thread.

‘Well he was a Yank too wasn't he?’

You won’t goad me into putting forward Black Beauty.

Anyway, Beauty’s mod. Mister Ed was prep and Champion Ivy.

Roy Rogers’ horse Trigger.

Could also be Ernie who drove the fastest milk cart in the wests, horse.

RIP Shergar.

Who invented the rules?

I think that these “Ivy rules??  are simply a more relaxed version of general Western modes of dress. As far as I know these go back to the days of Beau Brummell, if not to the Beau himself. This was to do with the changes from feudal society to bourgeois society at the turn of the century. Some say that the French Revolution was responsible for this simplification, some say that Protestant and Puritan taste also played a role. Whatever it was, baroque modes of dress went out of fashion during the Regency era and a new civilian dress code evolved during the 19th century, a dress code, however, that was influenced by the military, by sports clothing and by workwear.

Evening dress for men became stark black and white.
City colours were grey, black and blue.
Country colours were olive and earth shades.

Shirts originally were always white. Pastel shades and tartan sports shades, I believe, were introduced in the 20th Century.

Ivy is less formal than British codes and stresses Rus in Urbe.