The more subtle the better, unseen you might say..... nothing dull about that

I get what you’re saying, but at the same time it’s a rather blinkered view on the current state of menswear. In an era where it seems the majority live in leisure wear, we take umbrage with those who choose to dress like adults. 10 years ago they were in skinny jeans, desert boots and plaid shirts, yes they had the Alaskan beards (for those hirsute enough) and bright orange watch caps, but you can’t say this isn’t preferable to running shoes and jogging pants. I think it’s great that people like Derek Guy @dieworkwear on X are educating on proportion and quality over mass production.

Chore jackets have been part of the look as has military surplus (again I’ll reference Black Ivy), fashion is cyclical you can’t expect items we like to not filter into the mainstream.

And as far as Ivy being under the radar, tell me you don’t love seersucker, madras and batik fabrics, not exactly urban camouflage are they. Of course maybe you all live in 501s, a polo shirt and deck shoes, but I very much doubt it. I know I don’t. I wear said wide leg green military surplus, in fact I picked up a dead stock pair from ‘61 just last week, they look superb with a tee, polo, sweat or a shirt. I wear selvedge denim (some from Japan) and have a cheap beater denim chore coat. Does that make me a hipster? I don’t have the bushy beard, worse than that I have a very very hipster moustache and cycling everywhere.

Personally I’d rather encounter these people than the man decked out head to toe from Sports Direct, they are showing an interest in what they wear, is it authentic? Well unless you spoke to them and asked you’d never know, it’s just an assumption.

I hear what you're saying Tom but there are two massive differences between man at Sports Direct and the hipster.

Firstly cost. Most joggers and t shirts (unless you go Luxury brand) will cost next to nothing. I know a lot of guys who refuse to spend money on clothes. Their partners are responsible for their kit. Secondly, a lot of guys just simply don't care about clothes.

The hipster on the other hand has taken a decision to look like a farmer, oil field worker or rail road employee. To each his own but to me it just looks too contrived. It's also far too uniform.

Your point on Ivy fabrics is good but typically my madras or seersucker items are worn sparingly in the Summer months. Sadly in this country where grey is now considered a Summer colour it doesn't take a lot to look different.

SB - I really like the revived casual look. I remember it  from the first time around. It was always interesting to see what was available abroad at the time. In the UK, during the late 70's/early 80's, casual/sportswear was so limited. I went on a school ski trip to Italy and was shocked to see so many well-dressed teenagers in a mix sportswear and casual clothing. I had never seen a bubble coat before or a man in a pink polo shirt.

Before it got associated with football I remember the casual look it being popular on the Funk scene - especially on Sunday all-dayers where the dress restrictions were more relaxed. Lacoste shirts, Lois jeans and Pod shoes were ideal for dancing in. Also new items/colours were constantly being introduced all the time. Wearing pastels was quite revolutionary in the industrial Midlands.

Sadly the scene got ruined as it became more mainstream and was taken over by violent football firms.

At the same music festival, that I spotted the hipsters at, there were a few older guys in Fila and Techinin track suits tops in pastel colours. Ideal for a chilly Saturday night and for dancing to the majestic Blackbyrds.

I've spent nearly 40 years working in the creative industry and it always amazes me what people can get away with. It one of the most fun parts of the industry.

From cricket kit  wearing agency heads through to bike leathers and messenger bags on creative directors to seriously expensive hand painted bow ties and zoot suits on account men.

I know of one client who was shocked when, albeit a few years ago, he turned up to see a potential agency and was met by someone wearing jeans. He couldn't get his head around it as he always wore a suit to work. He was more shocked when the agency told him they didn't think his multi million pound business was a good fit for them.

Covid has been big leveller in the sartorial stakes. Business casual is more casual than business generally. Yes, there a few exceptions of guys, in both casual or formal attire, that you can see have a genuine interest in their look.

^RG

The look you describe instantly resonates with me. 

Austin Reed was one of Birmingham's best menswear stores. Beautifully tailored suits by Oscar Jacobson, repp tie's featuring the WWF panda, Churches oxfords and brogues,

Red butcher striped spread collar shirts worn with navy silk polka dot ties.

It elevated the hum-drum English classics into something more interesting. They played with scale and proportion of patterns, colours and materials.

Paul Smith for grown ups.

I was never an AR customer for wide variety of reasons but still appreciated the brand.

I was sat outside a wine bar in Plantation Lane near Fenchurch Street station. The weather had changed for the better.

Busy. The suit survives, but the tie is going the way of the bowler hat. I really don't care for rucksacks worn over the shoulders. They destroy jackets. Laptops were the reason they were adopted, but even so I don't like them.

Difficult to tell who is a worker these days. Even I could have been one in a blazer chinos and desert boots.

The Blackbyrds have done some great tracks. I saw them live maybe 20 years ago. They put on a great show and I briefly met the drummer afterwards, and got him to autograph my ticket.

As someone who started on a client services side I genuinely think that suits as well as being the norm were worn to elevate the industry.

Without a professional standard or qualification the consensus was that the larger creative agencies ad, pr or design, needed to look like trusted business advisors rather than snake oil salesmen.

This started to change in the nineties when it became a bit more relaxed and agencies didn’t want to be mistaken for accountants and solicitors.

Art Directors and copywriters were often kept away from clients unless pitching new work so didn’t have to worry about dressing up too often.

I've seen quite a few Harringtons recently, none of which have looked good. Often makes me imagine Andy seeing them and getting angry. To be fair to the wearers, I suspect a decent Harrington takes a lot of money and searching for nowadays. Baracutas are now 233GBP which is ridiculous, particularly considering they don't even look like they did for so many years. Grenfell Harringtons are even more expensive, although at least they do look decent.

I posted this over on a FB group, workwear is deeply ingrained in the Ivy look. The BB chore coats are great, very much along the lines of the classic Lee chore, the reunion jackets are really interesting too.

https://putthison.com/ivy-workwear-style-via-princeton-university-beer-jackets/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3hxzd00OqkRgUdWy8V0QkRgVniRbUv7X2LvgfiF-M8sfJucd90o6bIJs4_aem_o2QuncbIQfXJfGtG_NQlBg

Full archive here

https://www.princetonianamuseum.org/category/37c8007a-4d5d-49f8-a2f0-b5318e78978c?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR19owPHj-v3iVNl1kX1CezGXTkMYKZPZVCb0PRKp0PNRuXnJRGmZ0X8qiY_aem_iKsRNAOUGme20eJCX6xzfQ

Last edited by Tomiskinky (2024-07-26 04:01:49)

It is a young person's thing more widely, black or sometimes grey are the only colour a lot of young people ever wear

It's part of the general decline.