This is a great post and certainly brings a lot of these debates into a proper perspective. To be honest I think everyone who "was not there" does this with the style. No matter if they live in England, Europe, Canada, or the United States. There is a lot to love about mid-20th century American life especially if you filter it through your own romantic notions. I wear a lot of the Ivy stuff, that won't change, however I find something almost Zen-like (now there is a cliche) about sitting on my front porch on a Saturday afternoon with a pair of cords or jeans, wearing a crew neck t-shirt layered with a crew neck sweatshirt and a pair of penny/camp/blucher mocs on my feet. I wear a lot of outfits that look sharper, that I like more, but none make me feel the same.  One of the first posts I read on here as a lurker was the crew on crew post, it was the thought of that feeling that made me stick around. Romantic twaddle to be sure but it's a great feeling.

Robert

I subscribe to this. I have nothing to add. I'm wearing a cashmere crew and some jeans. Bliss.

Yes this reminds me of Jesmond's Downbeat Cool as well - if you pare it down that much, it's all in the fit and the fabric. Nothing more nothing less.
The shoulder on my cashmere crew sits where I want it to sit and my denims fit, they have been custom fitted from raw, by me, by wearing them.

So many things are better when they are simpler. Crisp white T shirt, chinos that fit just right and a favourite pair of loafers.
There's not many better looks. 'Specially for lounging.

This is all very 'un-mod' when you come to contemplate it.  I know I've gone on about this before, but our emphasis upon patina, shape, texture and comfort is well away from the orthodox mod ethos - certainly that of the originals - with their emphasis upon shine, crispness and a rapid change of clobber...  The 78 revivalists didn't really go in for that type of discipline, contenting themselves with a parka, polo shirt and Hush Puppies, and maybe thus came closer to Ivy - almost certainly without realising it - that many of their 'Dolce Vita' inspired forebears...

I suppose it depends on where you're going dressed in a Downbeat Cool fashion. I'd say it makes a lot of sense as for daywear ( although not many think in those terms nowadays ) on most occasions. In this day and age there's a lot more emphasis on being confortable anyway and I also think there are still enough individuals that want to look sharp, they just tend to do it in different ways. Back in the day i.e. evening wear meant wearing a suit, if you were a serious dresser anyway, whereas today nine times out of ten wearing a suit ( and tie ! ) when going out just looks odd. In that respect I think the IL look still offers some interesting possibilities as in one can sport a dressed up look in a casual way ( like most 'modern' dressers would opt for ). It's a great opportunity to stand out through that style if you know how to do it in a subtle way ( thus not in a time warp sort of way ). It seems like a few on here are very capable of doing just that BTW. Mod ( for want of a better word ) should exist in the spirit only, unless you want the fundamentalists to take over. And who in their right mind would want that ?

Last edited by Alex Roest (2009-03-27 12:06:51)

^If the footwear matches the belt ( and the socks complement the jumper, supposing you're not wearing a shirt underneath ) I'd call that a perfect example of that infamous Downbeat Cool look, Rob....

Sorry to have to go back to this one, but I was just thinking about some of the stiff prices we have to pay.  The 'trad'/'preppy' debate often puzzles and troubles me, perhaps because my first ventures into 'suedehead' style were so cheap and cheerful - they had to be on a paper round!  The clobber was often pretty crappy, unless it came from 'His N'Hers' (a shop John Simons knows - knew - gone now: still a boutique, selling Stone Island and Boss).  I wonder how many of the crombie-wearing lads I knew 'aspired' to be city gents. 
I'm guessing it was a different take for Brideshead and Kingstonian, having that awareness of Soho/Richmond Ivy - that edge. 
Pricewise, I invested in shoes and slack jackets from JS (plus a couple of shirts), not much more, simply because I've never really earned much.  Other stuff has had to come from other sources: Ebay, charity shops, the odd tailoring shop like Smalleys in Nottingham.  Nearly everything has to get worn to pieces, including my favourite Austin Reed seersucker shirt which ended up with a split collar.  God, how I'd love to live in London!

Appreciate that.  You always have a nice, understated way of expressing things - like Alex.  I've learned so much - and still am - from being on here.