Ivy League (clothes)
Ivy League is a style of men's dress, popular during the late 1950s in the Northeastern United States, and said to have originated on college campuses, particularly those of the Ivy League. It was the predecessor to the preppy style of dress.[1]
Origins
The Ivy League style of dress evolved on the campuses of elite universities from the 1920s through the 1940s, and became mainstream in the 1950s. It was a casualization of traditional formal menswear and characteristically adapted the sporting attire of the British and American upper classes (most students at these universities being, or aspiring to be, upper class) as everyday wear. Clothing articles originally designed for
In terms of tailored clothing, the "sack" suit jacket (and similarly styled blazers and sport coats) was characteristic of the look. It featured a "3-to-2" or "three roll two" single-breasted front closure (3 buttons with the top button sewed on the underside of the roll of the lapel, leaving only two usable buttons), no front darts, and a single "hooked" vent (or "slit") at the back. The cut of the jacket was boxier, less structured, and less form-fitting than traditional business suits, and therefore appeared more relaxed. The trousers for suits cut in this style typically had a lower (but not low by modern standards) rise, were held up by a belt rather than suspenders, and were often not pleated or cuffed. Brooks Brothers and J. Press were major purveyors of Ivy League suits. In 1957 and 1958, about 70% of all suits sold were in the "Ivy League" style.[2][3][4]
Notable early contributors to the look included
Besides sportswear, some Ivy Style elements arose as a result of World War II. Double-breasted jackets, pleats, and trouser cuffs all fell out of style during the war period due to fabric rationing and shortages. Military surplus khaki cotton chino trousers became associated with Ivy Style in the late 1940's when returning veterans began attending college with their
Additionally, Ivy Style was largely characterized by casual style affectations. For example, Ivy leaguers would frequently wear button-down collar
Mainstream popularity and decline
From the late 1950s until the
The style remained fashionable in the United States until it was supplanted (at least, for young men) at the tail end of the decade by the wide lapels, flared slacks, and brighter colors of the peacock revolution, as well as the casual clothing of the hippie counterculture during the late 1960s and early 1970s.[5]
Revival
This section possibly contains original research. (March 2018) |
Today the line between Ivy and
By the
Popular items include loafers,
In popular culture
During the 1950s, the wealthy and clean cut Squares,
See also
Notes
- ^ Fashion design
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
The so-called Ivy League style in summer-weight wash-and-wear fabrics will be much more important in the boy's and young men's suit market next spring.... The three-button Ivy League suite style is expected to account for 66% of boys suits compared with 44% in the 1957. For students, the dominance of this popular model will rise from 69% to 75%, according to the survey.
- ISBN 978-0-486-42219-0.
The Ivy-league look was the hallmark of sportswear throughout the latter years of the decade. Every skirt, pair of shorts or slacks boasted a cloth tab and back buckle, while button-down collars, penny loafers and Bermuda shorts were favored by both sexes. The early fifties square-shouldered, double-breasted men's suit with draped trousers bowed to the Brooks Brothers "natural shoulder" single-breasted 'Ivy League' style worn off campus as well as on.
- ISBN 9788122413717.
Ivy League: A popular look for men in the fifties that originated on such campuses as Harvard, Priceton [sic] and Yale; a forerunner to the preppie look; a style characterized by button down collar shirts and pants with a small buckle in the back.
- ^ a b Gentlemans Gazette
- ^ Boys Life 1959
- ^ Newman and McQueen
- ^ Claudio De Rossi
- ^ Pompeo, Joe (2009-09-08). "Trad Men". The New York Observer. New York, NY. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
- ^ Pompeo, Joe. "American Trad". Observer.com. Retrieved 2012-01-21.
- ^ "American fashion staples". Archived from the original on 2016-04-12. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
- ^ "2013 blazers". Archived from the original on 2016-04-12. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
- ^ Cool cars high art
- ^ Fantastic racism
- ^ Cry Baby
- ^ "Six Years Ago - The Ivy League Look". Ivy Style. July 25, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
- ^ Princeton Triangle Club: the original "Ivy League Look"
Further reading
- Articles of Interest, a podcast whose third season focuses on Ivy League