The
Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) presents Ivy Style,
an exhibition that celebrates one of the most enduring clothing styles of the
20th century. From its origins on the prestigious college campuses of America
in the late 1910s to the many reinterpretations seen in contemporary fashion,
the “Ivy League Look” or “Ivy Style” has come to be viewed as a classic form of
dressing. However, in its heyday, Ivy style was once a cutting-edge look worn by
young men of means. Far more than a classic or static way of dressing, Ivy
style spread far beyond the rarified walls of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton to
influence the evolution of men’s clothing for decades. Focusing almost
exclusively on menswear dating from the early 20th century through today, more
than 60 ensembles, both historic and contemporary, will be intermingled to
illustrate the creation and subsequent reinterpretation of Ivy style.
Ivy Style will present the three main
periods of the look: the interwar years of the 1920s and 1930s, the post-war
era to the end of the 1960s, and the style’s revival from the 1980s to the
present. During the interwar years, from 1919 to the onset of World War II,
classic items, such as tweed jackets and polo coats, were appropriated from the
Englishman’s wardrobe, modified, and redesigned by pioneering American firms
such as Brooks Brothers and J. Press for young men on the campuses of elite
East Coast colleges. The second period, from approximately 1945 to the late
1960s, will illustrate the rise and dissemination of the Ivy look across the
United States. The staples of Ivy style – oxford cloth shirt, khaki pants, and
penny loafers – were being worn by a whole new, diverse population that
included working-class GIs as well as leading jazz musicians. The final section
of Ivy Style will present the revival of the Ivy look that began in the early
1980s and endures today.
Raccon coats
Ivy Style & Jazz - Chet Baker
-
Book
Take Ivy photo by T.Hayashida in
Priceton University in the mid-60’s rerelease in the US in 2010. Take Ivy has been the Ivy League bible for Japanese
baby boomers
