Original Ivy

If one has had the misfortune of getting to know me a little better one may have concluded that when it comes to apparel I tend to be quite consistent. In an attempt to label the style, perhaps “preppy” would be it. Personally I hate labels, and “preppy” just sounds silly, so on second thought let’s not do that. In any case this is what I feel most comfortable in. Maybe not so strange considering my schooling up until year 11 involved wearing a school uniform consisting of black Clark’s (if not well polished one would be straightened out by our school sergeant) grey flannel trousers (not so great in a climate that tends to be between 30 to 40 degrees Celsius), white shirt, blue tie with yellow and red stripes, navy blue blazer and a boater (!?). On the weekends it was basically a wetsuit that was worn, so my wardrobe was probably not very diverse throughout my teenage years to say the least.

None the less I’ve held on to wearing my “school uniform” over the years and as it seems more and more brands are adopting the style on a broader scale. Considering that these brands draw most of their inspiration from the Ivy League schools of the US, pretty much everywhere you turn these days it feels like one is surrounded by Harvard, Brown or Princeton University dropouts. Brooks Brothers was one of the early authentic pioneers, but Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger probably led the way in a more deliberate manner. RL Rugby really adopting this concept in a major way recently. From Sweden Gant and Oscar Jacobson do a good job too, OJ with a more interesting and less expected line than Gant in my opinion. Regardless of how they choose to execute the style in a more contemporized manner today, the inspiration comes from the same source. I would not be surprised if some of the pics below have been pinned up as part of moodboards on the walls of the above brands design studios. My assumption is that they will be pinned up for another 100 years to go. It’s not a trend. It’s a celebration of heritage and classicism. Perhaps I’ll be proven wrong, but in any case it wont have much effect on me.

Me not sticking out in the crowd. My year 10 photo