The Guide To Preppy & Ivy League Style | Wardrobe Curation: Women/Menswear

In fashion, preppy style in the Ivy look denotes an aesthetic based on a grand history that is visually conveyed through understated, neat, and well-made clothing giving a look of mastered relaxed confidence and a laid-back scholarly type of sophistication. The restrained opulence offers the nature of luxury, but not so overtly, which suggests the wearer is refined, educated, and garners a form of conscious prosperity along with an aura of timelessness due to the origins of this style. The Ivy look in regards to fashion exerts a maturity and intelligence without speaking a word due to its scholarly and deluxe essence, while the Prep look gives a lively and lavish essence that is fresh yet classic and everlasting. The term preppy originates from private university preparatory schools and is commonly associated with the subculture that has their own nature of pattern, etiquette, and coats of dress to reflect their athletic and academic, traditionally upper-class lifestyle. But this over time has altered to create the modern preppy and ivy looks we have today unless you feel aligned with the traditional take of the fashion to signify the affluence by which the style has arose from. This is still reinforced in recent takes. Though Prep and Ivy League looks go hand-in-hand, the difference between the two are found within origin, essences, and semantics. The Ivy League look tends to be more elegant and cultivated, a quieter sort of confidence for the academically oriented wear which developed further in 1910. This style provoked a sense of community among the students who all came from similar backgrounds that allowed them to distinguish themselves visually. The Ivy style began to grow in establishment through university culture and life going on to hold great influence in the 1950s. Prestigious students wanted formal clothing that was well-suited to casual situations. As the Ivy look became further spread, preppy style, which is recognized for clean, polished, and colorful leniencies, emerged inspired more by nautical roots. Location is a defining factor of how the preppy style will be sported. For example, Southern Prep style generally contains pastels, aquatic-athletic-aligned themes, and lighter garments due to the warmer climate. While New England Prep will feature more understated muted hues with darker overall looks produced from equestrian or country club culture. Both derive meanings from Harvard, Princeton, and Yale as they are the most noted to breathe life into the clothing subculture. By the 80s, many brands were producing garments that combined both Prep and Ivy League variables into one, gradually intertwining the two counterparts into the style we tend to see today. At this point in time, the most present separation are the varying degrees of formality and semantics of a specific look. Often there is a lot of overlap in this wardrobe. Brands such as J. Press and Brooks Brothers developed products earlier on that many drew inspiration from and catered to the original demographics that allowed them to go on from a prestigious academic setting to traditional leisurely, usually athletic, or social pastimes. In terms of history, sportswear became more common following WWI and aspects of sportswear symbolize strength and leadership, themes that are very present in these looks. Over the years, preppy fashion expanded past its northeastern preparatory school roots and was adopted by more widespread communities with many backgrounds. The stylization of prep style continued to grow throughout the 20th century and then was adopted into mainstream media such as films, magazines, etc. by which many took style cues. Crucial aspects of this style that are to be upheld in any application are attention to detail, layering, androgynous variables, and most importantly a very specific type of craftsmanship or branding. Brooks Brothers is the oldest clothing retailer in the United States and founded in 1818. Originally focused on menswear, they created the prominence of the Ivy League look in the early 1900s. Brooks Brothers defined American style out of innovation, quality, value, and a very specific set of traditions alongside core values that introduced garments such as the original button-down polo shirt for casual wear, democratizing the rep-tie, and introducing pieces to the states such as the Shetland sweater. Just to name a few feats achieved, the brand dressed many cultural moments and shaped many wardrobes. Ivy and preppy looks were becoming the visual narration of many events, experiencing many revivals as well from the early 1900s to the 50s, 80s, and again in the early 2000s with an updated preppedom look. Pieces that are primarily youth-oriented in addition to the classic offerings. High fashion brands have contributed to building this aesthetic and defining the codes of dress to be utilized. One of the most prominent being Ralph Lauren, who paved the way for what we recognize today as classic traditional American style. The brand is synonymous with the Ivy or preppy look. Ralph Lauren at its core has a focus on lifestyle and the Ralph Lauren Corporation offers diffusion brands with differing aesthetics, themes, and price points. Polo Ralph Lauren, for example, has a great emphasis on sports which fulfills the athletic component of this aesthetic. Another brand that has contributed to establishing this look in the 1970s was Tommy Hilfiger. The designer began doing preppy clothing for his own eponymous menswear line into the 1980s. At this point in time, prep look was beginning to experience a revival in a differing way, adapting to the vibrant trends that were beginning to cycle. Tommy Hilfiger became one of the most prominent brands in 1990s sportswear with a distinctive prep-conscious lenient that had interchangeable purpose. By always focusing on luxury in these moments, even wearable casual clothing and personal styles elevated. Working with an aesthetic for personal style can mean working with setting the foundation of your look, pulling inspiration, or utilizing specific variables to integrate into or mix with other styles. Now, it is quite common to interpret the Ivy League style in a manner that uses other languages of dress and pushes boundaries, but it's important to keep the classic and proper elements intact. This creates the mastered relaxed confidence and laid-back sophistication that produces the elevated Ivy League or prep look. This aesthetic is built from structured silhouettes with relaxed components, strong staple garments, and subtle or elegant branding typically found in any form of embroidery. The Ivy look possesses a color scheme that practices restraint and purpose based off neutrals and rich colors such as red, emerald, and navies. Preppy's style will incorporate more color, but the saturation is in balance with the visual offering. The colors must harmonize and create a streamlined, seamless, put-together look. These colors are often variations of hues inspired by lifestyle, not to be too saturated unless it's a statement. Patterns such as stripes, plaids, nautical themes, etc are the most common to be integrated in to add visual depth and interest to a look. Now we will do a rundown of all the staple garments needed to achieve this aesthetic or that can be adopted into other looks. Since this approach to fashion has a focus on curating a very specific type of image, but the image needs to be livable as designer Lily Pulitzer states, Style isn't just about what you wear, it's about how you live. The first garment we will be going over is the staple oxford shirt. Though categorized as a dress shirt, the oxford is not always deemed appropriate for more formal events, and the dress shirt is usually far too much for everyday wear. The oxford is made of a thicker material and will always feature a standard basket weave along with a button-down collar which makes the shirt more durable and well-suited for everyday life. Another staple is the blazer. Typically, this piece is utilized more for Ivy League looks, but works as well for formal prep looks. The navy blazer specifically is conventional for this aesthetic and originates from officer uniforms of the Royal Navy. The piece has a great range of versatility and styling options on the spectrum of casual to formal. The cut of the blazer should feature a natural shoulder and rather than visible darts that produce a closer fit, a sock cut should be worn to allow for the blazer to drape. This design gives space to layer if this is an area of interest or needed for function such as protection from the weather. Double-breasted blazers for nautical tributes work as well, but usually a single-breasted blazer is opted for, especially with a center vent. Another option opposed to water-based origin is the topcoat. This piece has a land-based history relating back to the sportsmen of the English countryside, but it still produces an elevated look through fabric blends and visual offerings. This topcoat may be unconstructed for a relaxed, soft silhouette or sharply structured. Either way, tailoring fit and precision is a must as this will either pull together the look or create disturbances and proportions. The next piece is the cable sweater which is associated more with East Coast preps. Though many think of the nonchalant drape over the shoulders in regards to preppy looks, this piece can also bring in different essences based on the origin or design. The signature version of the sweater for this style is typically a slimmer fit that can be worked seamlessly in and out of looks for both day and night wear. If you're less interested in the soft academic take of this aesthetic and want something more athletic, strong, laid-back, rugby or varsity jacket or to be worn to channel a sportswear vibe without giving a pure athletic look, this gives a rough and tumble aura due to its heritage to transform a look or add further essences. Trousers, denim, and skirts should remain streamlined and fitted to the body type with occasion in mind. Soft denim should be worn that is achieved in character through authentic ring-spun construction and chinos often wore for should be fitted in a sleek, relaxed way. Too tight is a bit dated and too loose isn't modern to serve as a staple as they are a lightweight and woven, typically in twill weave to provide ease in wear but appear clean to the eye. The polo shirt is the epitome of preppy style that comes in a range of fits crafted from the archival polo design. The polo is a contemporary button-down sports shirt distinguished by rugged materials featuring a button-down in order to secure the collar to the body while riding on horseback or creating drastic movements through the torso into the arms for sports such as tennis. This captures preppy style well, the elevated athleticism channeled into an intellectual proper take. Loafers, boots, and sneakers work well for this style. Boat shoes are reserved for very casual events or spring and summer. Boots typically will either be in a sleek, simple, clean design or derived from equestrian wear such as riding boots. The loafer relates to coastal culture with a variety of lenience in regards to design. Traditionally, they are more casual options that many wear for a relaxed dress code but depending on the design it can work in office settings or more formal events but not black tie. Heels should have a sleek, delicate silhouette or very sturdy yet graceful. Since the Ivy and Prep look are typically quite androgynous, this is a way to garner in a more traditionally feminine take. When it comes to accessorizing, there should not be many statements made without a specific purpose. A proper Ivy look needs accessories to pull together the look but over-accessorizing will overpower the classic pieces or come off as very gaudy though this style has an affluent origin. Displays of wealth should not be priority. The goal is to unify and practice restraint but to know which boundaries to push in order to express oneself without crossing the line out of the visuals or intent of the aesthetic. The last point I will be making about this style is The conceptual values of this aesthetic are principled, public-spirited, humble, and mindful. For a true Prep or Ivy League look, this is to be found in understated, classic, timeless, and elegant clothing that is worn for its full lifespan as there is a respect for strong craftsmanship and design. This style of clothing contributes to a dedication for both mind and body, to live in a manner that is respectful to oneself as well as others, and upholding a style that moves forward and have your clothing serve you so that you can focus on what life has to offer. As the mission statement of Ralph Lauren goes, to inspire the dream of a better life through authenticity and timeless style. I hope you enjoyed this video, if you did please subscribe, like, turn on notifications, and comment. Thank you so much for watching!