Ivy Style: Radical Conformists by Patricia Mears 

Published in conjunction with the landmark “Ivy Style: Radical Conformists” exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, this beautifully-illustrated book offers a scholarly history of "Ivy Style" in menswear, tracing the origins and diffusion of this enduring and classic fashion from the workrooms and retail stores of J. Press on the campus of Yale to the modern designers that have evolved the look and made it resonate with new generations of style enthusiasts.

Many of the most familiar sartorial images of the 20th century can be traced to the prestigious college campuses of America. Ivy Style was once a cutting-edge look that for decades led the evolution of menswear. Far more than a classic way of dressing, Ivy Style spread beyond the rarified walls of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton to influence countless designers.

Focusing on menswear dating from the early 20th century through today, this elegant book traces the main periods of the interwar years when classic items, such as tweed jackets and polo coats, were appropriated from the English man's wardrobe and redesigned by pioneering American firms such as J. Press for young men at elite East Coast colleges; then from 1945 to the late 1960s, when the staples of Ivy Style—oxford cloth shirts, khaki pants, and penny loafers—were worn by a new, diverse group that included working-class students and jazz musicians; and finally the current revival of the Ivy look that began in the early 1980s. Ivy Style features the high-profile proponents of the style—including the Duke of Windsor, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, and Miles Davis—who made the look their own and the designers that reinterpret the look for new generations of classic clothing enthusiasts.

OUT OF PRINT