Ivy League

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. Origins Ivy League dress was originally a clean cut but overall less formal style than that of previous (“Trad”) generations. The style originated among students at elite American universities. It characteristically adapted the sporting attire of the British and American upper classes as everyday wear. Clothing articles associated with golf, polo, sailing, rugby football, hunting, croquet, cricket, and tennis became closely associated with the style. The sport coat, blazer, oxford shirt, and chino trouser, among others, all originated in the early 20th century as sportswear but found acceptance as everyday attire in elite circles. Notably, Prince of Wales combined the latest American fashions with traditional British country clothing such as brogue boots, Argyle socks and jumpers (sweaters), tweed cloth sportcoats, Irish walking hats and plus fours in houndstooth, herringbone, or the Prince of Wales check popularized by Edward VII. During the mid to late 1950s, many young college men adopted the Ivy League look due to its association with the upper classes at leisure. The clothing stores J. Press and Brooks Brothers were the quintessential purveyors of Ivy League attire, the former with two of its four locations found at Harvard and Yale universities (a Princeton branch closed in 1943).