In the late 20th century, the Ivy style was adopted by ‘lo lifes’ and transformed into streetwear. This process is reflective of what had occurred many times over in the previous decades; the adoption and refinement of the Ivy style into different forms, or katas. This versatility stems from Ivy being, as Trufeleman puts it,” a standard. An inoffensive, friendly, legible look (The end 00:15:54-00:15:57).” These differing forms often fade in and out of popularity, and in doing so become associated with a certain era, making the styles more nostalgic. These factors have allowed Ivy to appeal to a wide audience and come back time and time again.

I would agree many of the forms of Ivy introduced on the podcast all shared a certain ‘preppy’ look about them. But as Ivy continues to grow and change, it isn’t too much of a stretch to say that, at some point, these forms of Ivy will become differing styles. If so, when will this happen? Or, has it already happened?

In one of my first responses, I mentioned that, after seeing some recent styles of Ivy, Ivy seemed too vague and ill-defined. I also did not see many people around me wearing what I would think of as preppy clothing, despite Trufeleman claiming that it’s really common. So, after finishing the podcast, I looked at my own wardrobe. And I realized I unknowingly had some kind of preppy clothing.

It has a collared button-down shirt, with bold colors and an intricate flower pattern. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the flamingo shorts that Trufelman referenced as Ivy, while also being a more casual version of a dress shirt. The pants, while less preppy looking, look like a short version of chinos.

Maybe Ivy is more common than I thought, so much so that someone as fashion apathetic as myself even picked it up.  It’s just become so different and varied that takes a trained eye to tell what Ivy is. Or, as said in the first episode:

“there’s a certain section Ivy that’s just clothes. Flat front chinos is just clothes. A Oxford button down is just a dress shirt. It’s just what people wear (What is a trend 00:25:15-00:25:26). “

Works Cited

Trufelman, Avery, host. “What is a trend?” American Ivy, Articles of Interest, 26 October 2022, https://articlesofinterest.substack.com/p/american-ivy-chapter-1

Trufelman, Avery, host. “The end” American Ivy, Articles of Interest, 7 December 2022, https://articlesofinterest.substack.com/p/american-ivy-chapter-7

Class is a categorization of people by how much wealth they have and/or how they acquire(d) that wealth. It can be divided up based on job occupation, inherited wealth, or non-inherited wealth, among other factors. Notably, class membership is hard to define and can be subjective.

A subculture is an informal group of people that share a set of values, beliefs, and/or cultural items. Importantly, members of a subgroup should be able to identify with one another and find unity within their group. Conversely, those outside the group, or a part of the dominant culture, are often confused about the practices of a subculture.

Trufelman’s discussion begins with Ishizu and his introduction of the Ivy style to Japan. At this point in time, the Ivy style was limited to a few hundred students on the streets of Tokyo. They all read the Men’s Club magazine, all dressed the same way, and were all hated by the police. 

“It was confounding for Japanese authorities -they were like ‘why are young men wearing these outrageous bright pants and boxy jackets?’(What is subculture? 00:05:39-00:05:47) ”

Trufelman jumps back over to the US to discuss Ralph Lauren, who, at around the same time, was beginning his own line of preppy clothing. His company at this point was small, with less than a dozen people. And when Ralph met a young fan of his at a clothing store, they were able to bond over the clothing he sold. 

Trufelman jumps between these two developments because they mirror each other. This new Ivy was understood by a small, closely-knit community. In other words, it was a subculture. 

Flash forward a few years, and the publishing of Take Ivy and its accompanying film by Ishizu brakes the negative stigma of Ivy in Japan. With the stigma gone, its popularity jumps. It becomes sought after because of its perceived eliteness and rarity. And as Ivy became associated with wealth, it became an indication of class.

Over a decade later, Lisa Burnbache writes the Preppy Handbook. This book’s creation made the preppy style’s nuances accessible to all. This, combined with the new idea that culture could be bought, transformed Ivy from a niche subculture into, as emphasized by the book’s cover, an indication of class. 

“Now it was you know, can we buy this idea of class? That we’re sophisticated, that we have moral worth(What is subculture 00:37:00-00:37:10 )”

The development of Ivy from a subculture into a class is mirrored in the US and Japan. The process began in both places with the publishing of a piece of media that subsequently popularized the style. What Trufelman emphasizes here, however, is the times at which these happened. Japan was ahead of the US by 15 years. Now, instead of Japan taking from the US, it is the US lagging behind Japan.

Works Cited

Trufelman, Avery, host. “What is subculture?” American Ivy, Articles of Interest, 16 November 2022, https://articlesofinterest.substack.com/p/american-ivy-chapter-4

Trufelman, Avery, host. “What is class?” American Ivy, Articles of Interest, 23 November 2022, https://articlesofinterest.substack.com/p/american-ivy-chapter-5

Vilardo, Philip, and Mari Wepprecht, editors. “Social Class in the United States.” Introduction to Sociology: Understanding and Changing the Social World, University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing Edition. 

“What Is a Subculture?” Edited by Rachel Buckner, Subculture and Sociology, Grinnell College, https://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultural-theory-and-theorists/what-is-a-subculture/.

In episode 3, titled “Pockets”, Trufelman discusses the history of pockets in western clothes. She recounts how women’s pockets went from a useful, separate undergarment to something that was just for show or simply nonexistent. Men’s pockets, on the other hand, grew more and more numerous into the 20th century. 

Episode 10, titled “Suits”, centers around what Trufelman calls the Great Male Renunciation, or the slow simplification of men’s clothing through the 19th and 20th centuries. This phenomenon resulted in men’s formal wear being largely the same, with differences becoming minute. 

These episodes discuss suits in two clashing manners. Episode 10 labels suits and the end product of the Great Male Renunciation, a simple outfit that has little variation. This happened because, as Guy puts it, 

“The trajectory of what created the suit … has always been the need for more democratic, simpler, dress down, relatable clothes(Suits 00:17:55-00:18:05).”

Yet episode 3 tells a story of suits going in a different direction: “Pockets were getting added, and added, and added over the course of decades. And by the early 20th century it was just getting ridiculous(Pockets 00:11:46-00:11:52).” This needless complexity, or unmodern ness as the episode called it, is the exact opposite direction of what the previous episode talked about. How can both these contradictory claims be true?

This is a suit from the early 20th century. It has a long coat, a vest, a button-down shirt, and long, black pants. To us today it looks like something we may wear to a fancy event; it’s complex and intricate. Its name, however, tells a different purpose. This suit was something that was meant to be worn casually, as a normal outfit. Suits then weren’t considered fancy because they were simply normal clothes. This differing view of the suit comes from a difference in perspective. One from when large, silk outfits were considered the norm, and the other from a time when suits had been left behind in the journey to simplify the wardrobe.

Works Cited

Trufelman, Avery. “Pockets: Articles of Interest #3 .” 99% Invisible, 99% Invisible, 2 Oct. 2018, https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/pockets-articles-of-interest-3/transcript. 

Trufelman, Avery. “Suits: Articles of Interest #10.” 99% Invisible, 99% Invisible, 26 May 2020, https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/suits-articles-of-interest-10/transcript. 

Kensuke Ishizu revolutionized the Japanese fashion scene in the 1960s by importing the Ivy style whilst targeting the youth of Japan. Uniquely, his company made all parts of an outfit made them to go together. He is the central figure in Avery Trufelemans’ argument as to why the Ivy style will continue into the future. 

According to Truefelman, the Ivy style was borne out of the mass-produced clothing started by the Brooks Brothers and English youth influence. Its origin lies at Princeton University, which unique situation allowed this style to flourish. After world war 2, the influx of college students caused the style to shift, adopting some clothing from the military. In the 1960s it was co-opted by black civil rights activists, who further adapted the look to themselves.

By the time of its popularization in Japan, the Ivy style in America was on the decline. This resurgence helped to keep the style alive and, eventually, produced the Take Ivy book, the cornerstone of this podcast. Without Ishizu, the style would not have been kept alive past the 1960s when it faded in the US, and may never have rocketed back to popularity in the US in the 80s.

Timeline

By introducing the Ivy style to Japan, Ishizu simultaneously preserved a part of American History, while forever changing the culture of Japan. 

Works Cited

“The Man Who Brought Ivy To Japan.” Ivy Style, Ivy Style, 9 Dec. 2017, http://www.ivy-style.com/the-man-who-brought-ivy-to-japan.html. 

Trufelman, Avery. “American Ivy: Chapter 2.” Articles Of Interest, Articles Of Interest, 2 Nov. 2022, https://articlesofinterest.substack.com/p/american-ivy-chapter-2.