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190K views 3K replies 49 participants last post by  Dogrescuer 
#1 ·
Human body Neck Sleeve Tartan Street fashion
 
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#2,113 ·
There's a tradition in the Zen world where the master often pokes sarcastic fun at the student, in order to shock him into awareness of the nature of reality. Rather like a nastier version of the Zen koan. Perhaps either the advertisers, or Ralph (or both) are trying to do just that to the people who look at these adverts. Maybe the viewer will achieve transcendental wisdom and knowledge through the impact of ridiculous sweaters and tattered jeans on their senses. Who knows?
 
#2,125 · (Edited)
I think the origins and history of the Trad or Ivy style is part and parcel of the move away from the stiff, starched style of the late Edwardians. The Duke of Windsor played a strong part in this move toward more comfortable clothing, and if you look at his images (plentiful on the web) you will see that his suits, odd jackets, and flannels are not too different in cut and style and even fabric, from the Ivy Look. The twentieth century saw this general move toward less rigid styles, with softer materials and looser clothing, relaxed cuts -- comfort, in short, as TKI67 points out so eloquently. This comfort is also the reason why Ivy style originated in the colleges and universities of the US. Young men and women would want comfortable clothing to complement a vigorous lifestyle, and this desire informed the selection of material, cut and style in a natural way.

But now, we have carried it all to an unfortunate extreme, with the sweatsuit, hoodies and jeans, etc., taking the lead. Grunge has become the order of the day, at least to the young. I taught for thirty years in a college environment filled with blue denim -- and not just the students, but even a good proportion of the faculty!
 
#2,126 ·
I think the origins and history of the Trad or Ivy style is part and parcel of the move away from the stiff, starched style of the late Edwardians. The Duke of Windsor played a strong part in this move toward more comfortable clothing, and if you look at his images (plentiful on the web) you will see that his suits, odd jackets, and flannels are not too different in cut and style and even fabric, from the Ivy Look. The twentieth century saw this general move toward less rigid styles, with softer materials and looser clothing, relaxed cuts -- comfort, in short, a TKI67 points out so eloquently. This comfort is also the reason why Ivy style originated in the colleges and universities of the US. Young men and women would want comfortable clothing to complement a vigorous lifestyle, and this desire informed the selection of material, cut and style in a natural way.

But now, we have carried it all to an unfortunate extreme, with the sweatsuit, hoodies and jeans, etc., taking the lead. Grunge has become the order of the day, at least to the young. I taught for thirty years in a college environment filled with blue denim -- and not just the students, but even a good proportion of the faculty!
And the irony is that khakis are far more comfortable than jeans, which typically ride far below the waist and are of a very heavy fabric that sags rather than draping. Sweats can be cozy but only if it is cool, and most sweatpants these days ride low like jeans. However, if we had had them in the mid 1960s, I believe hoodies would have been very popular.
 
#2,138 ·
Or maybe get this one instead. Linen. $228 from Spier & Mackay...

View attachment 57216
I could never pull off a safari jacket, but there are some nice Orvis Zambezi safari jackets on the "Bay" for around $40. It appears Orvis finally purged their lineup of several long running items including the Zambezi line, their white bucks, and their poplins in bright red or creamy yellow.
 
#2,166 ·
Based on purely visual images, I find it hard to distinguish between regular (leather) suede and fabrics like Ultrasuede (artificial) or Moleskin (cotton). Even with actual contact and handling, it can be deceptive! I have two jackets now, both of which look and feel very much like suede, but are made of Ultrasuede -- so labelled in one case, and suspected in the other, LOL. They are great jackets, and as has been pointed out in these forums, Ultrasuede is actually better at resisting stains, and also in draping well, compared to its leather counterpart.
 
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