Putting the rad in trad

All you Vampire Weekend fans, listen up. This month, earmark some shelf space for Take Ivy, a collection of candid photos of Ivy League students at their preppiest. Shot by Teruyoshi Hayashida, the book provided inspiration for legions of Japanese fashion enthusiasts upon its release in 1965.

How could it not? Long before Bruce Weber turned scenes of all-American college life into ad campaigns and Scott Schuman made snapping nattily-dressed strangers into an industry, Take Ivy was there, encapsulating the sartorial mood of the period. The reprint, an all-new English translation by Brooklyn-based publisher powerHouse, still has 142 pages of country-club types in their boat-shoe-wearing glory.

It’s fascinating that when one holds up a mirror to the times, the reflection he sees is that of a 45-year-old tome. If you ask me, it’s fairly accurate. As far as men’s style is concerned, the last few seasons have seen traditional essentials trumping trendy pieces.

SEDUCED BY CHAMBRAY

I’m not one to be swayed by obvious PR jobs, but I couldn’t help but look up to Mickey Drexler, J. Crew’s messianic CEO, after reading about how he’s transforming the staid label into a cult brand. “With three successful turnarounds under his belt — Ann Taylor, Gap and now J. Crew — the ‘merchant prince’ is on a roll,” proclaimed WSJ, the magazine of the Wall Street Journal, in June. 

The author’s colorful descriptions — “Wasp-privilege-meets-street-smart-kid vibe” — struck a chord and somehow the whole tale, of a mass-market retailer wanting to make “integrity and craftsmanship the new no-logo logo” of its products, just felt right. Never have I been seduced by so much plaid, chambray and khaki that I practically memorized the article. More than that, it made me want to buy stuff from J. Crew.

The more I look around — people, shops, blogs — the more it becomes clear, at least to me, that now is the time for tradition, not trends. It’s stripes instead of statement tees, utilitarian gear instead of embellishments. After years of suffering from Peter Pan syndrome, young men are now willing to transmit an adult sensibility through tried-and-true looks. 

PUTTING THE RAD IN TRAD

This is Not New, one of my favorite photo blogs, is host to a dizzying variety of stylish subjects, most of whom possess the stench of Reagan-era society but also smell of the now. Two of my current style heroes, Alex P. Keaton of ‘80s sitcom Family Ties and Carlton Banks of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, wouldn’t be out of place there.

That said, I may appreciate the classics, but I don’t want to get stuck in a time warp. The key is to put the rad in trad.

For instance, I tend to team my deconstructed Anglomania cardigan with James Perse chinos and checkered Vans boat shoes. On certain days, my uniform will consist of a monogrammed Tween shirt rolled to the elbows, Closed X-pocket skinnies and Red Wing workboots. Right now, I’m hunting for footwear cobbled by old-timey, heritage brands — Cole Haan, Russell & Bromley, Ferragamo — to juxtapose with new-school, avant-garde stuff. The classics may be common to most people, but in my upside-down world they are genuinely exotic. 

See, inasmuch as I’d like to look like I live in conservative Hyannisport, I’m really convinced I exist in the boho-liberal enclave of a Woody Allen movie.

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