Keikari.com

The Atlantic magazine’s November issue in 1995 featured an article on bow ties. John D. Spooner, a senior vice president of the investment firm Smith Barney, contemplated his relationship with bow ties and their position in America. The text comes with a bit of history, a touch of semantics and the rules of Charlie Davidson, the one man misanthropic institution of Massachusetts.

http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/95nov/bowtie.htm

The daily link leads to AAAC, where ‘AldenPyle’ has shared some scanned ads for Ivy League clothes from the early decades of the 20th century. The poster’s style reminds me of Etutee’s academic dissections of olden Apparel Arts and Esquire scans. Opinions are at minimum while careful commentary guides the contemporary reader through cuts, details, fabrics and such. No unnatural shoulders or starched collars here, just Ivy at its best.

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/forum/showthread.php?88821-The-Americanization-of-Ivy

‘I’m 34 years old and currently designing sunglasses and eyeglasses in New York City, USA. I have A Design|Media Arts degree from UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) and an Industrial Design degree from CCA (California College of the Arts). My girlfriend is a great lover of vintage clothing, brought on in part by the vibrant swing dancing community here in NYC. Dating her was definitely an encouraging nudge to improve the way I dress and my overall aesthetic.

I think I have always been interested in clothing, but moving to NYC – with its strong sartorial pulse – definitely encouraged me to start dressing better and more like an adult. I think classic style, and referencing classic style, made the most sense for me. I am starting to dance more (Swing and Tango) and did a fair amount of mountaineering growing up. I hope that I can travel more and combine my love of aesthetics with a passion for physically interacting with the world.

I’ve never cared too much to have the next newest thing and classic style looks good in most every scenario. Also, it’s so much easier to look good in, whereas edgier fashion can look amazing, but if not done well can look very unbalanced. I do like edgier fashion (Rick Owens, Future Home, Thom Browne’s runway collections) but feel that I couldn’t easily pull those looks off.

The explosion of fashion blogs has really helped guide me to learn more about how clothing can fit, and what silhouettes looks best for gentlemen. And friends who like clothing love to share their knowledge when you ask them about it. I am lucky to know such sartorial folks. Currently I am intrigued most by the collegiate/sportman’s look of the 1930’s. I enjoy the highly contrast clothes (think boating blazers), and I also am fascinated by a time when college really was the gateway into a larger, grander life. Vintage is generally the best route to find such pieces, but Ralph Lauren and Brooks Brothers are great sources, too.

My friends’ style definitely is a great source of inspiration. Illustrators like Leyendecker, Fellows, Gruau, and Haines definitely portray a romanticism that I emulate from time to time. Architecture and Landscape architecture are also becoming sources of inspiration. Visiting these lovely estates shows a grandeur of scale and I always find myself wondering just what the perfect outfit would be for each room, or an event held at such a place.

Vintage can be great for a younger fellow who’s interested in clothing but isn’t sure where to start and doesn’t have the bank account to splurge. He can find great odd jackets and accessories for very cheap, and get used to the feel of wearing, say, a blazer, pocket square, necktie and hat. I recall the first time I started to put it all together, it felt very foreign to me, but now all of these accoutrements feel comfortable to wear.

I am all for the advances of modern clothing construction and material, but know that sometimes your Grandfather did it better than you ever will.’

http://makaga.com/

http://eveningsociety.tumblr.com/

Picture credits and details:

1. Vintage boater and double-breasted cream dinner jacket. American flag pin for Fourth of July. Photo: Jane Kratochvil.

2. Vintage plus-fours and shooting stick.

3. Trap shooting with vintage shotgun and modern clothing. Photo: Rose Callahan.

4. Photo by: Driely Shwartz.

5. At Grand Central Station Trains exhibit in vintage schoolboy blazer.

6. Holiday Trains in vintage gear.

7. Veterans’ Day Parade as WW1 American Soldier.

8. At Saint Valentine’s Day party.

9. At Jazz Age Lawn Party. Photo: Steven Rosen.

10. At Jazz Age Lawn Party in woollen vintage onesie swimsuit.

11. At Tweed Ride. Photo: Rose Callahan.

12. and 13. Easter gear with vintage stroller jacket, grey striped pants, spats from Fine and Dandy Shop, grey topper, silver tipped walking stick. Photos: Jane Kratochvil.