Ivy League (clothes)

Clothing articles originally designed for golf, polo, sailing, rugby football, hunting, croquet, cricket, and tennis would be worn outside of the context of those activities.

Such wardrobe staples as the sport coat, blazer, oxford shirt, and sweater vest all originated in the early 20th century as sportswear but became everyday attire through the Ivy subculture.

The trousers for suits cut in this style typically had a lower (but not low by modern standards) rise, were held up by a belt rather than suspenders, and were often not pleated or cuffed.

[2][3][4] Notable early contributors to the look included Prince of Wales, who often combined 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.

Military surplus khaki cotton chino trousers became associated with Ivy Style in the late 1940's when returning veterans began attending college with their G.I.

In Britain during the mid and late 60s, the Mod subculture combined the latest Italian fashions with the attire worn by the heroes in contemporary American films such as Steve McQueen, James Dean or Paul Newman.

[8] The style remained fashionable in the United States until it was supplanted (at least, for young men) at the tail end of the decade by the wide lapels, flared slacks, and brighter colors of the peacock revolution, as well as the casual clothing of the hippie counterculture during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Crew, and Vineyard Vines were large marketers of preppy clothing, modernized to accommodate new trends inspired by indie pop and urban fashion.

[15] In a scene in The Godfather, set in 1946, Michael Corleone is derided as an unlikely assassin because he is a "college boy" who wears an "Ivy League suit."