Take Ivy

This book came in through Amazon Prime just this morning, and it's everything that style blogs have hyped it up to be. It was first popularized by M. Williams of A Continuous Lean, and when he scanned photos from his original 1965 edition, the books were going on eBay for as high as $500. At $14, it's a steal. A small hardcover with glossy pages, the volume clocks in at around half an inch. Underneath the dust jacket is a gorgeous orange cloth-covered book embossed with seals of the eight Ivy League institutions. The preface introduces the modern edition (in English, of course) and references the original Japanese volume. In an effort to maintain authenticity, "The translation of the original text for this English-language edition has not been edited for the purpose of updating or revising facts, names, or other matters." (This note seems irrelevant until we get to discussions about student body size and other time-sensitive statistics.) The book's pictures are of young men in varying degrees of prep -- lots of anoraks, varsity jackets, boat shoes, khakis, polos, slim ties, plaid shorts, etc. (There are maybe four women in the entire book.) Almost all of them are trim in physique and their clothing trim in cut. Given our society's Mad Men obsession and fashion's general return to 'Americana,' the book's reemergence is a reflection of cultural zeitgeist. The one flaw is the captions, which seem to over-explain. For instance, we have on p. 68, "A student is taking a stroll on a rainy campus wearing a sweatshirt which, of course, is in the school color. Ivy Leaguers are known for displaying their loyalty and pride in their alma mater on a daily basis." These words are accompanied by a picture of a young man walking in the rain while wearing a Brown sweatshirt. I suppose they make much more sense in light of the original publication in Japan. My favorite section is entitled "Take Ivy" (it follows "College Life," "College Fashion," and "Elements of 'Ivy'"). Here the authors discuss each of the eight universities and give a few facts about each. It then goes on to explore the presumed psyche of Ivy Leaguers with sub-headings like "Study hard..." and "Play hard..." and "Sound body" and "Sound mind." Placed on equal footing is a section devoted to JFK, who in 1965 must have embodied the Ivy League for the rest of the world. I'm running out of summarizing steam, but there are more pages devoted to vehicles (classic cars, sports cars, bikes, and old bikes), boyfriends and girlfriends, professors and madras checks. There is another on "barefoot and its rationality," in which the Japanese author is perplexed that a young man had cut off his sweatshirt sleeves with a pair of scissors. All in all, a great dose of nostalgia. Pleased that there isn't a single pair of flip flops in the entire book.

"All the people working in New York City fantacize about working at a modern office on Madison Avenue." So assert the authors of TAKE IVY, an English reproduction of a photographic essay saluting the fashions and ethos of American Ivy League colleges. First published in Japanese in 1965, this book, like the AMC series MAD MEN, will likely please anyone with a fascination for the early 1960s, an era of transition in USA (and therefore world) history. It's a time that seems to outsiders (whether geographic outsiders like the Japanese authors or temporal outsiders like MAD MEN's creator, actors, and primary audience) to successfully hold opposites in tension: tradition and innovation; conformity and individual expression; and the "study hard and play hard" motto (to cite one of the authors' frequently quoted observations of Ivy League life). The English preface clearly states that "this English-language edition has not been edited for the purpose of updating or revising facts, names, or other matters." This is part of the book's charm. The authors' "gee whiz" enthusiasm and frequent expressions of amazement are credible only because they come from another era. (One amusing tid-bit that would surely have warranted a footnote had the text been updated was the mention of one Princeton student, Bill Bradley, an accomplished basketball star who epitomized the Ivy League motto of "sound body, sound mind.") That these observations are being made by "outsiders" and that the authors pepper their account with pedantic life-lessons for their fellow countrymen, gives the text a disturbingly decentering effect. Should I, as an American, be flattered by the authors' fascination with my country's elite (of which I am, however, not a part) or should I ache for their misplaced and self-lacerating admiration of a false ideal? In any case, the text is only part of the story. The photographs consitute the bulk (if that word can be applied to such a slim volume) of the book. These are not posed images, but a diverse collection of candid shots. Given the masculinist environment of the mid-sixties Ivy League, this gives the book a mildly homoerotic aura (lots of varsity jackets, tight tide-waters, and madras shorts). Amusing observations add to the effect. "Ivy Leaguers frown upon students who earn good grades but have pale skin from spending too much time inside. This photo shows a student who is desperately trying to get bronze skin while preparing for an exam," says one caption. Whether you're interested in a nostalgic look at a time not too long gone or just fascinated by the cycles of fascination, TAKE IVY is a guilty pleasure not to be passed up.

Inspirational and informative. Photos are grainy, but not the vintage grainy, just the low quality grainy

It would be difficult for any book to live up to the extravagant praise the second coming of "Take Ivy" received on some of the styleblogs I read. Long available only in the rare and expensive Japanese original or in samizdat copies, the English-language release of "Take Ivy" some 45 years after it was first published was to be a milestone in menswear journalism ... even a touchstone for a new generation. So I have to admit a bit of disappointment that I wasn't entirely blown away by "Take Ivy." The photos are interesting, if often a bit grainy, but certainly illustrative of the "Ivy League" style of dress in 1965. I particularly enjoyed the text, written as it was by a Japanese author for a Japanese audience eager to know more about the trendy Ivy style. "As a Japanese man," he writes at one point, "I struggle to conceive of `campus wear' or `college fashion.' It is because we Japanese have been put under the spell of having to wear school uniforms. Japanese students are confined to wearing a stand-up collar jacket, day in and day out for many years. Having come from such a background, even scratching the surface of the general campus wear and college fashion is, undeniably, a daunting task" (p. 122). Undeniably. If there isn't much earth-shattering about "Take Ivy," it is still a useful reference to its particular time and place, and an entertaining time capsule for those of us who prefer a classic approach to men's style. A commenter on one of the styleblogs I mentioned above pointed out that nowhere in these photos is anyone wearing either Sperry Top Siders or LL Bean's Maine Hunting Boots, the supposed be-all and end-all of prep style. And while that is (undeniably, as our author would say) true, "Take Ivy" dates from 1965 while The Official Preppy Handbook , the satire that took on a life of its own as a lifestyle handbook, dates from 1980. Even in the overlapping but not identical worlds of Ivy, preppy, and American Trad style, things can change over 45 or even 15 years. "Take Ivy" is a useful indicator of how much has changed on campus and, in a certain corner of men's style, how blessedly little has changed.

Great for my collcetion.

I have been looking to pick up this book for a few years now, so when it became available I had to jump on it. This is a quintessential book for any fashion and Ivy league collector, however the content inside isn't "revolutionary" and its simply a good staple to have for any avid fan. If available at a reasonable price I would encourage you to pick it up, however if the price is inflated due to scarcity just wait you're not missing anything.

The book is just OK. There isn't much info accompanying the photos. Most of the photos are also not even in color but black and white. The image quality is grainy as well. I am not sure if the original was such or the photocopying process. I honestly would not list it as an iconic archive of Ivy fashion.

Fantastic addition to the table. If you dig fashion and vintage looks, check it out.

Un libro de referencia

Beautiful book, mint condition. However, I do wish all the pages were in colour. Still doesn't take away from the overall greatness of this classic style guide.

This is an absolute must for anyone who loves and is influenced by The Ivy look. Brilliant value for money

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