The Ivy Look

JP Gaul has long had a fascination with American clothing styles of the 1950s and 1960s. Together with Graham Marsh, they have collectively pulled together an entirely personal edit of what they consider to be quintessential Ivy in The Ivy Look. Gaul and Marsh approach the era through the personal lens of cinema, advertising and modern jazz. Filled with vintage advertisements, black and white photographs of the Kennedy brothers, Hoffman and McQueen, the paperback digs deep in the archives to produce a comprehensive guide to the genuine article. The right shoes, shirts and jackets, it’s all laid out for the curious dilettante and Ivy fiend alike.

Though The Ivy Look is equal parts reference manual and cultural history book of the clothing and accessories that dominated the American male dress code from 1955 to 1965, by far the most enriching thing I gleaned from The Ivy Look is my new-found appreciation for jazz music. I have since been spinning Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong after already enjoying modern acts Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and Raphael Saadiq.