Captain Cosmic
Active Member
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2015
- Messages
- 33
- Reaction score
- 4
I loved reading through this thread. In true SF fashion, we have posters who have an irrational hatred for a minute detail in addition to those who love it.
Almost all of my sport coats are 3/2. Like others have said, I like the casual look of Ivy jackets: swelled edges, natural shoulders, 3/2 front, 3.5" lapels. I can take or leave patch pockets. Like all of my clothing decisions, I wear them because I think they look good. It's subjective but it's my cup of tea. They are simply the most visually appealing jacket style IMO.
Fun thread discussion. Of course, when talking about button stance, we should lay some ground rules, such as if the jackets are darted or sack? That changes the profile.
With everything, "Yesterday's avant-gard- experiment is today's chic and tomorrow's cliche." The "Ivy League" look started like all trends, as a youthful rebellion against established norms. Some college students took their 3 button jackets (suits or blazers [odd jacket] and slacks) being required dress, and ironed them to be like the more suddenly fashionable 2 buttons models. Unlike the raccoon jackets and the Charleston dance craze, the 3/2 roll lived on and over time went from the dorms and frat houses to the board rooms and Madison Avenue. As time went on, what constitutes authentic eclipses what gave birth to the trend in the first place. The trend itself becomes the point and soon gives way to rigamortis, as it becomes the norm. And as you can see from the tag below, a selling point. And then the cycle occurs again (1967). See this Ivy Style commentary on the what makes for "Authentic"
With that out of the way, I am tall and like being retro, so I don't mind 3 button and or 3/2 or 3/2r but I prefer (and mostly own) them in their vintage mid century style of sack and 2.5 to 3.25 lapels. No, I won't speak about "Jivy Ivy" and the 4/3 button suits (there was recently 1960s tweed specimen on ebay but it is mislabeled as a 3/2).