MoneyWellSpent's Southern Trad Thread

[Artigas]

View attachment 1174237

This jacket reminds me of a project I need to finish. Very sharp. I wish my alma mater had instilled in its alumni a bit more school spirit so as to merit such a garment.

 

[Caustic Man]

It’s the sports culture. I have my reservations about the power and money that top tier athletic programs wield but it does help instill school spirit.

 

[An Acute Style]

I don’t think the school spirit of other alumni should affect your willingness to wear such a jacket. Rep your school even if no one else will. If you’ve got the spirit, others will follow. Blaze the trial.

 

[Thin White Duke]

I don’t think the school spirit of other alumni should affect your willingness to wear such a jacket. Rep your school even if no one else will. If you’ve got the spirit, others will follow. Blaze the trial.

Agreed.
I have a badged blazer from where I got my first degree which would mean nothing to 99.9+ percent of people in America and/or on SF and most people in England too but I still haul it out from time to time.

 

[FreddyV]

As I'm from the Netherlands, there's no such thing as Southern Trad. Over the past months though I've figured out more and more what my style is. I've been looking into a style called Trad by a certain Youtube channel (no namedropping here). This style speaks to me a lot, but I'm still a bit puzzled on whether Trad is the same as Southern Trad, or even Northern Trad. When I browse through this thread I see a lot of similarities, though I'm seeing some differences as well.
Maybe any of you can give me a few pointers on what is Trad, Northern Trad and Southern Trad. I'm hoping to figure out my actual style better by getting acquainted better with the terminology.

 

[Caustic Man]

Mostly just regional differences. The core idea is the same; an adaptation of northeastern Protestant elite clothes from the latter half of the 20th century.

 

[FreddyV]

I love tweed blazers, regimental ties, gingham and striped shirts, chinos and wing-tipped Oxfords or derbies. Based on the adaptations, where does this put me on the scale of Trad?

 

[Caustic Man]

I don't know that there is a scale of Trad. Besides, what you've described is pretty vague. Why not just post some pictures?

 

[FreddyV]

Oh there’s definitely not a Trad scale, I’m just trying to figure out what falls in the Trad categoryband what doesn’t. I’ll try to take some pictures over the upcoming week and share them here, though I highly doubt I can top either your style or you photography skills.

On a sidenote, I joined SF a few days ago, and noticed you pretty quickly. I’ve been following you on Insta for around 3 months.

 

[Artigas]

Here are some guidelines not everyone will agree with, since you asked what falls into the trad category. Note that there are other related categories (e.g. preppy and Ivy) that may or may not always overlap with trad, but for functional purposes I consider to be roughly the same thing as trad. I don’t think an outfit has to follow the below forms exactly, and I usually wear at least one deviation, but in my mind they are something like an ideal.

Jackets: natural shouldered, no front darts, 3 buttons rolled to two, center (sometimes hook) vent, two buttons on cuff. The blue blazer and tweed deserve special mention.

Shirts: the OCBD is the undisputed king, with the collar roll being the royal seal. Blue, white, and university stripes seem to be the most respected colors.

Ties: repp stripes, as you noted, but also tartans, small repeating motifs, and other tasteful ties.

Belts: ribbon belts, surcingle belts, leather belts. Motifs and stripes also make an appearance here.

Pants: often chinos, usually flat front, no break, and with cuffs. Also flannels.

Shoes: as you noted, wingtips, derbies, but also loafers, camp moccasins, boat shoes.

The “southern” part of Southern Trad seems to accommodate things like bright summer colors and some slight ostentation, more so than generic trad.

For learning the style (and I suggest wearing items because you enjoy them, not just because of trad “rules”) I benefitted from three main sources, in order:

1. What my father wore
2. What self-identified trads wore
3. Dress codes described as I have done above

I hope this has been helpful. From what you listed it sounds like you’re on the right track.

 

[Roycru]

May be easier to get everyone to agree on what is neither Ivy nor Trad.....

.....but rather for the birds (of paradise).

No, didn't look to see how much this suit cost and no, didn't go looking for things like this. Was swanning around in a shopping center across the street from where I drove my friend's wife for a job interview and came across this. (Yes, she got the job.)

On the other hand, the Indian restaurant in the shopping center was already out of samosas, even though it was a few minutes before noon.

 

[Artigas]

On the other hand, the Indian restaurant in the shopping center was already out of samosas, even though it was a few minutes before noon.

Now that IS a shame. I hope you were at least able to enjoy a nice curry.

 

[am55]

May be easier to get everyone to agree on what is neither Ivy nor Trad.....

View attachment 1174680

.....but rather for the birds (of paradise).

No, didn't look to see how much this suit cost and no, didn't go looking for things like this. Was swanning around in a shopping center across the street from where I drove my friend's wife for a job interview and came across this. (Yes, she got the job.)

On the other hand, the Indian restaurant in the shopping center was already out of samosas, even though it was a few minutes before noon.

I vaguely recall you posting a batik jacket on this very thread a few years ago during a madras discussion. What makes this one different?

 

[FreddyV]

Here are some guidelines not everyone will agree with, since you asked what falls into the trad category. Note that there are other related categories (e.g. preppy and Ivy) that may or may not always overlap with trad, but for functional purposes I consider to be roughly the same thing as trad. I don’t think an outfit has to follow the below forms exactly, and I usually wear at least one deviation, but in my mind they are something like an ideal.

Jackets: natural shouldered, no front darts, 3 buttons rolled to two, center (sometimes hook) vent, two buttons on cuff. The blue blazer and tweed deserve special mention.

Shirts: the OCBD is the undisputed king, with the collar roll being the royal seal. Blue, white, and university stripes seem to be the most respected colors.

Ties: repp stripes, as you noted, but also tartans, small repeating motifs, and other tasteful ties.

Belts: ribbon belts, surcingle belts, leather belts. Motifs and stripes also make an appearance here.

Pants: often chinos, usually flat front, no break, and with cuffs. Also flannels.

Shoes: as you noted, wingtips, derbies, but also loafers, camp moccasins, boat shoes.

The “southern” part of Southern Trad seems to accommodate things like bright summer colors and some slight ostentation, more so than generic trad.

For learning the style (and I suggest wearing items because you enjoy them, not just because of trad “rules”) I benefitted from three main sources, in order:

1. What my father wore
2. What self-identified trads wore
3. Dress codes described as I have done above

I hope this has been helpful. From what you listed it sounds like you’re on the right track.

Thanks! I think these are guidelines I can actually work with. And yes, I wear these items because I love them.

 

[Caustic Man]

I like the way Art dresses precisely because he doesn't stick to a Trad formula. You'll see a lot of discussion among the small number of aficionados about what is, and what is not, Ivy or Trad. Personally, I wouldn't pay too much attention to that, as he also hinted at. One of the great things about Trad as that it can fit into almost anyone's wardrobe and, with its casual and youthful vibe, is endlessly adaptable to contemporary styles. In other words: don't worry about how Trad you are. Just wear the clothes that make sense for you and take inspiration from history. Inspiration from history; that's the essence of the modern Trad enthusiast.

And I, too, understand the frustration of missing out on samosas. Of all the things India gave the world, or perhaps of all the things British imperialism gave the world, samosas are in the top five.