Old Money Style?

[Ehanson]

I'm wondering how to describe this sub set of "preppy" style which may or may not be dying out. When a friend described to have " old money" fashion sensibilities I asked what they meant and they replied saying it was a combination of timeless, classic fashion that never goes really out of style mixed with frugality and thrift.

Those attributes are true but in my mind it's more handed down clothing of a certain quality that is rarely these days, Brooks Brothers when they made things in America, and well worn clothing that isn't quite mainstream preppy but closely relate to Trad style. It's a bit hard to explain, you'll know when you see it.

Does anyone know what I'm referring to? It's a bit hard to put into words.

 

[red81]

southern prep
ivy
s&p (sperry's and polos)
trad

?

 

[brad-t]

he's calling you an asshole

 

[red81]

he's calling you an asshole

not necessarily,
just that he looks like one.

 

[Ehanson]

It is similar to the Sperry’s and polo look that a lot of (younger) guys in suburbia wear, maybe a bit more frumpy and handed down though. Older men in the old money set seem to go for country English/ fallen gentry style, at least here along the East coast. Ralph Lauren is greatly influenced by old money but didn’t really get it right IMO. It’s a look that can’t really be commercialized since it’s mostly about character of the clothes and the person wearing them. "Old Money" such a small, obsure (dwindling) fraction of the population limited mostly to the Mid-Atlantic and New England that no one really knows what the true style is and may explain why I can’t put it into words... Maybe old fashioned is a better way of describing it? Many of them look 10-20 years behind fashion trends but somehow the look works…

brad-t, red81, This is true for guys wearing polo’s with popped collars (where did that look come from btw?), color rimmed Wayfarers, brand new Sperry’s and brightly colored patterned pant’s; indicating a certain level of douchiness that goes against subtle yet stylish paradigm and especially makes them the target to being labeled assholes (in many cases rightly so). There’s a certain fashion blog that epitomizes this douchey preppy look... which I'm not a fan of.

 

[spudnik99]

For pics try: www.muffyaldrich.com

 

[Ehanson]

spudnik99, thank you! Muffy is the personification of the style I'm referring to.