Happy New Year, I  assume you’re all well rested, perhaps your trousers seem a little snugger. Lets get back on track for 2011.

 Prepidemic is one of my favorite American style sites.  Created by a few Princeton students originally based on prep style they expand discussion to a plethora of different brands and styles. Their thoroughly organized site makes it a joy to look at during gaps between work emails. You might have noticed I’ve recently become interested in American prep style but as a British tailoring and footwear obsessive, my real knowledge is rather lacking. I asked the chaps at Prepidemic to get more of an idea to how they see it…Enjoy

-Hello from The States…or the campus of Princeton University to be more particular. While Ivy League style may have peaked in the mid-1960’s, there are still remnants of a time when men took interest in their style if you look closely enough. Oxford shirts, chinos, repp ties, penny loafers, blue blazers may populate the pages of Take Ivy, but these days there is a slightly different take on The Prep around these parts. Styles are not as rigid and because of this there is a lot of room to play around with the balance between classic and modern.

Dennis shows how one can mix and match traditional pieces in a way that is fun and unique without looking foolish. Between the navy blazer, flannel trousers, cricket sweater, and repp tie he has plenty of the same pieces you would have seen on campus 50 years ago, but it’s the proportions that make it new and interesting. A nice silk scarf adds a great touch of elegance to the outfit and the suede longwings make it a bit more seasonal.

Chris’ look is decidedly less traditional, but it has its roots in the American aesthetic. Infusing a woodsy vibe into a campus outfit is something that is indicative of the new Ivy League. The diversity and acceptance that has defined the last few decades across college campuses has allowed for a greater level of experimentation and self-expression. The corduroy shirt on top of chambray works perfectly with a heavy wool sport coat–especially one with some good elbow patches.

Thank you very much to the chaps at Prepidemic

Tagged as: christian kimber, London Style Blog, Prep, Prepidemic, Prepidemic Magazine, style sage, www.prepidemic.com