THE UNOFFICIAL PREPPY UNIFORM: YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW A thesis submitted to the Kent State University Honors College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for University Honors by Cody Risinger May, 2016 Thesis written by Cody Risinger Approved by _____________________________________________________________________, Advisor ______________________________________________, Director, The Fashion School Accepted by ___________________________________________________, Dean, Honors College ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES…..…………………………………………………………………...v LIST OF TABLES………..………………………………………………………………vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………………………………….vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………...…..……1 Definition of Terms……………………………..…………………….………4 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE…………………..………………….……..…...7 Evolution of Preppy Style……………………………..…………...……..…...8 Components of Preppy Style………………………………………..……….18 Summary………………………………………………..……………………25 III. METHODOLOGY…………………………………..………………………26 Esquire Magazine………………………………..…………………………..28 Five Key Preppy Pieces…………………………..………………………….29 Data Collection………………………………..……………………………..33 IV. RESULTS…………………………………..………………………………..35 Frequencies of Five Key Preppy Apparel Items……………..………………35 Patterns of Preppy Style……………………………………..……………….47 Styling Changes of Preppy Clothing by Decade…………..…………………56 Summary………………………………………………..……………………67 iii V. DISCUSSION……………………..…………………………………………69 Prevalence of Preppy Style…………………………………………………..70 Five Key Preppy Garments…………………………………………………..74 Styling Preppy in the Three Peaks…………………………………………...77 Implications…………………………………………………………………..80 Limitations of the Study……………………………………………………...81 Suggestions for Future Research…………………………………………….83 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………...83 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………..…....85 APPENDIX A. FREQUENCY BREAKDOWN BY YEAR OF THE FIVE KEY PREPPY ITEMS IN SEPTEMBER ISSUES OF ESQUIRE MAGAZINE (1962- 2015)………………………………………………………………….….90 B. FREQUENCY BREAKDOWN BY DECADE OF THE FIVE KEY PREPPY ITEMS IN SEPTEMBER ISSUES OF ESQUIRE MAGAZINE (1962-2015)………………………………………………………………92 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1. Advertisement Showcasing the Navy Blazer with Gold Buttons………..30 Figure 3.2. Advertisement Showcasing Chinos…………………………...…………30 Figure 3.3 Advertisement Showcasing the Oxford Button Down Shirt……………..31 Figure 3.4 Advertisement Showcasing Loafers……………………………………..32 Figure 3.5 Advertisement Showcasing the Repp Tie………………….…………….32 Figure 4.1. Appearances of Preppy Style in September Issues of Esquire Magazine (1962-2015)……………………………………………………………...36 Figure 4.2. Appearances of Navy Blazer with Gold Buttons in September Issues of Esquire Magazine (1962-2015)………………………………………….39 Figure 4.3. Appearances of Oxford Button Down Shirt in September Issues of Esquire Magazine (1962-2015)…………………………………………………...41 Figure 4.4. Appearances of Chino Pant in September Issues of Esquire Magazine (1962-2015)………………………………………………………………43 Figure 4.5. Appearances of Loafers in September Issues of Esquire Magazine (1962- 2015)……………………………………………………………………..44 Figure 4.6. Appearances of Repp Tie in September Issues of Esquire Magazine (1962- 2015)…………………………………………………………………..…46 Figure 4.7. Pattern of Appearances of Five Key Preppy Garments in September Issues of Esquire Magazine (1962-2015)………………………………….……48 Figure 4.8. Pattern of Appearances of Navy Blazer with Gold Buttons and Chinos in September Issues of Esquire Magazine (1962-2015)……………………49 Figure 4.9. Pattern of Appearances of Oxford Button Down Shirt, Loafers, and Repp Tie in September issues of Esquire Magazine (1962-2015)……………..51 Figure 4.10. Pattern of Appearances of Loafers and Repp Tie in September Issues of Esquire Magazine (1962-2015)………………………………………….55 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1. Timeline of Preppy Style……………………………………………16-18 Table 4.1. Total Count of Five Key Preppy Garments in September Issues of Esquire Magazine (1962-2015), Organized by Peaks and Valleys of Appearances……………………………………………………………...38 Table 4.2. Count of Navy Blazer with Gold Buttons in September Issues of Esquire Magazine (1962-2015), Organized by Peaks and Valleys of Appearances……………………………………………………………...40 Table 4.3. Count of Oxford Button Down Shirt in September Issues of Esquire Magazine (1962-2015), Organized by Peaks and Valleys of Appearances……………………………………………………………...42 Table 4.4. Count of Loafer in September Issues of Esquire Magazine (1962-2015), Organized by Peaks and Valleys of Appearances………………………..45 Table 4.5. Count of Repp Tie in September Issues of Esquire Magazine (1962-2015), Organized by Peaks of Appearances……………………………………..47 Table 4.6. Total Count of Five Key Preppy Garment in September Issues of Esquire Magazine (1962-2015), Organized by Peaks of Appearances with Percentage Total in Each Peak Represented by Oxford Button Down Shirt, Loafer, and Repp Tie…………………………………………………….53 Table 4.7. Peak and Valley Years for the Change of Styling for the Five Key Preppy Garments…………………………………………………...…………58-67 vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I want to graciously thank Dr. Catherine Amoroso Leslie for always teaching me new things every time we collaborated. Whether it was about academia or general life obstacles, Dr. Leslie has helped me greatly every time. She’s been the best mentor I could ask for and I will always admire her leadership. I’d also like to thank my committee members for helping me along this journey: Dr. Kim Hahn, Dr. Suzy D’Enbeau, and Professor Jean Druesedow. In addition, I’d like to thank The Fashion School for allowing me the opportunity to travel abroad, experience the fashion industry firsthand, and for allowing me to complete research that is near and dear to my heart. The last group I’d like to thank is my family, but most specifically my mother, Saunsia. I love you and cannot thank you enough for your sacrifices. Thank you all for supporting my dreams and helping me as I learned to navigate college and the real world. The journey so far has been incredible and I cannot wait to embark on the adventures ahead. Onward! vii 1 INTRODUCTION Distinguishing itself as an easily identifiable fashion entity, men’s preppy fashion instantly brings images of Ralph Lauren campaigns, golden retrievers, John F. Kennedy, and the American flag. In visual and popular culture, preppy embodies upward mobility in the American dream, but where did this timeless style originate and how has it changed over time, especially over the past 50 years? In this study, foundational exploration led to uncovering an etymology of the main sartorial components of preppy effectively outlined in a September 1962 Esquire editorial titled, “The Basic College Wardrobe” (Darvin, 1962). Darvin presented a formulaic prescription of essential garments composing the preppy style. The timing of this article is notable as it is beyond the height of Ivy Style in the 1950s, yet predates the emergence of preppy fashion brands. The single, most important piece in a true preppy’s wardrobe is the iconic blazer; the ultimate all-purpose garment. Lisa Birnbach, author of The Official Preppy Handbook (1980), declared the blazer as, “the wardrobe’s backbone – or exoskeleton” (143). This garment is the immediate go-to piece in any preppy male’s wardrobe, especially when embellished with gold buttons. The first usage of the term was recorded in the 1852 edition of the Cambridge University General Almanack and Register when the renowned boating jackets of Lady Margaret Boat Club were dubbed blazers due to their vivid blazing red coloring (Carlson, 2014). By the time the 1870 Almanack was released, many other school’s rowing jackets were classified as blazers (Carlson, 2014). The term, blazer became a widespread sporting phenomenon with many other activities referring to 2 jackets as blazers. Over time, the connection with rowing fell into obscurity leaving only the creation of myths to explain the phenomena of the quintessential blazer. Accompanying the blazer to create a classic preppy uniform are several other garments drenched in historical importance: khaki pants (also known as chinos), oxford button down shirts, repp (diagonally striped) ties, and penny loafers. Individually and collectively, these garments paint a picture of reaching the pinnacle of the American dream and have impacted both personal identity management and society’s perception of men. Although the main components of this style have remained consistent over time, their message has not. Fashion lives as an evolutionary figure that interacts with diverse peoples and societies, making it a very challenging phenomenon to track. Some may not realize that preppy style did not always have the connotations of conservatism that it does today, but was employed as a sign of rebellion and informality. Tracing all the way back to English tailoring and Beau Brummell’s creation of Dandyism, preppy style bloomed through its predecessors. The style persisted and evolved due to globalization and the transformation of social etiquette during the twentieth century. Reasons for various outbursts of visual identity through preppy dress are directly correlated with current events of each time period. Fashion must be understood in context, it is a reflection of zeitgeist; how society is feeling during a given era (Tortora & Eubank, 2010). Specific to this study, in the early twentieth century, style tribes on college campuses such as athletes and military men combined together to create what we know as Ivy Style. As decades progressed, this large encompassing clothing trend evolved further 3 into