Ivy League Inspired - Mr Porter and Sir Paul Smith collaborate

Mr Porter are launching the first of several collections created in collaboration with leading designers. This one, "Ivy Inspired", was created by Sir Paul Smith and found its inspiration in 'Take Ivy', a book of photographs shot on US Ivy League campuses in the 1960s and originally published in Japan in 1965 (and still available in reprint). Here are some of the original shots from which the collection takes cues.

Sir Paul explains further,

 "In London the Ivy look was brought in by a lot of the GIs who were stationed out in places such as Cambridgeshire. They came into London at the weekends and went to clubs such as The Scene, in Soho. There was a quite an interest in the way these guys dressed, because they looked so cool and slick. The clothes are quite timeless, and there's always been a hard core of fans.  It's a look you can easily wear with your existing wardrobe"

There's something about the middle picture that reminds me of British mods of that time. Did they take inspiration from Ivy style?

And here are some of the clothes, all given the Paul Smith twist. Button-down collars, chinos, sweatshirt - all that we expect from Ivy-inspired clothes. I love the gingham shorts in particular. As you'd expect if you've followed my blog, I'd like to have seen a tweed jacket, but the Spring and Summer are not the time for such jackets. As a timeless style, there's something here for all ages and tastes.