The Art Of Dressing Ivy — Why Ivy Men Are So Stylish

Studied negligence — the century-old menswear philosophy behind Ivy League style, and why it's still impossible to fake. This is the real history of the Oxford button-down, the Brooks Brothers sack suit, and the "effortless" campus look that Take Ivy made famous. Most men think Ivy style is about buying the right pieces. It's not. It's a philosophy called "studied negligence" — coined in the 1930s by Apparel Arts, the magazine that became GQ — and it's the reason those old campus photos still look better than almost anything on the street today. In this video, I break down where the look actually came from: the 1895 Brooks Brothers No. 1 Sack Suit, the accidental invention of the Oxford button-down at a polo match, Charlie Davidson and the Andover Shop, Miles Davis walking into that shop and making the whole tradition cooler than the establishment that built it, and the 1965 photographs that became the cult classic book Take Ivy. If you've ever wondered why some men look put-together without looking like they tried, this is the answer — and how to actually wear it instead of costume it.