“Frank Sinatra’s legendary clique defined life in the fast lane throughout the late fifties and early sixties, dominating American culture and epitomising a life of cocktails, love affairs and Hollywood glamour.

A select group of photographers, including Sid Avery and Bob Willoughby, captured the Rat Pack in their heyday. Many of the images they produced have been largely stored away, many even undeveloped. For the first time, access to these shots has been made possible to produce one deluxe, collector’s edition.

The Rat Pack is the definitive book on Frank, Dean, Sammy and co. tearing up Hollywood and Las Vegas with an extended cast including Marilyn Monroe and JFK. Fifty years on from the year many refer to as The Year of the Rat Pack, 1960, and their influence endures. Shooting Ocean’s 11 by day, performing at the Sands by night and sweating out the sour mash in the sauna in between, The Rat Pack includes behind the scenes footage at the JFK Presidential Inauguration and house parties with Ava Gardner and Marilyn Monroe.”"

So visually rich!  For an interesting interview with Deborah Lloyd, Kate Spade Creative Director, and Ed Miller, the man who headed up the project for Graytor Printing, about the production of the book itself, head over to Felt & Wire.

I’ve come to realize I like most fashions inspired by a uniform, whether jobs or sports– nautical, tennis, cricket, nautical, aviation, military, etc.– and the Ivy look depicted in this monograph really is a kind of uniform.  A prep uniform.  Key pieces, fabrics, patterns, and combinations, just tweaked slightly over the years.

On top of being full of great photos, this book has a really interesting story.  Here it is, according to The Pursuit Aesthetic:

“Described by The New York Times as, “a treasure of fashion insiders,” Take Ivy was originally published in Japan in 1965, setting off an explosion of American-influenced “Ivy Style” fashion among students in the trendy Ginza shopping district of Tokyo. The product of four sartorial style enthusiasts, Take Ivy is a collection of candid photographs shot on the campuses of America’s elite, Ivy League universities.

The series focuses on men and their clothes, perfectly encapsulating the unique academic fashion of the era. Whether lounging in the quad, studying in the library, riding bikes, in class, or at the boathouse, the subjects of Take Ivy are impeccably and distinctively dressed in the finest American-made garments of the time.

Take Ivy is now considered a definitive document of this particular style, and rare original copies are highly sought after by “trad” devotees worldwide. A small-run reprint came out in Japan in 2006 and sold out almost immediately. Now, for the first time ever, powerHouse is reviving this classic tome with an all-new English translation. Ivy style has never been more popular, in Japan or stateside, proving its timeless and transcendent appeal. Take Ivy has survived the decades and is an essential object for anyone interested in the history or future of fashion.”

I think the Japanese-American fashion angle is fascinating, and The Trad adds this:

“It’s no secret that some Japanese are obsessed with the Ivy look. The word “Trad” has it’s origins in Japan and I for one think the Japanese have taken care of the style far better than we ever could have hoped. Hardly surprising in a culture where Tradition rules, the Morning Coat is still worn and life is lived and appreciated for small moments.”

Take Ivy will be available in August and pre-orders are available on Amazon now.

via The Pursuit Aesthetic
and The Trad

Looking forward to it!

From Thinking For a Living.

This new book, about how to be a classy “extremely modern” lady, by Derek Blasberg looks incredibly entertaining.  Blasberg, who only graduated from NYU (That’s right!  Making the alma mater proud..) in 2004, is now Senior Fashion News Editor for V Magazine and also writes routinely for Vogue and other magazines. 

 

 

  

 

  

  

 

Available here on April 6.

via Refinery29