The Black Ivy

There has been a lot of hype surrounding T.Hayashida's Take Ivy, a photo essay that captured life in the elite and privileged halls of 1960s Ivy League institutions. I have excitedly bought the book and I look forward to writing a little blog post about the book and showing you some of its contents. PowerHouse Books is reissuing the text.

One of the most difficult things for me is being a black man who is very much into preppy style. This is why when I heard that the folks over at Street Etiquette worked with F.E. Castleberry of Unabashedly Prep on "The Black Ivy" project, I jumped for joy.

Check out the website and tell me what you think about the project in the comments. Personally, I think it is a fantastic re-creation of preppy styles on an all-black cast. The project directors even include some photos of historically black Howard University in the 1940s to demonstrate that preppy has never been strictly the domain of white elites. I love the moments when a lesson in history meets the creativity of fashion.

Here is some neat video from the project:

The Black Ivy from Street Etiquette on Vimeo.