Take Ivy
Top Drawer | Music & Books | Prep Essentials
Craig Cohen and Wes del Val will more than likely go down as unsung heroes—inconspicuous apostles reviving the cult phenomenon known as Take Ivy. The book, shot in 1965 by Japanese photographer Teruyoshi Hayashida, notoriously fetches upwards of $1,500 on eBay. It is rare, elusive and lauded by The New York Times as “a treasure of fashion insiders.” A small-run reprint was released in Japan in 2006 and sold out almost immediately. The unassuming collection of candid menswear-focused photographs perfectly encapsulates the unique student fashion on the campuses of America’s Ivy League universities. I have long pined for a copy. So it was much to my satisfaction that the guys from powerHouse Books put an advanced copy in my hands.
I sat down with them in their Brooklyn office to chat about the process in reviving the most highly sought after documentation of Ivy League style. Wes strolls up in his brown leather Sperrys and short sleeve sweatshirt. We instantly share a bond through an unspoken dress code. In thumbing through my copy, it is apparent Craig and Wes labored over every last detail in their Take Ivy reprint—right down to the bullet points. Although scans have popped up on the web via The Trad, few could actually read it—until now. And until the first English-language edition is released by powerHouse Books August 31st, you can pre-order yours ($16.50, Amazon.com) before it sells out in a New York minute.
left a comment on 7/23/2010 at 8:54 AM:
hi. do you have photos of prep school kids wearing plastered weejuns? thanks.
left a comment on 7/21/2010 at 10:00 AM:
@Thomas—It was a pleasure and I’m glad I could be of assistance.
left a comment on 7/13/2010 at 8:08 PM:
F.E., I’m doing a piece about the reissue of “Taking Ivy” for New York magazine and am in desperate need of your take on the cultural impact of the book. Please e-mail me to arrange a phone interview. Many thanks.—Tom
left a comment on 7/8/2010 at 1:32 AM:
Thanks for sharing this with us. I already pre-ordered it. Like always things are more expensive in Germany but I think it is a good spend at 20 €.
left a comment on 7/7/2010 at 9:32 AM:
Got a chance to throughly check it out myself last weekend (via Street Etiquette’s Josh Kissi) and wow is the only reply I could muster up. Guys, this is definitely something to look forward to.
left a comment on 7/6/2010 at 10:42 PM:
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! A job quite well done. I appreciate it.
http://admiralcod.blogspot.com/
left a comment on 7/6/2010 at 4:38 PM:
I’m really looking forward to both Take Ivy and True Prep coming out this summer!
I’m also jealous you got to preview it!
I’ve compiled the photos we all have courtesy of the Trad in an online book format/downloadable pdf if anyone is interested!
http://www.pleasurablerevelation.com/2010/03/take-ivy.html
Cierra left a comment on 10/23/2010 at 5:42 PM:
This is very interesting