When you think of “preppy style”, high school students in American TV shows, wearing loafers, checked or tweed blazers, shirts and logoed polos come to mind. Preppy style first came about in the early 1900’s and was revolutionized in the 40’s and 50’s by Ivy League students, thus the birth of Ivy League style. These two styles are so similar that it’s almost impossible to tell the difference between them. People have even started to use the terms “Preppy Style” and “Ivy League Style” interchangeably.

Ivy League Universities are prestigious American Colleges like Princeton, Brown, Harvard, Dartmouth, Yale, Columbia, Cornell and Pennsylvania. It was in these universities that the Ivy League or Preppy Style emerged. Ivy Leaguers dressed casually on campus. In fact, it was trendy to do so! Except for the occasional mandatory shirt and tie moment, Ivy Leaguers usually chose their outfits based on comfort. The university authority wasn’t at all impressed with this as they wanted their students to dress in an elegant way. However, Ivy Leaguers didn’t feel the need to dress up once they didn’t look shabby. After all, the university had become their home away from home. Their adoration for their college was evident in the way they proudly wore the crest, name and colours of their university almost every day.

So how does Baracuta tie into all of this? When Baracuta set up its US office in the Empire State Building, it was the beginning of the roaring success that was to follow. High-profile celebrities began to wear Baracuta’s iconic G9 Harrington jacket on the big screen, on the cover of famous magazines and in daily life. Ivy League students on the East Coast of America began to collect and hang posters of these celebrities sporting the “preppy look” – a look which was soon trending throughout the U.S. One of the predominately featured pieces of preppy style in these posters was Baracuta’s G9 and G4 Jackets. In fact, they were the frontrunners of Preppy style. Ivy Leaguers started to hunt down these pieces so they too could obtain the new Ivy look.

Many prominent people in society started to adopt the preppy style as their own even if they didn’t in fact attend these universities at the time. Ivy League fashion had officially “taken off” outside campus life. Some of these well-known public figures included President John F. Kennedy, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zac Efron, Ryan Reynolds, Eddie Redmayne and Reece Witherspoon. Another perfect example of preppy style is the TV series “Gossip Girl”, where the entire cast portray preppy style perfectly. Other movies where you can get Ivy League inspiration is: “Legally Blonde”, “Good Will Hunting” and “Dear White People”.

Let’s get onto the dos and don’ts of Ivy League or Preppy style:
 Do’s:

• Choose basic pieces.
• Keep some shirts and polo shirts in your wardrobe.
• Get a jumper or t-shirt with your university’s logo or graduation year embezzled on it.
• Wear loafers without socks.
• Get a G9 Harrington Jacket to wear over a shirt or polo shirt.
• Get a pair of chinos or checked shorts.

Don’ts
• Don’t wear obviously branded clothing.
• Don’t wear ripped clothes.
• Don’t be too put together. Ivy League style is relaxed and not overthought.
• Avoid rocker clothing, ripped clothes, or band t-shirts.


Today Baracuta produces garments which perfectly embody Ivy League style - from trousers, to shorts, to shirts, to polos and most importantly, the G9 and G4 Jackets. Taking inspiration from actual Ivy Leaguers, ensuring to maintain the authentic preppy look, from colour, to material and clothing type – for example, varsity wear.