This year marks the once-a-decade resurgence in preppy/Ivy/trad/“dark academia” style. What we see, however, is a marked focus on men’s style, from the ubiquitous posting of images from Take Ivy to posts about how women can adopt menswear into their own wardrobe. While a great many pieces in a trad woman’s wardrobe are often directly purchased from the men’s department, there are so many pieces that are unique to women’s style. The combination of borrowed clothing and feminine staples led to a completely new and enduring all-American style: what fashion historian Rebecca Tuite calls “Seven Sisters Style.”

Women’s Ivy (or “Seven Sisters style”) has had a limited presence in the general conversation of trad and Ivy style. In contrast to the multiple books on men’s Ivy, there’s only one dedicated to women. There are endless lists and debates about men’s Ivy staples online, in magazines, books, podcasts (

Articles Of Interest), and newspapers. Conversely, there is no definitive guide to a women’s Ivy wardrobe. Much of the women’s Ivy conversation has been about women in menswear. While menswear is foundational to women’s Ivy, that’s not all there is. (For those interested in reading more in the women-in-menswear vein, Laura Arnold has an incredible post here, and the queen of trad style,

Muffy Aldrich, recently published an incredible post on androgyny in trad wardrobes).

Then: Vassar students stretch out in their cuffed jeans and sweaters (including both a Fair Isle sweater and a cardigan buttoned backwards, which became a popular campus trend), outside in 1950.

Now: The button-back cardigan is still en vogue today, as seen in this Alex Mill offering, and Fair Isle sweaters have their own cult following. Cropped denim and low-profile canvas tennis shoes complete the outfit.

What I want to discuss here is what makes Seven Sisters style different. While some staples of this style can be found in the wardrobes of both men and women (the oxford key among them), there are some significant differences. Ivy Style emerged at a time when women were not allowed to enroll in Ivy League universities, but instead had their own colleges, notably, the Seven Sisters. Their education was just as rigorous–the same faculty taught the same courses at Harvard and Radcliffe, for instance–but they were not allowed full access to the same resources their male counterparts took for granted. One of my former neighbors in D.C., a Radcliffe graduate, once recounted how she managed to finagle access to the Harvard library—she became a research assistant to a Harvard student, and was thus able to use his library card to check out books for herself. She went on to become one of the leading historians in her field. (This was not unique to her–a similar situation in regards to the paucity of books in the Radcliffe Library was immortalized in that classic Ivy movie, Love Story).

Then: Radcliffe, 1954

Now: A sleeveless shirtdress and black ballet flats are wardrobe staples in any classic wardrobe.

The separation between the sexes, as well as greater freedom for women in the years following World War II, contributed to a unique subculture and style. Pieces that don’t necessarily have a place in men’s Ivy–denim, for instance, and tennis shoes–were embraced by Seven Sisters style. Factory women had popularized denim and flat shoes during World War II, and without a male presence on campus, women chose to adopt comfortable clothing. They paired these new items with more traditional ones, such as sweater sets and pearls, leading to their own unique style. This style embraced the casual (denim, oversized sweaters and jackets) and the formal (twin sets, pearls), and formed that perfectly balanced look so many of us strive for in our own personal style.

Then: A Smith College student waits for the train in the 1930s.

Now: A trench coat, collared shirt, cardigan, small handbag, and classic loafers are all on-trend this season, yet (as evidenced above!) completely classic.

These silhouettes and fabrics are still desirable today–and in my opinion, just as revolutionary. Look at the vast majority of contemporary women’s clothing–it’s impractical. Trousers don’t have pockets. Shoes aren’t comfortable or made for walking. Blouses don’t button properly. It goes on and on. Women’s Ivy eschews restrictive fashion and embraces functional style. It allows the wearer to be at ease in their own skin and move through life without their clothes holding them back—without being exclusively masculine. It’s a lifestyle, not just a style of clothing. And isn’t that a wardrobe we should all aspire to?

Then: Vassar, 1967

Now: My ideal fall wardrobe: a giant fisherman’s knit and cropped jeans.

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All photos © Seven Sisters Style: The All-American Preppy Look by Rebecca C. Tuite, Rizzoli New York, 2014.