Black Ivy: A Revolt in Style

How Black culture reinvented and subverted the Ivy Look

Named one of the best books of 2021 by The Financial Times

Black Ivy: A Revolt in Style captures a transformative moment in American history—when Black men across art, music, and culture redefined the clothing of privilege and made it their own. From avant-garde jazz musicians and visual artists to poets, philosophers, and civil rights leaders, this book traces how figures like Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Sidney Poitier reshaped the Ivy and Prep aesthetics into something bold, subversive, and enduring.

Through iconic pieces like the Oxford button-down, soft-shouldered blazer, hand-stitched loafer, and repp tie, Black Ivy reveals how a generation used style as both armor and expression—a rebellion against conformity and a declaration of identity. Featuring striking imagery from some of America’s most celebrated photographers, this powerful volume is a tribute to creativity, resilience, and the timeless truth that great style always prevails.