The Spring Summer 24 season of Engineered Garments has started arriving at Big Trouble Store. After the previous Fall Winter 23’s exploration of “Heavy Duty Ivy”, the new collection doubles down in this lane with its creative reinterpretation of the precursive Ivy League look.
The collection is one of the most direct tributes to the Ivy League style that has influenced EG founder Daiki Suzuki since his youth. In the SS24 lookbook he reflects, “although I became immersed in Japanese designer fashion and 1980s NY menswear fashion after a few years, Ivy League style always remained somewhere in the back of my mind.”
He credits the book Dressing Right by renowned menswear writer Charles Hix for exposing him to “new ways of wearing clothes” and breaking the rigidity of defined style rules. This open-minded approach to assembling an outfit has been evidently present throughout EG’s collections, especially through Suzuki’s combination of design standards and unorthodox pairings. SS24 is summarised not so much by the preppy, peacocking statement items from the #menswear era of a decade ago – though there’s still a couple of those pieces in the broader collection – but instead by a relatively subdued reverence for Ivy’s influence at its 1960s peak.
Ivy Blazer
While its notched lapel, three-button layout and waist flap pockets may resemble the ever-present Loiter Jacket, Ivy Blazer is a somewhat more traditional piece from EG. It’s cut a touch truer than its boxier counterparts, but the natural shoulders and curved hem allow the jacket to sit comfortably on the body. The rear hooked vent and aforementioned waist flap pockets (plus two more internal pockets) are direct nods to the finishing touches from that era’s styling. Presented this season in breathable Navy Linen, this is a versatile piece for most of the year in Australia
Ivy BD Shirt
The Ivy BD Shirt is packed full of classic shirting features, including a button-down collar, flap pocket and locker loop, which were arguably popularised by the likes of Brooks Brothers, J. Press and Gant. This design is known as a popover shirt because of its half-button-up construction, requiring the wearer to pull the garment over their head like they would a jumper or t-shirt. Thanks to this characteristic, the shirt maintains the relaxed fit that has become something of an EG signature. Suzuki adds his own twists by extending the placket to three-quarter length and adding some extra buttons and selecting luxurious materials in the richly iridescent cotton and mother of pearl buttons.
Camp Shirt
One of EG’s Spring Summer staples and among the most versatile pieces in the brand’s offering is the Camp Shirt. While it may simply look like a short-sleeve, straight-cut, camp collar button-up, the dropped patch pocket is a perfect example of the brand’s playful pocket placement. It’s also reminiscent of the waist pockets found on Cuban shirts, which is sometimes used interchangeably with camp shirts. The latest variant incorporates Black Handkerchief cotton fabric, which is soft on skin and drapes flatteringly. Its solid colour and wide fit allows the shirt to be worn closed or open in equal measures of style.
As always, Engineered Garments still produce their collections in the garment district of New York City in the USA. Shop the newest arrivals at Big Trouble Store in-store and online now, and keep an eye out for the next delivery that’s just around the corner. Read other news here.
