Prep & Greasers
Though the British were the first to adorn the lightweight madras cloth they discovered in India with plaid, Americans are most responsible for its popularity and continuing its colorful legacy. Ivy League “preps” of the 30s and 40s escaped winter in tropical locales like Bermuda and once summer hit, their madras travelled with them to places like Martha’s Vineyard. The breezy and often bold cloth worked its way into American style from East to West Coast, which brings us to our most recent collaboration with Gitman Vintage.
This exclusive is inspired by the shirt worn by Richard Dreyfus’ college bound character, Curt Henderson, in George Lucas’ classic coming of age tale, “American Graffiti”. Set in Modesto, California in 1962, the film is a scrapbook of simpler times. America was filled with hope and optimism—the space race was and Saturday nights were spent cruising the drag in search of girls. Little did anyone know, everything was set to change: Vietnam was heating up, and JFK would be assassinated. But in 1962, things were good.
Curt's madras sharing the screen with a modded '51 Mercury coupe belonging to the greaser car club, The Pharaohs
Made in the USA by Gitman Vintage, our exclusive madras features a classic three inch button down collar and chalk buttons.
Click below to purchase:
Despite the majority of American Graffiti being set at night, Curt’s creamy white base madras manages to steal the screen. His button down both stands out and fits in amongst the tail-fin automobiles and the landmark Mel’s Diner. At the high school sock hop Curt’s shirt pops out amongst the other student outfits—a reflection of his Ivy League aspirations. While Curt’s shirt was short sleeve, ours is offered in long sleeve to give it a bit more versatility. The original shirt worn by Curt was purchased from Brook’s Brothers in 1972 and had the offensively large collar reworked to be more appropriate to the film’s time frame. Whether you wear this shirt untucked like Curt or tucked in, we're hoping it'll make you feel like you just saw an angel in a white T-Bird.
While Curt never found the girl in the white T-Bird his madras shines optimistically against the small town night
American Graffiti, 1973, 110 minutes, Directed by George Lucas.
All images courtesy of Universal Pictures.
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