If you know the name Graham Marsh, it could be because you own the wonderful The Ivy Look book or indeed, Michael Caine 1960s or the jazz-inspired Max and the Lost Note kids book. Regardless of that, you will probably want to take notice of the Graham Marsh-designed Vintage Ivy Collection shirts at Kamakura.
According to Graham, ‘being an original Mod the designs have come from my 1960s, now ragged but much treasured and well worn favourite shirts’.
How did the range come about? Read on…
‘The wife of the owner of Kamakura saw my book The Ivy Look in the Paris store Colette and returned to Japan with it. A spread inside explaining the Japan’s love of the Ivy look convinced her husband to open a store on Madison Avenue in New York which he had been thinking about for some time.
They wanted to use the cover image and an inside spread of The Ivy Look as part of the awning whilst the shop was being fitted out. That store has been very successful and I designed two shirts under the Vintage Ivy label in 2013. They sold out so I have designed four more styles which have just been launched on the above website.’
Those shirts are pictured here, specifically a blue chambray tab collar shirt, a black watch tartan button-down, a blue stripe Oxford button-down and a straight-point collar with pin. Each is a limited edition, sold with a booklet featuring a short message and illustrations from Graham. Each has also been washed to create a unique texture which may cause the shirt to shrink up to 2% from its original given measurements.
All of the measurements are listed in detail on the Kamakura site, which is the only place to buy them (unless you happen to be near their New York store).
Prices are around the $79 mark, which is around £50.
Find out more at the Kamakura website
Eyeroll. Sorry to burst the fantasy bubble, but shirts like that can be bought pretty much anywhere. LLBean or any of 100 other places.