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What’s This About
Japanese Trad, or ametora, is Japan’s careful take on the sack jackets, button-down shirts, repp ties, chinos, Shetland knits and loafers of American Ivy style.
This guide covers the history and how to wear it, such as
How VAN Jacket, Men’s Club and Take Ivy brought Ivy style to Japan
How Japanese Trad compares with Ivy, British, Italian and French classics
The jackets, shirts, trousers and shoes that make up the wardrobe
Fabrics and patterns, from hopsack to university stripes
Four seasonal outfits
and many more!
You do not need Japanese labels to wear it; fit, soft collars and quiet colours do most of the work.
Key Points
01Ametora is Japanese shorthand for American traditional, the subject of W. David Marx’s 2015 book.
02VAN Jacket was founded in Osaka in 1951 by Kensuke Ishizu, and VAN staff published Take Ivy in 1965.
03The core jacket is a 3/2 roll sack jacket with a natural shoulder, worn with an unlined button-down collar.
04Start with an Oxford shirt, chinos and a navy jacket or Shetland jumper, then add one garment at a time.
Japanese Trad style, often called ametora, is Japan’s long-running interpretation of American Ivy League style. It is built from sack jackets, Oxford button-down shirts, repp ties, chinos, Shetland knitwear and loafers, worn with close attention to fit and detail.
Ametora is Japanese shorthand for “American traditional”, a term popularised by W. David Marx’s 2015 book Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style.
The look grew from American collegiate wear and East Coast preppy staples, and Japanese brands, magazines and shops have kept it alive for decades.
Compared with relaxed American preppy dressing, Japanese Trad outfits are often neater and more carefully fitted, though they use the same basic garments.
This guide covers the history, compares Japanese Trad with related heritage looks, and gives a wardrobe, fabrics and seasonal outfits you can adapt.
Japanese Trad is a style, not a brand; for example, J. Press is an American Ivy outfitter founded in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1902, and owned since 1986 by the Japanese company Onward Kashiyama.
Where Japanese Trad came from
Kensuke Ishizu founded the clothing company VAN Jacket in Osaka in 1951, and in the 1960s it became the leading seller of Ivy-style clothes in Japan.
Men’s Club magazine and VAN’s advertising taught young readers how to wear button-down shirts, madras and chinos.
In 1965, VAN staff published Take Ivy, a book of photographs of students at American Ivy League campuses by Teruyoshi Hayashida, with Shosuke Ishizu, Toshiyuki Kurosu and Hajime Hasegawa; an English edition followed in 2010.
VAN filed for reorganisation in 1978, but former staff and other brands carried the look on, and Japanese shops and magazines kept cataloguing classic American clothes during years when Ivy style had faded in the United States.
Japanese Trad compared with similar heritage looks
Japanese Trad is rooted in American Ivy League fashion, which our comparison of British and American preppy covers, and it sits alongside several other classic menswear styles.
The table compares their usual garments and colours as a broad guide; each has many variations, and each has its own aesthetic.
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| Style | Typical garments | Colours | Accessories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese Trad | 3/2 roll sack jackets, button-down collar shirts, flat-front trousers | Navy, grey, olive, brown, with madras and stripes | Repp ties, penny or tassel loafers, tortoiseshell glasses |
| American Ivy League | Natural-shoulder sack jackets, button-down shirts, flat-front chinos | Navy, khaki, burgundy, forest green | Striped or emblem ties, penny loafers |
| British tailoring (British heritage brands) | Single- or double-breasted jackets, spread-collar shirts, pleated trousers | Charcoal, navy, pinstripes | Oxford shoes, silk pocket squares, cufflinks |
| Italian tailoring | Soft-shouldered Neapolitan jackets, spread-collar shirts, flat-front trousers | Brown, olive, sky blue, pink | Printed ties and pocket squares, suede loafers |
| French BCBG | Navy blazers, Breton striped tops, chinos | Navy, white, red, beige | Pocket squares, driving shoes, boat shoes |
The Japanese Trad jacket is usually a 3/2 roll sack jacket. That means a natural shoulder with little padding, a straight body without much waist shaping, and three buttons with the lapel rolling to the middle one.
Oxford cloth button-down shirts with a soft, unlined collar that rolls rather than lying flat are central to the look.
The American Ivy original uses the same garments, often a little looser, with brighter summer madras and bolder ties.
British Savile Row tailoring has a more structured shoulder and a shaped waist, with spread collars, pleated trousers and quiet patterns such as chalk stripe and Prince of Wales check; our article on quiet luxury brands covers similar restraint.
Italian tailoring is softer still, with a lighter construction and a relaxed attitude often described as sprezzatura.
French BCBG dressing combines a navy blazer and chinos with Breton stripes and casual shoes.
Japanese Trad wardrobe essentials
Jackets and suits
Start with a navy blazer in hopsack or flannel and a brown or grey tweed sports jacket.
Look for a natural shoulder, little padding, a straight body, flap pockets and a single centre vent; a hook vent is a traditional Ivy detail you will sometimes see.
A seersucker or madras jacket suits summer, and a mid-grey worsted suit and a navy suit cover formal occasions.
Ring Jacket and United Arrows are examples of Japanese labels whose tailoring often appears in Trad outfits.
Shirts
The foundation is the Oxford cloth button-down (OCBD), which has a soft, unlined collar with a gentle roll, a box pleat and locker loop at the back, and button cuffs.
White, light blue, pink and university stripes (even stripes of colour and white) cover most needs, and a finer pinpoint Oxford is a smarter option.
Kamakura Shirts, founded in Kamakura in 1993 by Yoshio and Tamiko Sadasue, both former VAN staff, is a well-known Japanese maker of button-down shirts, and American makers such as Gitman Vintage are also popular with Trad fans.
Trousers
Trad trousers have a flat front, a mid to high rise at or near the natural waist, and a straight leg with a slight taper and a small or no break.
Turn-ups (cuffs) are common, and dressier pairs may use side adjusters instead of belt loops.
Mid-grey worsted trousers, khaki chinos, stone cotton twill and olive cavalry twill trousers make a versatile set.
Many Japanese fans also wear cropped or wide chinos and selvedge jeans, which shows how far ametora has spread beyond strict Ivy dress.
Knitwear
Trad knitwear centres on crew-neck Shetland jumpers, often with a brushed, fuzzy finish, V-neck lambswool jumpers and cable-knit cardigans.
Navy, loden green, burgundy, oatmeal and heather grey are the usual colours, and a trim fit lets the knit sit over a button-down.
Scottish knitters such as Inverallan and Japanese knitwear labels such as Batoner are among the makers Trad fans wear.
Footwear
The essential shoes are burgundy or brown penny loafers, tassel loafers, suede plain-toe derbies and longwing brogues.
Shell cordovan, a dense horsehide leather, is popular for loafers, and rubber soles such as Dainite help in wet weather.
Alden, an American maker, has long had a strong following in Japan, and Regal is a Japanese shoe brand that makes loafers and brogues in this style.
Accessories
Wear a narrow leather belt with a plain buckle with dress trousers, and a striped surcingle (canvas) belt with leather tabs with chinos.
Repp stripe ties, knitted silk ties and grenadine ties cover most outfits, in moderate widths that match the jacket lapel.
Pocket squares are usually plain white linen or a quiet silk pattern.
Tortoiseshell glasses in a round or P3 shape, a simple watch on a leather strap, and a tweed flat cap for casual wear finish the look.
Fabrics and patterns
Cloth
Worsted wool is the usual cloth for suits and dress trousers because it is smooth and hangs well.
Japanese mills such as Nikke (Japan Wool Textile) make suiting, alongside cloth from British and Italian mills.
Harris Tweed, handwoven in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, is a favourite for autumn and winter sports jackets in herringbone and barleycorn weaves.
Japanese textile traditions
Some Japanese labels bring local textile traditions into casual clothes, such as indigo dyeing, kasuri (a resist-dyed pattern woven from pre-dyed yarn), sashiko reinforcement stitching and boro patchwork.
These show up more in casual and workwear-inspired garments than in classic Ivy tailoring.
Patterns and weaves
Japanese Trad favours quiet patterns in suits and sports coats.
Hopsack is an open basket weave with texture and breathability, often used in navy blazers.
Herringbone is a V-shaped weave, popular in tweed sports jackets and winter suits.
Sharkskin, a smooth two-tone weave with a slight sheen, is used in suits.
Nailhead is a tiny dotted pattern that adds texture to suits and jackets.
Chalk stripe describes widely spaced, soft vertical stripes on a dark ground, common in business suits.
Shirts add a few classic patterns.
University stripe means even stripes of colour, usually blue or pink, and white.
Candy stripe uses narrow, evenly spaced coloured stripes on white.
Tattersall is a check of thin lines, often in two colours, on a light ground.
Graph check is a small, even check like graph paper.
Japanese Trad outfit ideas by season
Spring
Wear a mid-grey worsted suit, a pale blue Oxford button-down shirt, a burgundy and navy repp tie, argyle socks and burgundy penny loafers.
Add a white linen pocket square, tortoiseshell glasses and a tan cotton raincoat for showers.
Summer
Wear a blue and white seersucker jacket, a white pinpoint Oxford button-down shirt, a navy knitted silk tie, stone cotton trousers and tobacco suede tassel loafers with no-show socks.
Add a pale yellow pocket square, a tan braided leather belt and a straw hat with a navy ribbon.
Autumn
Wear a brown herringbone Harris Tweed sports jacket, a blue and white university stripe button-down shirt, a madder silk tie in red and green, olive cavalry twill trousers with turn-ups and walnut longwing brogues with dark olive socks.
On cooler days, add an oatmeal Shetland crew-neck under the jacket and a brown herringbone flat cap.
Winter
Wear a navy chalk-stripe worsted suit, a light blue Oxford button-down shirt, a gold and navy repp tie, black cap-toe Oxford shoes and charcoal over-the-calf socks.
Add a camel polo coat, a navy wool scarf, brown leather gloves and a grey felt hat.
Japanese Trad dos and don’ts
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| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Wear trousers at or near the natural waist with little or no break | Let trousers sit low and pool over the shoes |
| Choose jackets with a natural shoulder and light padding | Choose heavily padded or roped shoulders for this look |
| Let the button-down collar roll softly | Add collar stays or press the collar flat |
| Use navy, grey, olive and brown for your main garments | Build the outfit on several loud colours at once |
| Look after your shoes and knitwear so they age well | Judge quality by brand or price alone |
| Match cloth weight to the season | Wear heavy tweed in midsummer or seersucker in winter |
| Accept a little rumpling in Oxford cloth and tweed | Aim for every garment to look brand new |
Japanese Trad terms
Ametora (アメトラ) is short for “American traditional”, the Japanese name for this style.
Aibii (アイビー) is the Japanese spelling of Ivy, as in Ivy style.
Miyuki-zoku (みゆき族) refers to the young people in Ivy-style clothes who gathered on Miyuki Street in Tokyo’s Ginza district in the 1960s.
VAN Jacket, the Osaka-founded company, led the spread of Ivy style in Japan.
Take Ivy (テイク・アイビー) is the 1965 photo book of American Ivy League campus style.
Sebiro (背広) is the Japanese word for a suit, often said to come from Savile Row.
Iki (粋) is a Japanese aesthetic ideal of understated, refined style.
Shibui (渋い) names a Japanese aesthetic ideal of subtle, unobtrusive beauty.
Japanese Trad facts
1. Take Ivy. The 1965 book photographed students at American Ivy League campuses and became a reference for Japanese Ivy fans; an English edition was published in 2010.
2. The Ginza round-up. In September 1964, police in Tokyo’s Ginza district rounded up about 200 young people in Ivy clothes, the miyuki-zoku.
3. VAN’s rise and fall. VAN Jacket, founded in 1951, grew into Japan’s best-known Ivy brand before filing for reorganisation in 1978.
4. Kamakura Shirts. Founded in 1993 by two former VAN employees, Kamakura Shirts built its business on button-down shirts.
5. Archive and rescue. W. David Marx argues that Japanese brands and magazines both archived classic American style and helped rescue it, creating demand for American makers such as Alden, Brooks Brothers and Ralph Lauren.
6. Beyond Ivy. Later Japanese ametora took in American denim, workwear and sportswear, and Japanese mills helped revive selvedge denim.
Wearing Japanese Trad today
Japanese Trad shows how a style can travel. American campus clothes were studied and refined in Japan, then admired again by Ivy fans in the United States and elsewhere.
Its appeal is practical, since a few well-fitting jackets, button-down shirts, chinos, knitwear and loafers combine in many ways.
Start with an Oxford button-down, chinos and a navy jacket or Shetland jumper, check the fit at the shoulders and trouser length, then add one garment at a time.
Like traditional preppy style, it rewards care and repair more than constant buying.
Next steps with The VOU
If you would like help applying this style to your own wardrobe, start with our three quizzes, then book a consultation if you want personal help.
1. Check your body shape
Our guide to dressing for your body shape explains how proportions and silhouettes affect the way clothes look on you.
To check your body shape, take the body shape quiz for men.
2. Find your seasonal colours
Our seasonal colour analysis guide explains how colour seasons are used to choose shades for the outfits you put together.
To find your seasonal colours, take the seasonal colour quiz for men.
3. Take the fashion style quiz
Take the fashion style quiz for men to see which personal fashion styles match your taste, with outfit ideas for each.
None of the quizzes is needed to wear the outfits in this guide.
Book a consultation for personal help
For personal help, you can book a consultation with The VOU’s image consultants and fashion stylists.
Our articles explain what an image consultant does and how to choose an image consultant.
Our styling services for men are paid consultations; the shop page lists what each one includes.
Our guide to styling by occasion, location, season and time of day covers which garments, footwear and accessories to combine.
A label alone does not make an outfit work, as our articles on luxury brands favoured by ultra-high-net-worth buyers and how logo-heavy luxury designs come across discuss.
You can see our styling services for men or contact us with any questions.