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From The Editor
Ivy is a fashion born of a mindset manifested in a lifestyle. There are values attached: dignity, the value and power of thought, ethics, hard work, aesthetics, appreciation of all things classic, and the dogged pursuit of excellence. While Ivy evolves (I haven’t worn socks since Easter) the values don’t. If you are a …
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Bots Brothers: Brooks Introduces Innovative AI, Reverse Mentoring
No idea if Brooks plans to retro-innovate and reintroduce the styles and fabrics from the pre-’87 era, but it is taking a bold step forward with artificial intelligence. Multiple news sources reported today on a press conference Brooks gave yesterday, in which it claimed it will be the first to implement an end-to-end AI-powered platform. …
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Please join me in welcoming…
Double Breasted Blazers ARE Ivy If You Do Them Right
Pivot Questions For Ivy (It’s not what you think)
Seersucker Goes to War by CAPT Scott Rye, USN (Ret.)
How Did We Miss This One?
It’s Time We Crossed Our T’s
Ivy Notes S1 E31 (I think)
Gatekeeping, Diversity, and the Future of Ivy
J. Crew Gets A Little Ivy
J. Crew’s Fall Lookbook is out. Here are some photos. It is the premier collection for men’s creative director Brendon Babenzien there, and while it isn’t at all pure Ivy, there are enough influences to tell you which way young designers are leaning. That’s good news. They are …
My Baby Did Not Go To Columbia.
I remember getting lit up one time by a reader in the Facebook Group about wearing a Harvard sweatshirt when I didn’t go to Harvard. And in his profile pic,the guy was wearing a Yankee cap. I used to think it was a measure of intelligence to be able to hold both sides of an …
This Isn’t About Smoking Food It Is About Grilling But There Are So Many Better Headlines About Smoking
I spend a lot of time looking at vintage images of things. They are not in as bountiful a supply as one would imagine. Except for barbecue images. There are a ton, and I would guess that the reason is that barbecuing was a family deal you could do outside back when there were more …
Ivy Notes S1 E24
I saw sweaters for sale on Greenwich Avenue yesterday. It is back to school time. Which is weird because that used to be the third week of August. Yet, here we are. First, check out J. Press’s Pennant Label. They USE the word “Ivy.” I have been toying with the idea of starting …
Pants That Cover Your Heart
This story has a lot of names you are going to recognize, and one I am proud to introduce you to. Brooks Brothers. You know them, right? They had an executive named May Tan. Finance. Southwick Apparel? They had a CFO, May Tan. May has a big time resume in corporate, as do I, …
Fists of Ivy Fury
Editor’s Note: S.E. wrote this comment, which I am reprinting without permission because, well, it was already printed here. It is a great response to the Ties-Are-Dying crowd. The wearing of a necktie is an act of rebellion. Hell, the same can be said for opting for Classic Ivy. But more about that in a …
Ivy Notes S1 E23
It’s a Friday in July, but I have three things. First, The Amazing Tom sent me another article from WSJ on how the Tie Association is disbanding, and it started with a sentence so stupid I had to meditate again after I read it this morning. I am not even going to link this stupidity, …
The Mistake Of Changing WHAT Is Worn In Pursuit Of New People To Wear It (Is That A Better Headline?)
Let’s unpack this because it is starting to hurt my feelings. My central thesis about Brooks Brothers back when Mr. Bastian took the wheel was this: What happens when a company is bought or sold is that it goes into debt. If you don’t do this kind of thing regularly, that sounds counterintuitive. If Nevada …
Ivy-Style. The Podcast.
Richard Press has agreed to be our first guest. Eric Twardzik has agreed to be a guest. I am pitching G. Bruce Boyer a whole other thing, but worst case scenario I will beg him to be a guest. Who would you like to hear? The format is going to be an hour interview, …
Eric @ The Andover Shop
Editor’s Note: Eric Twardzik is one of the most skilled men’s fashion writers working today, so when we had a chance to publish his behind-the-scenes take on The Andover Shop, we leaped at it. We were right. On the day that I was asked to work at The Andover Shop, I was not looking particularly …