July 2010

Spirit of the Century: Brooks Brothers x Levi’s

Two 19th-century American heritage brands have teamed up to offer a new US-made jean. Brooks Brothers and Levis — founded in 1818 and 1853, respectively — today debuted a collaboration appropriately called Levi’s Jeans, Made In The USA For Brooks Brothers. “For generations, nothing has conveyed the image of iconic American style more than a


Jack Donnelly Wants To Be Your Go-To Khaki

Since their invention by British soldiers in India, who tried to conceal dust by dying their trousers with tea, khaki pants have been a menswear staple marked by overabundance. Department store racks are lousy with them, and new brands appear and die out yearly. The khaki market is a hard one to win a share


Ivy Trendwatch: Before The Fall

Will Fall 2010 be remembered as the peak —and therefore beginning of the end — of the Preppy/Ivy/Trad/Americana trend, or will it mark the beginning of a much larger and longer influence on American style and culture? Time will tell, and things are heating up in preparation. In this weekend’s Sunday Styles section of the


Show Time: Capsule and Designer Forum Wrap-Up

It’s Menswear Market Week here in New York, and I’ve spent the past few days at a couple of the trade shows. First up, Designer Forum, sponsored by the Custom Tailors & Designers Association, the oldest trade organization in the US. Pictured above are rep bow ties from Collared Greens, which has combined the preppy,


Back From The Dead: O’Connell’s Bleeding Madras Jacket

Last summer, when I posted a photo of myself on the front page of Ivy-Style, I was also wearing madras. Of course, that was a shot from the rear. This year I’m showing my less flattering side. Recently, while researching a story on madras for The Rake, I spoke with Ethan Huber at O’Connell’s and


Downtown Bound: Bass To Target Hipsters

Eager to reinvigorate a stodgy brand in the wake of the Americana fashion trend, Bass is preparing a new marketing campaign aimed at “hipsters,” Harbor Footwear spokesman Jason Lazar told Ivy-Style. Curious, we probed Lazar, the excutive vice president for Harbor, which holds the footwear license for G.H. Bass & Company (which is owned by