March 2012

Cornell Glee Club: Alma Mater

I spend much of my day with the Internet radio dial tuned to WGBH, and yesterday there was a long segment with the Cornell Glee Club. Here they are doing the greatest college song of all time. Video quality is mediocre, but they sure sound great. — CC


Hit The Road: Kerouac Out, Updike In

A sign of civilization in an age where the edgy, extreme and downright trashy are lauded daily, the April issue of GQ encourages readers to “kill their style icons,” and suggests trading Jack Kerouac for John Updike. Kerouac went to Columbia, but was too bohemian to dress Ivy League. Updike, on the other hand, went


Gant Takes Yale Co-op Collection Global

Yesterday Gant took its Yale Co-op collection global. Released last year in the New Haven store, the collection is now available online and in Gant stores across Europe and Asia. The release is backed by a hefty marketing campaign that includes photos of current Yale students and faculty, as well as vintage images such as


Below The Belt?: Lands’ End Clones Kiel James Patrick

This weekend a minor kerfuffle erupted on Twitter. Although completely common in the apparel industry, the David and Goliath story hit close to home for those with preppy tastes and sensibilities, who also tend to be the same people who lament the decline in domestic manufacturing and steep rise in offshore production. Newport-based Kiel James


For Pete’s Sake: March “Mad”-ness Continues

March Madras carries on, but now it’s back to madness — mad as in “Mad Men,” which returns to TV this Sunday night after a 17-month hiatus. The setting is now 1965, so the clock is ticking in the closets of these Ivy-clad* Madison Avenue guys. Pictured above is a still from the new season


Hot Off The Press: Richard P. On Twitter

If you can’t get enough of our “Golden Years” columnist Richard Press, former president of J. Press and grandson of Jacobi, then you’re in luck. A little coaxing was all it took for him to start tweeting and the septuagenarian says he’s already addicted. Richard will be sharing terse anecdotes, words of wisdom, style tips,


Milestoned: Ivy Style Reaches 500th Post

This is Ivy Style’s 1,000th post x .50. In honor of the occasion, I bribed longtime friend and colleague Michael Mattis, who’s been at my side since I first started blogging on style in 2004, to write some moderately kind words. This was the best he could do. — CC I must confess I have


March Madras: Brooks, Press, RL, Gant, O’Connell’s & Ben Silver

March Madras continues with this updated post with two more sartorial jump balls. In the first, J. Press squares off against Gant. Wearing an almost blinding uniform, J. Press offers a traditional madras sportcoat priced at $495. But shouldn’t this guy have graduated by now? In contrast to Press’ perennial classic, Gant offers classic-with-a-twist. Its


Coming Attractions: Animal House, The Musical

Perhaps this post should be called “Coming Repulsions,” either because you believe that tampering with the 1978 classic — which is set at a college fraternity house in 1962 — is sacrilege, or, like me, you were eight years old when it came out and when you saw it later you didn’t think it was


Hope For Weejuns

“I want a funky multicultural world with everyone in no socks and Weejuns grooving along to Jimmy McGriff. It’s a new hippydom based on proper shoulder line, half an inch of oxford cloth at the cuff and real selvedge 501s.” — Toffeeman Image by Alex Grant.