A Very Fond Farewell

Dear Friend and Reader,

When I started my term here, my aim was to open the doors of Ivy and traditional clothing to a broader audience. I was so tired of hearing and reading that Ivy was dead. It never was. The rationale was both personal and strategic. On a personal level, I did not like where the site was. Politics. Hate speech. Elitism. And on a strategic level, some of the market was moving on to fixed income and not buying as much, which would eventually choke off advertisers. So we had to find new people, and we had to make this a civil place for them.

I am very proud to look at the catalogs of the pillars of Ivy even 5 years ago, and look at them now. I think we all have arrived at comfort with a larger audience with different interpretations. Because remember, Ivy itself was a younger audience (university students) with different interpretations. I have always marveled at those who resist change but don’t accept the argument that Ivy itself WAS change.

The other thing I am proud of here is that we have learned not to take ourselves so seriously. When I got here there was legit fear of home invasion if you broke the canon. The people, what you say and what you do, are always going to be more important than what you put on. If it isn’t, well then, you are clowning. And people can tell.

We went from a battleground to “the most civil corner of the internet” (thanks Mitchell) but it was not easy. I of course made a ton of mistakes and had to course correct along the way. We tried some things that did not work (Women’s Ivy – although I bet Mr. Longcore can pull that off as he has a gigantic women’s following on his social media outlets). I tried some things that did work as well. Like vulnerability and praise.

There were criticisms levelled at me along the way as well. Some completely correct. The proof reading in the beginning was atrocious until the great Dean came along and saved me from myself. Trying to incorporate lifestyle, which is promising but requires more attention and resources than I thought I had. And journalism mistakes. I was new to the field (this isn’t journalism btw but whatever) and made mistakes in that regard as well.

Some of the criticisms were not valid. The vetting of comments. To say that I have voided the site of hate is not even close to accurate. I have, however, put in the work so that you don’t have to read it. An example from my last post where I wrote about Dr. Miles and his tremendous time with me (and btw, thank you all SO MUCH for your kind commentary there). One comment:

“what kind of a creep lies about his wife being “disfigured” and then also posts photos of her while she’s sleeping while she’s supposedly afraid of being seen in public. NARCISSSIST!!!”

(btw, I didn’t say she was disfigured, I said she FELT disfigured, I didn’t post anything without her consent, we agreed that we would do everything we could to make her amazing work an inspiration to others even if that was posting uncomfortable pictures, and narcissism has nothing to do with any of that, duh – for more on Trish’s journey check her out on the Today Show website and in Newsweek – Trish’s work is being presented to 40,000 patients and medical professionals at the Thyroid Head And Neck Cancer – THANC – Foundation this year, she has filmed a cooking show with recipes for those undergoing treatment and has a forthcoming cookbook along the same lines, in addition to inspiring The Lifted Project )

I know, of course, that on a site this big you are going to hit crazy people in their mother’s basement typing on sticky keyboards. Take the case of Trent Broughton, a self-proclaimed freelance journalist with fake social media profiles whose only published piece is a smear on me that he self-published on that beacon of ethical journalism Tumblr. Trent has assumed names and written my family under them, has posed as different journalists and harassed those who work with me, and even posed as a potential advertiser to see if he could get me to lie about my numbers on my show. (btw, I am applying the RFK/Fauci test to this, I am writing it, betcha I don’t get sued for it because it is all true). It’s a happy ending, over on the show he is now a running gag, but in the beginning it was frightening.

What I have found with these few people (the 1%ers of Ivy) is their universal inability to be able to hold two truths in their head at the same time. One can have made profound mistakes in one’s life and still write about Ivy values (in fact, I would submit that is exactly WHO you want writing about Ivy values) One can be uncomfortable with their photo but allow its use to serve a greater good.

I bring these people up not to give them air time but to encourage you, as you move past me and into a better place, to recognize that lunacy in others and check it in yourself if you have to. We made the site civil by choking off negativity. Did we do it perfectly? Of course not. Did we do it well enough to create improvement? Decidedly so.

I am grateful to the advertisers, who stood by me through a very rough year and who are about to be rewarded for it in spades. I am grateful to the FB group, who are really fun.

So I am proud of the turn that the site has taken, the increase in readership, the integration with the FB group, and the overall vibe.

What’s the future of Ivy? You are living it. Collabs. Growth. A merge with prep. A vibrancy with the constant prayer hands bow to the traditions and values that got us here. Eventually, Press or Andover or Duck Head or Jay Butler – although it is probably gonna be Classic Fella – is going to have to find an Ivy wardrobe solution to covering up our chip implants, and St John Bay Rum is gonna have to figure out a way to mask the metal odor, but that’ll work itself out.

What’s my future? My show, Home From Here, is a top ten globally ranked podcast on MixCloud, I have three studios, advertisers, and brave and talented guests who come to share their books, their music, their lawyering, and to integrate their mental health journeys into the story. The Lifted Project, also on MixCloud, is today top 10 in #talk, #interview, #alternative rock and #pop. If you like what I have done here, come check me out there. The Lifted Project this next year will have a cast of over 200, and I have branched out to 5 shows a week. My daughter is going to college next year, so there is that, and Trish’s recovery continues as we continue to work together to improve physically and emotionally. I have two books coming out in the fall, “Then Sh*t Got Crazy” which is the story of my own mental health path, and “Lifted” which is the story of Trish and Julie and their groundbreaking work in alternative physical therapies. If Mr. Longcore allows, I would love to publish here once in a while. Actually, we have shaken digital hands on that.

What is the future of Ivy-Style? I am as proud of whom I am making the handoff to as I am of anything I have done while I was here. Matthew Longcore, starting Monday, with the merging of Ivy-Style with his own social media presence, will be at the helm of the largest digital vetted population surrounding traditional style. He is a man of his word, he eats and sleeps this stuff, he knows his sh*t back and forth, and he is an academic with a creative flair. There is no one who can take the work we have done together and lift it to the next level any better. I am excited for the changes.

There are three people in particular I would like to mention. One is Richard Press, who embraced my approach from day one and gave me instead Ivy cred. Without his public endorsement and humbling mention in his book, it would have taken me far more years to get to where we are. A gentleman on whom my 16 year old daughter still has a crush, he was kind from day one, and that gave me the best first day on the job anyone could ask for.

The second is Bruce Boyer, who befriended me and taught me a very valuable lesson about this business. The lesson was, he invited me to lunch, so I immediately start sweating what to wear. Finally, I am like, just ask him. So I call him and ask, “What does one wear to lunch with Bruce Boyer?” And he answered, “Who gives a sh*t?” I learned more from that one joke than anything else anyone has ever written about fashion anywhere. I look forward to finally having the time to drive out to see you Bruce, and to talk music.

The third is the collective readership we winded up with here on Ivy-Style. We lost people when I signed on, but we gained so many more. I have made friends, good friends. Your unanswered notes during hard times were invaluable. And you took a risk on me, on the ride I was taking you on. I am grateful for that too, and will miss all of you very much. Joe Rogan says you cannot read the comments. That is because he didn’t run Ivy-Style. The comments are better than the pieces here, you add way more content than the authors, you are funny and you are authentic.

Finally, enjoy where this goes. We have done the work. It is now time to reap the rewards. Ivy-Style: The Classics Are For Everyone.

• JB