Christian Chensvold
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
Christopher Sharp
Assistant Editor
Richard Press
Featured Columnist
G. Bruce Boyer
Special Correspondent
Alexis Abbey, Eric Adler, Susan Bartlett, Matthew Benz, Robert I. Brown, Scott Byrnes, Marc Chevalier, Mark Chou, Will Chou, Deirdre Clemente, Zachary DeLuca, Andrew S. Eastman, Riley Ford, Daniel Greenwood, Chris Hogan, James Kraus, Pete LaVoie, Jason Marshall, W. David Marx, Michael Mattis, Jim McGrath, Greg Moniz, Old School, Phillip R. Pinegar, Tom Ryan, Christopher Sharp, Bill Stephenson, Taliesin, Rebecca C. Tuite, Byron Tully, Jerry Woodhouse
Contributing Writers
Dot Dakota
Graphic Design
Viorel Batoanca
Website Maintenance
Ivy-Style.com was founded October 1, 2008 by Christian Chensvold, a New York-based writer whose work has appeared in L’Uomo Vogue, Robb Report, The LA Times Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, RalphLauren.com, Rugby.com, The Men’s Book, NYTimes.com, AskMen.com, Esquire.com, and many other publications. He is also the founder of Dandyism.net and FineArtsLA.com, a contributing editor at The Rake, and covers digital marketing for Yahoo! Chensvold attended Cal State Fullerton on a fencing scholarship, where he was conference champion while studying English.
Featured columnist Richard Press is the grandson of J. Press founder Jacobi Press, and worked at the family company from 1959-1991, untimately serving as president. He also spent four years as president and CEO of FR Tripler & Company. A graduate of Dartmouth, he currently resides on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Special correspondent G. Bruce Boyer attended Moravian College and Lehigh University, where he took a master’s degree in English. He has served as men’s fashion editor of Town & Country, and is currently a contributing editor at The Rake. Boyer is also the author of several books on menswear, including the 1985 classic “Elegance.” His latest tome, on Gary Cooper, will be published in October 2011.
Seventy-seven-year-old Elder Statesman Bill Stephenson graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1954. After serving in the Air Force, he spent 40 years in the insurance industry, ultimately as marketing vice president of Aetna Life and Casualty. He presently resides in Princeton, NJ, frequently audits courses at the university, and gives walking tours for the Princeton Tour Company.
Contributing writer W. David Marx is a journalist living in Tokyo whose work has appeared in GQ, Brutus, Nylon and Best Music Writing 2009, among other publications. He is currently Chief Editor of web journal Néojaponisme and formerly an editor of Tokion and the Harvard Lampoon.
Contributing writer Zachary DeLuca is based in Cambridge. He has recently returned to his native soil after studies abroad in Scotland, where he received his Masters Degree in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh. He also holds a BA in English from Boston University. His interest in mid-century menswear arose after a chance encounter with a vintage gabardine suit, which he promptly wore to pieces and then vowed to find as many more as possible. An avid collector of clothing, he can be found combing the racks of J.Press and the local thrift store with equal relish. When off-duty, he enjoys a general excess of corduroy, single-malt scotch and pipe smoke.
Contributing writer Taliesin prefers to write under a nom de plume due to his position in the Federal Government. A Southerner, Taliesin grew up wearing Duck Head khakis and Sperry Topsiders without socks, but always admired his military officer father’s Harris Tweed sportcoats and knit ties. Taliesin acquired a taste for 3/2 sack suits while in graduate school at Cornell and Harvard. Based in Washington, he enjoys visiting New England and returning home to the South whenever possible, and finds the two regions surprisingly similar, despite their remarkably different accents.
Sponsors of Ivy-Style’s Battle of the Wits giveaways have included J. Crew, LL Bean, J. Press, Bills Khakis and Sperry Top-Sider.
All original content is copyright Ivy-Style.com, a Stickpin Media website.
Chensvold photo by Stephen Landau.
Sirs,
I’m interested in writing for Ivy Style.
I’m a graduate of Dartmouth College, with a degree in English. While in college I wrote for The Dartmouth Review, an offshoot of Bill Buckley’s National Review. I’ve since spent time in public relations drafting press releases and by-lined articles and am now a law student.
Traditional men’s clothing has always been very interesting to me for its style and elegance, and also for its ability to evoke long-ago values and traditions.
I’d appreciate any opportunity which might arise to contribute to this web log.
Thank you for your time.
Best,
Andrew
Dear Sir:
Yours is a fantastic website!
Especially a treat to navigate through all its Ivy ephemera.
I have never seen J. Press catalogs prior to 1958 so keep unearthing those wonderful remembrances of fabulous clothing past.
Cheers,
DSW
J. Press NY
Dear Sir,
Your style is super-amazing, and your hair is certainly Ivy League is both form and substance. Is Cal State – Fullerton one of the West Coast Ivies? I know that Brown is considered the “best” Ivy, but maybe I’ve forgotten one or two of them. Thanks to your wonderful website, I have just purchase five pairs of Khakis, some shorts with tiny crabs on them, and a schooner. What you are doing is truly God’s work, so keep your collar popped. See you in Martha’s Vineyard with the other whites.
Yours Truly,
Nigel Kittay Hetherington, Jr.
Dear Editor,
I am truly amazed by this website’s caliber of writing and scholarly articles. (It’s about time someone made a website for retards.) Shocking that this administration failed to read the article “Corduroy is the solution to the gulf spill.” While I am saddended in the fact that most of you are penned up in Nantucket for the summer, I take great joy in sleeping with your girlfriends while you are all away. I truly provide them with the pearl necklaces they deserve.
Said the Jew
[...] prévue, est arrivé l’inattendu. Il y a quelques semaines de cela, « The great Christian Chensvold« , du superbe blog Ivy Style, m’a envoyé un mail me disant qu’il avait [...]
Thanks for your scholarly work and passion for mid-centruty garb. I am an African American, and I am releasing a book called “Prep 101″ on August 31, 2010. It’s a historical preppie fashion guide that reveals secrets of the wealthy, and the cultural diversity that exists within the ranks. Prep 101 provides an in-depth review of those that are PREP-pared for Power and the battle for social rank and status.
I would love to discuss the book, and how we could share information that will reveal how smart dress has influenced the “great unwashed- those that follow ‘the crowd’ and don’t have a mind of their own.
Please have someone contact me 706-951-2671. Thanks
Now listen up…My latest and best find is a Lord and Taylor branded, Harris Tweed labeled (6 digit control number) and a ‘J.G. Hook’ marked hanger sport jacket. It cost me 5 bucks and I’m not gonna tell you my city cause I don’t want no competition. It’s a 44R…Just a dream. Instead of ‘hounds tooth’ or herring bone, it’s a tight weave with lilac, green, beige and some other colors that I don’t know the name for. Two button front and three on the cuffs, all leather woven. Patch pockets, single vent and 3/4 lined with a 3 1/2″ lapel. Looks never worn. This one is #86 in my collection that I wear to school…to teach. Came from a Salvation Army in town. Did you say woven ties? I must have 50. Bow ties? Yep, them too. My wife is kinda quiet since the GQ article showed all my stuff is back in style (for who)? Kids call it ‘swag’. I am Mr. Swag to them. ‘Pearl harbor’ lesson starts next week.
Hey, where is everybody??
Anyway, another super ‘yard sale’ find this weekend and in just my size, 44R and I like my sleeves on the long side. What a beaut.. The Pierre Cardin black and gold label sewn at the collar and the Pierre Cardin signature in gold in the liner; it’s fully lined. And in a good color too, dark gray from a distance but up close the weave shows up with specks of white, heather and maybe black? Dem’s some wide lapels..4″ but I can pull it off, I got that ‘swagg’. Long single vent, patch pockets..Including breast. Man, what kind of style was this? ‘Norfolk’ w/o the belt. I like it, two horn button front, I roll in it. Inside it has four pockets and in one was a stub for a 1984 Aznavour concert on Miami Beach. Big ‘Jordan Marsh’ label inside; they closed here 20+ years ago or more and a 1980 Union label so USA made. Lining makes it look like the sleeves were let down and that’s, like I said, good cause I have monkey arms. I’ll wear it to skool tomorrow and give my JFK lesson. NOW, come on. Post how cool are you? Any tweed is good tweed. You got one Korean made? Kool cause I do too. Them Korean dudes had the cloth and made you one to measure. Tweed is ‘swagg’; you dig?
Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your blog.
I was just trying to find the listing of all the different Ivy brands that you had on the right side of your page.
If they are no longer listed,is there a way I can let that list as yours is very complete.
Thanks once again for the enjoyable site.
Pat
Please post your review of “The Ivy Look” on Amazon.com, so that others will not purchase it under the mistaken impression that it has very much to do with Ivy.
@Joseph
Where does this fit with the rest of the posts on this thread? Funny how you popped up and posted this 9 months after Christian’s review of the Ivy Look.
This review is far more balanced
http://www.tuftsdaily.com/arts/the-ivy-look-gives-brief-history-of-east-coast-preppy-attire-1.2505295
While attending college in Michigan in the late 1960s our frat house was visited about every six weeks or so by the “College Classics” man. He traveled in a big old station wagon which contained about a half dozen trunks filled with shirts, slacks, shorts, socks and ties. When he arrived he would give a free tie to everyone who helped him unload the trunks and place them in our living room where he would spread out his wares. After joining us for dinner he would begin the sale. He was very trusting, allowing brothers to take items to their room to try on. i don’t think he got burned too often. As I recall the clothing was of decent quality. Unfortunately none of the items I purchased are still around so I don’t know whether the “College Classic” was the brand name of the company, the clothing or both. I have mentioned this experience to some contemporaries who attended different colleges (mostly larger) but no one recalls a similar experience. I am curious to find out if anyone else has this memory.
The reason collegiate logo clothing is not selling is that you must choose from, at most, four drab colors, white, grey, black and navy. Second, you only sell with logos with HUGE ugly lettering.
How about a pick Harvard t-shire with small green lettering, etc.
love,
Jack
whoops. pick should be read as pink.
the sweater looks a little like the photo like the black guy in the middle of one of your photos is wearing, he has in hisw pockets ,that pocket trim would have black on it aall trimmings are black the rest of the sweater is pure white”
Comment on Robert’s comment back in September. I was a Sigma Chi at GMI (now Kettering Univ) in Flint, MI, also in the late ’60′s, Class of ’69, and I too remember the”College Classics” guy coming by all the time. Bought lots of his stuff, stll have a few things as momentos. Am in a Belk’s store right now, got to thinking about that while in the “Polo” section; Googled on my iPhone, found this site, and had to comment that that College Classics “guy” became my arbiter of style. Drove my parents nuts.
I reckon I’m sufficiently old enough to remember when Brooks would have a train to San Francisco and Los Angeles. “Prices Slightly West of The Rockies”. When I went to Berkeley, there was a wonderful tailor in SFO – Duncan MacAndrews. We used to go over the bridge and drink gin on Wednesday afternoons. If Thisbe did not like a tie on a customer, she would cut it while serving Martinis to the unfortunate.
Dear Gents,
Bravo on your splendid website! I find the articles both lively and informative, and the photographs are always a real treat. I was wondering if you’ve ever considered Williamsburg, Virginia, as representative of Ivy Style? I’ve always found it to be so, and there’s always a fine collection of W&M swells sporting their Brooks Brothers garb to the delight of visitors.
Cheers,
Wilberforce
Bravo! I’ve been searching for a site like this for weeks. Perfect style!