Last week The Independent published a feature on John Simons, who is to England what Kensuke Ishizu is to Japan. The king of English Ivy is celebrating 60 years in retail.
Writes the paper:
Simons, more than anyone, is the man who brought the “Ivy Look”, the apparently effortless American cool of the postwar years, to these shores. “It was an egalitarian tradition for a society that didn’t really have a lot of history in that way,” he enthuses. “It was like Savile Row for everyone.” His championing of Ivy moulded the styles of a succession of British youth cults, from Mods to suedeheads and skinheads.
Head over here for the full story. — CC
Great tidbit in the article about how Mr. Simons gave the Grenfell Baracuta jacket the “Harrington” name in his shop window in reference the character Rodney Harrington, played by Ryan O’Neil, in the mid-60s TV version of Payton Place.
I recall watching Payton Place when I was in high school, with its portrayal of New England trad attire for the mass market.
All the guys in my suburban DC high school wore windbreakers with turned up collars but the dominant brand was Baltimore-made London Fog in tan or navy, commonly referred to as “my Fog” and worn over a lambswool or Shetland sweater in cooler weather.
Hail the inimitable John Simons, who stayed true to his cause.
He has proper style & taste, and unlike many also rans knows how to sell it.
See also E. Prendergast.