It’s long been said that Yankee frugality dictates that men hang on to their clothes, repair them as necessary, and pass them on to their progeny.
Somehow, I got hold of one when the owner wasn’t looking. It bears witness to the values of Ivy style: quality, smartness, practicality, longevity, thrift, stability. Custom made in the ‘40s by Langrock, then New Haven’s finest Ivy haberdasher (though more closely associated with Princeton, Langrock was originally founded in New Haven), the jacket’s superbly tailored tweed is hardy enough to deflect cannonballs.
Chamois suede piping, a rustic nod to military dress, adorns the collar, pockets and sleeve cuffs. The effect is striking yet within bounds. Frayed buttonholes, suede edges and linings have all been carefully resewn, patched up and replaced. Decades later the jacket’s original owner passed it on to his son, as evidenced by both men’s names on separate cloth labels.
Outmoded? On the contrary: still in the race. Patched up? Better to say, well cared for. Hand-me-down? Yes, but in the best sense: bequeathed in love and inherited in gratitude. Most recently, by me. — MARC CHEVALIER
Marc Chevalier (Harvard School, ’85) prepped in Los Angeles and lived to tell about it. His tastes range from sturdy chinos and colonial brick to ’30s double-breasteds and Deco skyscrapers. This is his first piece for Ivy-Style.
Nice cut. But I’m not crazy about the (suede?) piping. Like the neck tie.
Great tweed, and a great piece o writing. Very well done.
great jacket–well worth hanging on to and preserving-great commentary too.
max
That may be the coolest knit tie I have ever seen.
I don’t know which is worse: the color, the cut, the piping, or the tie?
You’ll have to choose one of the three, Strictly Trad. Can’t get away with indecision.
Or one of the four, rather.
Catcher,
If I were forced to choose, the piping is definitely the worse feature of this jacket: citified cowboy-styule, at the very best.
Next worse is the color, by all means!
Catcher (and All),
My humble apologies for spelling “worst” as “worse” and “style” as “styule”.
Bad glasses rather than illiteracy, I assure you.
I dig the piping.
Seriously guys. That jacket may not be trad, but it’s really fantastic. Picture it in the country on the weekend witha flask in one pocket and a hunting rifle under the arm. Just because its unique and a little unusual doesn’t mean its crazy.