Recently J. Press sent out an email plugging its fall items, so if you haven’t visited the “new looks” page, take a look.
And while you’re there, tell me if things look a bit different compared to seasons past. The mannequin forms, shirt collars, tie choices — something feels like a piano slightly out of tune.
You’ll also note their are classic items, such as the tweed above, as well as newer ones, such as the denim blazer below:
A tweed jacket with jeans is certainly a viable option — for those who lean that way. So I guess the logical choice for a denim blazer is a pair of tweed trousers. — CC
That denim blazer is ugly as sin, but is not precisely a “new” item. I distinctly remember HTJ pointing out the denim blazers offered in one of his heyday-era catalog scan posts. Back then they were apparently available with various school-color trim options. Still… yeesh.
As far as Press looking “out if tune,” that’s not the half of it. Surely I’m not the only one who noticed the marked decline of Shaggy Dog sweater options. (I am mildly interested in the Aran knit ones in fleece, though I’d much rather have a plain knit in Goldenrod or something.)
Christian,
In re the mannequins: Well, many of them seem to be a bit portly around the middle, causing the skirt of the jacket to puff out a bit. But, uh, frankly, it reminds me very much of the shape a lot of WW II generation men as they progressed into their careers and became successful professionals. But I should think that would please lots of the purists here, seeing as the coats really do look like sacks. My father used to quip that his Press suits were actually made by Ivan the tent maker.
re: rigging the mannequins…FWIW…just about as poor a job as a practiced individual can do…or if an inexperienced individual is involved, they need more practice…
@ Bob
These practiced/inexperienced individuals obviously never look at Italy, and how it should be done.
Denim blazer and suit, Ralph Lauren Polo circa 1977. It sucked then too. 😉
Denim isn’t doing it for me, but I have to say Press is offering some good looking shoulders/made in the USA/decently priced sport coats this fall.
Couldn’t resist tweeting separately (Richard E. Press @rvpress59) my favorite 1983 Presstige Tweed Sport Coat to compare with “new looks page” Tweed J.Press Fall 2014. Pictured above. Cry the beloved country.
The lapel rolls seem to have less roll than they used to. The button stance may be a touch higher, but this could be a visual side effect from the lack of lapel roll.
This stuff must still fly off the shelf. I saw a tweed sport coat that I liked the other week via email and went to the new looks sections and there were almost no sizes left.
“A tweed jacket with jeans…”??? Never, never, never. And the denim blazer is bad enough, but why is the breast pocket so high? No thank you.
I’m assuming everyone got the doeskin blazer mailer this morning. That photo is more what J. Press styling and cut have looked like these past years. I think OCBD is right that the lapels look flat. And look at the difference in shirt collar between the doeskin outfit and most of the new looks page.
It’s hard for me to imagine, though, that they’re sold out of fall items in mid-August. I suspect it’s more a case of only limited deliveries so far from the factories.
Cranky Yankee,
C’mon, a tweed jacket with jeans has been practically a Fall standard since the 1970s, ever since Robert Redford hit it out of the park. That’s forty years now. How long does it take for a thing to become “acceptable”?
The denim blazer isn’t for everyone, myself included, but I bet it would be quite a useful item for a younger man in the modern world. With khakis and a Shetland as a knock around jacket? Where’s the harm in that? And heaven help us, but businesses can’t survive without new, young customers. Not even J. Press.
A denim blazer? Ugh! Seems like they are making an attempt to win over the proletariat by offering them something to wear besides the ubiqutous stained hooded sweatshirt beneath a thin plaid winter jacket.
Best Regards,
Heinz-Ulrich von B.
Okay, Mike, I suppose that a tweed jacket with jeans is ‘acceptable’ in certain circles. Just not in mine.
It’s a very safe bet that the Squeeze USA-made Prssidential jackets and suits are Southwick. Either lengthened Cambridge or Douglas.
This is all to the good.
OCBD–I’d guess the real life roll is moderately soft. More of a 3/2.5
Your circle being a very insular and small one. If this were the 1960s, you’d be bemoaning the use of the telephone in the office
@OCBD
Yes, the gorge is higher, the stance is higher, and the lapel does not roll right, in my opinion. None of which works on a portly cut jacket…
Jeans are for the ranch!
We should have a contest to see who can leave the most reactionary comment.
I prefer a higher button stance with a 3/2.5 roll such that the third button almost appears fully functional.
I also think that these are very nice jackets (except the denim coat). How a garment looks on a mannequin doesn’t dictate how it will look after it’s properly tailored to your frame.
I see J. Press now offers “imported” dress shirts. I think they’ve put some of these shirts with the New Offerings menu of items, which may account for the slightly different collar roll.
Didn’t Henry Fonda wear a denim blazer in the “The Grapes of Wrath”? 😉
@Christian,
Here’s my attempt at the most reactionary: when my ancestors stepped off the Mayflower in 1620 they didn’t wear c%$p like this so I won’t either.
Dressing standards of the 17th century, eh? You’re lucky we don’t have sumptuary laws in the New World.
Right you are. Down with tweeds and flannel suits.
I plan to write a letter to Press tomorrow. (I’ll use my quill). I insist upon a fall stock consisting or doublets, breeches, stockings, and garters. To heck with repp ties. A return to the ruff!
I prefer to think of it as a return to “timeless style.”
If it’s timeless, you shouldn’t have to return to it.
Not that I know what you’re talking about.
The tweed coat pictured has a nice pattern. There’s something wrong with the shirt collar. I am a NYC native who has lived in California for some years now. When I visited NYC last summer I was simply stunned that the J. Press store was closed. Is it reopening? I have a few jackets and suits from Press, circa 20 years ago. I always felt their fabrics and patterns were more interesting than Brooks Brothers. I felt they should have offered an upscale version of the suit and jackets (custom fitting, working button holes) to expand their market in the last ten to fifteen years. By the way, the outerwear, sport shirts, casual slacks, etc. at the NYC store was good quality, well priced, and generally quite nice looking, always a reason to go in there when in back in the city. Decidedly better than say, the Nordstrom Faconable stuff. The salespeople were priceless. I’m thinking of a fellow named Jerry who had worked there forever.
@A.E.W. & S.E.,
I prefer a 3/2.5 as well. I think that there is something much more visually pleasing about the lapel roll of a 3/2.5.
I would also guess that these are Cambridge (or a custom variation based on the sleeve length that I see) as I have heard that many of their current models are. I wonder if they mix in some Douglas models as well?
Good stuff. Glad to see they’re using Southwick. I wonder, as an aside, if Jay Walter is using Greenfield.
This is what Ivy was at its best: work clothing for men who actually dress for work.
The biggest news in Ivy is the introduction of Harrison’s “Archive Flannel” collection. This is the sort of cloth early and mid 20th century Brooks used for the No. 1 Sack. Superb.