From Brooks Brothers to Ralph Lauren

By Dan Covell Devotees of this space might recall pieces from last year written by my brother and me about the power of the Brooks Brothers brand in the Ivy Style universe. I was reminded of this again as I continued my research into Ivy League football souvenir programs at a recent revisit to the

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Tradified

From The Editor

Matthew Longcore, J. Press Icons Campaign 2024-25 Ivy Style (Ivy-Style.com) is the leading authority on the Ivy League Look. We feature traditional, classic, timeless style. Editor and publisher Matthew Longcore is the founder of the Preppy Handbook Fan Club. He has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and in the J. Press Icons Campaign.

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From The Archives

Dignity Again.

The passing of Sidney Poitier is being covered, rightfully, in such detail and so well elsewhere that I would only be dragging the remembrances down with my own respect.  Here is the NY Times obituary, a good place to start.     I heard a story this weekend too about dignity that I wanted to share. 

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Merry Christmas from Ivy Style

Merry Christmas from Ivy Style editor Matthew Longcore J. Press Brown/Olive Herringbone Sport Coat Polo Ralph Lauren Blue Oxford Cloth Button Down Shirt Brooks Brothers Navy-Red Silk Knit Striped Tie Archer Rust Corduroy Pants G.H. Bass Navy Pasadena Suede Bucks


The Duffle Coat – An Ivy Classic

By Matthew Longcore In 1989, when I was a high school junior, one of my favorite movies of all time made its debut on the silver screen. Dead Poets Society is set in 1959 at Welton Academy, a fictional boarding school, and was filmed at St. Andrew’s School, an Episcopal boarding school in Delaware. The


The Greatest Ivy Style Christmas Movie of All Time

By Dan Covell The end of every calendar year leads many to list-making: The top films of the year, the top books, the top eateries, etc. A group of friends and I, self-dubbed the “Fantastic Four,” met at Jimmy’s, a terrific cigar bar/restaurant in New Jersey and got a jump on this exercise to discuss


Christmas Music and The Power of Nostalgia

By Matthew Longcore Traditional, classic, timeless – these are the hallmarks of Ivy Style.  All of these are woven together by nostalgia. Nostalgia – that sentimental, wistful affection for the past – is heightened during the holiday season. Although we celebrate the holidays with our loved ones in the present moment, we are never exclusively


Ivy Style Holiday Gift Guide for Men

By Matthew Longcore Christmas is my favorite holiday for so many reasons, not the least of which is the music. As a lifelong Anglophile, I have always had an affinity for English Christmas carols. “Good King Wenceslas” is my all-time favorite, and I especially love the Celtic folk version from Loreena McKennitt on her 1995


Ivy Style Holiday Gift Guide for Women

By Sarah Cooney Sarah is the creator of the blog Fewer & Better and a contributing writer for Ivy Style. You can find Sarah on Substack. Christmas shopping for the traditional woman in your life (whether yourself or a loved one) is always fraught with difficulties. How do you know what is really worth it?


Main Line Style: The Perfect Loafer

Justin Jeffers is a self-proclaimed men’s style nerd and loafer guru. You may have seen his videos on his YouTube page The Fine Young Gentleman and you may follow him on Instagram at @fygblog. Justin grew up in the preppy Philadelphia suburb of Bryn Mawr. He attended The Shipley School and Villanova University before moving


Norman Hilton’s Ivy League Vision 1947–1970

By Nick Hilton A freshman at Princeton in the fall of 1937, Norman Hilton was introduced to the style of “St. Grottlesex” boys, graduates of elite New England prep schools, icons of Ivy League style. He admired, even coveted, the elite air of these men evident in the confident, patrician look of their clothing. He


For the Love of the Bow Tie

by Matthew Longcore Are you someone who wears a bow tie often? Occasionally? Absolutely never unless you’re in a tuxedo? Bow ties have been part of the repertoire of Ivy Style since its beginnings, but many of us prefer the four in hand necktie. Bow ties can seem fussier and more formal, perhaps because of


Ivy League Look in the New York Social Diary

In an article for New York Social Diary titled “If the Shoe Fits; Part I” (March 6, 2024), David Patrick Columbia describes the ‘Vassar-Yalie Prep school sensibility’ known as the Ivy League Look. According to Columbia: Brooks Brothers and J. Press were the two outfitters who drew the university/business/men and boys, and their mothers and


Stylish Interiors at Rooms With a View

The charming coastal village of Southport, Connecticut has been described as “historic, with an aristocratic air.” Town & Country featured Southport in the July 1992 issue with the headline “Yankee Proud.” The article included several photos from legendary photographer Slim Aarons, including this photo of Albert Hadley, interior decorator to high society who had a