Thursday brought the news that former UN Ambassador John Bolton will be replacing HR McMaster as National Security Adviser. Bolton’s best known for his hawkish foreign policy views and walrus mustache, but a less remarked-upon trait is his penchant for buttondown collars.
Bolton appears to be sporting one in every photo that appears on Google, often accompanied by a simple repp tie. Perhaps the Baltimore native from a blue-collar background picked up the style during his time at Yale. The class of ’70 alum can also be seen sporting a Yale class ring in many photos.
While some chatter that McMaster’s fall is related to his being a globalist, a member of the deep state, or some other ominous descriptor, it’s possible the White House has run out of starched, spread-collar men, and has had to resort to buttondowners. — ERIC TWARDZIK
It always comes down to the buttoned down men.
Let the good times (and collars) roll.
@GS,
More likely: let the worse times roll, I fear.
Given Bolton’s track record of ‘wage war first and ask questions later’, what kind of shirts he wears will be the least of our concerns. T
“A well-tied tie is the first serious step in life.” Oscar Wilde. Bolton has a long way to go. Terrible knot in every photo.
This guy scares the living daylight out of me. Happy to celebrate each and every button-down collar but the less we see of this person, the better.
John Bolton is one of the “last” well-dressed men to work in DC, or anywhere for that matter!
Jim M.
@Ti,
How right you are! That knot appears to be what I was taught to call a Double Windsor.
Some charts call it a Windsor or a Full Windsor, it seems.
Whatever it’s called, it’s the wrong knot for an OCBD.
I failed to mention that the absence of a dimple also contributes to the unsightliness.
I give Bolton an A for effort in choice of attire. Every photo of him I have seen shows a button down collar and he seems to favor repp ties. Similarly, he doesn’t constrain himself to a solid dark grey, navy, or ( gasp) black suit. Nice to see the seersucker and poplin make an appearance. While effort merits an A, execution does not. Most of his collars appear either heavily fused or have too short of points to produce a roll. Ties would look better with a four in hand as noted. His suits are generally ill-fitting or have heavily padded shoulders.
Interesting military service rationale:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_R._Bolton
The full Windsor knot, mustache, and class ring all weave together a sartorial story that is clearly not Ivy League
Size matters, a 4 in hand knot can look dinky, when you have a 17 & 1/2 neck…..
For my money, it doesn’t get any better than when he sings When a man loves a woman. Then again, I celebrate his entire catalog.
Cheers,
Will
John has the bona fide conservative credentials to be able to help Herr Trump if anyone can, unlike the Rinos, Neocons and alt-right types that have been cashiered so far.
First things first! Eminenti of the proper OCBD collar roll are flummoxed however; it appears he moves the collar point buttons to eliminate said roll. Witness all of his seem to have none. Is there another explanation? In addition, his necktie knots help the overall effect not. A quick call to Mr. Mercer would eliminate the first problem along with a heart to heart from most of us here. Then his erstwhile McDonough School chums can remind him how they all had to learn to tie a four in hand.
Is it just me or is the content here extremely lame lately? What a dull post, why no news about Hertling closing? Or Jack Donnelly reopening?
Sparse commentary on a few photos or stale images with zero insight or background do not an interesting blog make, that heaven the comments at least have a pulse
@TED
I’ve said this before whenever anyone says that the site has gone the way of Brooks Brothers:
I’ve been running websites for fourteen years, and by year two I learned that there’s always a small portion of the audience that is ruthless, and that you’re only as good as your last post (or two or three). The other lesson is one that everyone in any profession has known for centuries: you can’t please all the people all the time.
Often when posts are short, it means I’m on deadline with another project.
And glancing at the front page to see if the content has been lame “lately,” I think the content looks as varied and surprising as always.
We have a writer working on the Hertling story, and I’m glad to hear Jack Donnelly is back. Was last in touch about a year ago.
All that said, there will be an announcement coming soon about the future of Ivy Style.
CC- I have to say the one thing you do exceptionally well is keep a conversation going.
This being the Internet with no facial expression or tone of voice, I have no idea if that’s straight-up or sarcastic!
Jack Donnelly? Does that mean we’re going to start talking about the “fit” of chinos/khakis again? I’m as New England Trad as they come, and I find nothing wrong with the khakis offered by LL Bean and Lands’ End. When men start talking about the fit of chinos, they usually mean they want a pair that flatters their behind; that’s the least of my concerns.
I do wish Bolton would attempt a skinnier knot and a mild dimple.
CC, I like the pieces on people. More, I say.
Here are a few ideas:
– William H. Brown (Harvard and Middlebury), English teacher and founder of crew at Andover
– Senator (and then judge) Jim Buckley (WFB Jr.’s brother)
– (former) Charleston mayor Joseph (Joe) Riley
S.E., funny I was just watching former Senator Buckley on Firing Line and was thinking that he’d be a good subject for an article on this site. Sadly, such an article might be his an obituary as he’s nearing age 100.
“The future of Ivy Style”? Oh, no—is it going to be downsized into a Twitter feed?
@TheRealChristianChensvoldIvyStyle
“BB redesigns OCBD again. LOL! #ivystyle”
“PRL hires FEC for new collab. Lollers! #ivystyle”
“R U ready? Squeeze opening new store in DC. OMG! #jpress #ivystyle”
“Supes totes stoked for summer. #seersucker #GTH #gnt #ivystyle”
Like S.E., I too like the pieces that focus on an individual.
I hope this site doesn’t start getting less of your time, Christian. It’s definitely one of the most interesting sites out there.
Yes, I always want to dress like a dwarf, neocon Vietnam-era draft-dodger. Do I get to send other men’s kids to die in useless wars as a part of the bargain?