Two things drive me insane (1) The first minute and a half of any amateur You Tube video and (2) intros where the author tries to sell you the premise of the article and it is something you already know. If I have to tell you about how important morning is then this site is …
Last night a TV commentator opined that one of the dominant strains in Western lands at the moment is that the “elites are rising up to overthrow the masses.” Right on cue, humorist and former Harvard Lampoon scribe PJ O’Rourke came out with a piece in the Washington Post this morning arguing that it’s time …
Let’s unpack this because it is starting to hurt my feelings. My central thesis about Brooks Brothers back when Mr. Bastian took the wheel was this: What happens when a company is bought or sold is that it goes into debt. If you don’t do this kind of thing regularly, that sounds counterintuitive. If Nevada …
If you have a Presidential Memorial Day quote you would like us all to see, please post it in the comments and I will find a photo to go with it and post it between now and Tuesday morning. Tuesday is our review of Mountain & Sackett’s Spring/Summer ties, but until then have a safe …
Editor’s Note: Dylan Arnold is a certified fitness trainer, and when I say certified, I mean elitely so. Not sure elitely is a word. You can read his credentials in the article. He will be offering up tips and nutrition advice, and will answer questions in his column here. You can email me any questions, …
The following is an excerpt from Alison Lurie‘s 1981 book “The Language of Clothes,” a fascinating study of the semiotics of clothing. Lurie taught English for many years at Cornell. The book includes a section called “Social Conformity: The Preppie Look.” In it Lurie calls the prep look the descendent of ’50s Ivy League leisure …
As the saying goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. That certainly applies to menswear brands. But just because smaller ones may disappear without registering a thud, that doesn’t mean starting one is any easier. Yet Philadelphia-based Junior’s managed to establish itself as a new independent classic menswear retailer, and did so while launching …
Some things get lost in translation — academic jaron, for example — but not the buttondown shirt. Settle in for a lengthy read courtesy of Nathaniel Weiner, Ph.D. candidate at York University and his paper “Transatlantic Translations of the Button-down Shirt,” which appears in the journal TranscUlturAl. Here’s the article’s opening, as well as relevant …
Today we celebrate Christmas in a year that has tested all of us in new ways. And so as inspiration for the new year, Ivy Style asked contributor G. Andrew Meschter to opine on the notion of “muscular Christianity.” He said his best work on the subject is the following excerpt from his book As Iron …
The backstory: Brooks Brothers is ironic. As a flagship merchant for what is perceived to be the upper class, it has been empty-billfolded for a while now. A few owners, then finally, a covid tipping point bankruptcy, followed by a $325 million acquisition by the Authentic Brands Group, and The Sparc Group, in a venture …
During the Covid-19 lockdown, the question arises for each of us: To dress properly, or not? To maintain one’s appearance, and deportment, and flair, or not? To continue to do what one does, what ones believe to be correct, even if no one else is looking? We all know the correct answer. Standards are to be maintained …
As spring inches nearer, you may be considering wearing white denim (if only around the house). Or maybe not. In that case, consider a pair of tan jeans. They have the advantage of being a neutral basic like khakis, but more hearty, in case you end up in a wrestling match over the last roll of …
OK, much to catch up on here, so let’s jump right in. You could say it’s like building an outfit from head to foot. Starting at the top in hat news, check out the caps by Rowing Blazers. My dad picked one up to keep the sun off his nose while visiting New York just …
Our last post on the Brooks exhibit at Grand Central inspired this submission from a reader. Like this post and want more like it, more often? Help keep Ivy Style going for another decade. * * * If one looks closely at the crest on the historic blazer in the recent Brooks Brothers exhibit, it …
Recently we’ve examined the “bro,” who represents a kind of shadow figure of the contemporary young trad, sharing some of the trad’s qualities, but in a negative way. So what was the shadow figure of the ’80s preppy? Why, the gone-but-not-entirely-forgotten yuppie. Contributing writer Matthew Benz delves in. Like this post and want more content …
Earlier this month was Holocaust Remembrance Day, which inspired Richard Press to pen this new column. * * * Felix Samelson often remarked to me, “I survived the camps because I was lucky, and I was also lucky your grandfather was in New York, not in his New Haven store the day I came for …
Earlier this week, Derek at Put This On posted a lengthy Q&A with W. David Marx, Ivy Style contributor and author of the new book “Ametora” about Ivy, trad and Americana in Japan. It’s a smart conversation that Ivy omnivores will want to check out. Here’s a teaser: It feels like Americana, prep, and denim …
In the previous post, the discussion broached the subject of knit ties. Fittingly, I had a post ready for that. Above is a new tie at Brooks Brothers which I spied in the store about a week ago. I plan to be wearing it incessantly throughout the season. Black flecked with blue (there are other …
As yet another storm hits the East Coast, the Ivy Style staff — Chens, Zach, Chief Sharp and King Richard The Forty-Fourth — share the favorite overcoats that have been getting such a workout this winter. * * * When it comes to fabrics, The Ivy League Look conjures up thoughts of tweed, flannel and …