
If you are a member of the Facebook Group (and if you are not, you should be) then you know Evan Everhart. If you have posted, you definitely know Evan. There are various iterations. The definitive Ivy Expert (we write each other a lot, and I tell him all the time he has forgotten more Ivy than I know). The Purist (ironic, if you ask me, since he has a welcoming mind about the evolution of Ivy). The Coach. The Intolerant. The Tolerant. But mostly, The Gentleman.
Pablo Picasso once said, “Know the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.” Everhart doesn’t break any of the rules, ever, but his mastery of Ivy allows others, including me, to.
I mentioned we write each other often. When I decided to profile him, I asked if it was okay if I just quoted him from our talks since I kind of knew the answers to all of the interview questions anyway. He readily agreed. To get started then, I randomly scrolled to see if something interesting would pop up. This is the first random selection:
I was just thinking that I’d finally gotten a set of evening tails and I wonder now if I’ll ever have a chance to wear them. I hope so, but doubt it….. Of course all of my detachable collar shirts have gone missing too, to my endless ire and chagrin. I had a few of them….I have one evening shirt for that, but its for Cravat Noir only, it has a finely pleated breast and French Cuffs, and not a solid one with single cuffs which would be appropriate for Cravat Blanc.
My shirt collection would shock many. Its in the high hundreds maybe low 4 digits. I’ve never counted. Semi spread with French cuffs, Winchester shirts, tab collars, Clubbed collars, Western shirts, endless point and button down collars in fabrics of all descriptions, spear point collars, many bespoke and custom shirts. Ivys the dna and the touchstone and home always returned to, and usually worn, but its descendants are present, at least in shirts.
Or here, Evan telling me about the clothes he wore for the picture here. You would think that a man this into his clothes would be a frequent poster and camera-ready at all times. To the contrary, Everhart is photographically shy, and it took me more than a few minutes to get this outfit out of him. Everhart is more of a teacher and curator than a model, and reading about what he is wearing is as interesting as looking at it:
Coat is Southwick MTM from Nordstrom, trousers are WWII us army khakis, hosiery are wool crew from Sid Mashburn, shoes are Alden full strap pennies in tan Scotch grain, shirt is vtg BB, tie is Grandfather’s Ray Hammond of New Haven Ct., ancient madder. Pocket scarf is foulard silk folded by my Father and unmoved in about 20 years. Glasses are Muse, watch and ring and tie clip are gold and Grandfather’s. My Father picked the fabric and buttons and lining for that coat, and its cut. It was a gift for me.
You read that right. The pocket scarf has been preserved in the jacket for 20 years. I admired that, and told him so.
Yay! Im really pleased you like my Miss Havishamesque maintenance of the folds which my Father put into this scarf for me.
Post something preppy in the Ivy group (I’ve noticed Everhart softening towards the prep lately, I have to ask him about that) or better yet, post an outfit you think is nice but isn’t Ivy, and Everhart will let you know about it. Like Howard Stern, the edges have been rounded over the years and he is the first to admit it. But he is still firm, Ivy is Ivy and then there is everything else. He doesn’t pull punches, and over the years has told me at least half a dozen times to get my hair cut. But get him talking about his family, who raised him Ivy (he claims not to know it was Ivy at the time but I think he is lying, Everhart was born knowing Ivy), and Evan immediately softens. He is wistful about his grandfather, and matter of fact about the story of his own father’s shooting and subsequent abandoning of his family. Evan dresses like he was born American Royalty, but he remembers a time when shoes were a luxury, and he vows, “I will never be poor again.” But that history gives him a real sympathy for those starting out.



Recently Evan has been ill, and is recovering now, taking a look at his choices. I am begging him to go into the business (Ivy) somehow, but he is wisely circumspect. Everhart cherishes the style so much he is not sure he wants to monetize his love. But I am still pushing. Last year, to answer questions from people who were just getting started with Ivy, he wrote this post:
To answer a question posted earlier in a “What to Buy”, basic format for those interested, the following is a complete Ivy Style Capsule Wardrobe, including price ranges.
1 Navy hopsack woolen sack cut blazer1 Gray herringbone tweed sack cut sport coat1 Checked sack cut sport coat in brown or olive Shetland or lambs wool $15 to $ 200 (for all coats)1 Lovatt Green or brown crew neck saddle shoulder Shetland sweater $15 to $651 White OCBD pinpoint or regular $8 to $401 Blue OCBD pinpoint or regular $8 to $401 University striped blue & white OCBD $8 to $401 Pink OCBD pinpoint or regular $8 to $401 Navy blue polo shirt $5 to $351 Red or White polo shirt $5 to $351 Pair Khaki cotton drill trousers $5 to $451 Pair mid gray worsted wool trousers $5 to $2501 Pair Charcoal gray flannel trousers $5 to $2501 Pair Olive or Brown corduroy trousers $5 to $2002 to 5 Pairs Navy woolen or cotton over the calf hosiery $20 to $1001 Blue woolen surcingle belt $3 to $501 Brown braided leather belt $5 to $401 Pair penny loafers $10 to $2001 Pair tassel loafers $10 to $2001 Pair short wing Oxford brogues $10 to $2001 Pair White canvas sneakers $15 to $251 Navy or black silk knit tie $15 to $751 Navy Bar stripe silk rep tie $15 to $751 Navy ancient madder tie in neats or paisley $5 to $601 Package White linen handkerchieves $5 to $20.1 Balmaccan rain coat $15 to $551 tweed flat cap, 8 panel cap, hat, or fur felt trilby hat $5 to $200
I guess I sound like that reading myself in my own internal monologue…of myself. Interesting! Thank you so very much, John. I am very touched, and it is interesting indeed to see a capsule version of yr opinion and perspective of me. I hope I dont seem as much of an unapproachable person as I possibly do….I do think its important to curate and also to point out errors or short falls, but not just as negative points, but to also explain how those can be turned around. Id also to thank the gentlemen who regularly commend on this blog, and in the forum for the many gaps which they have generously given their time in filling in my knowledge of this favorite field of mine. Thank you, Sirs, and to you, John.
nice article, john. i for one have enjoyed reading mr everhart’s commentary over the years both here and in the facebook gruppe, and i frequently learn something new about The Look™ and it’s history when i read his stuff. i would relish the chance to learn more from him, if i could. i think it would be great if he wouldn’t mind sharing more of his knowledge on the i-s site, or perhaps on a platform of his own, in some more long-form pieces, if he has the energy for that sort of thing of course.
Thanks Ben! I am working on him. – JB
Hi Ben K., Thank you so much for yr kind words! Im always available for any questions that I may have some insight into. I should also mention that while I love Ivy Style and grew up with many elements of it, there are many gentlemen here who taught me a great deal by sharing their time with me, and their memories, to teach me. The gentlemen who lived it are our living archives and primary sources, far more than any smattering of ad art or photographs in a style book as research, because unlike the gentlemen who lived it and are here to share their memories, those photographs are lacking in context, the complete and unabridged what and how and where and why and when.
Hello Evan, your photos above provide the quintessential example of an Ivy Style ensemble. Well done!
I thoroughly enjoyed the profile.
Thrifting IVY in the Finger Lakes is virtually non existent. I would be interested in some recommendations in New England or the Mid Atlantic !
Thx
Your devotion to Ivy is impressive.
I will never “join” Facebook’
Ok? – JB
The Faire Isle sweater kills the otherwise well put together
combination.
So nice to see and hear from and about Evan Everhart. I have long enjoyed your comments and observations. It is a real treat to see a longer post, complete with photos.
Mr. Everhart is indeed Ivy personified, but I can’t for the life of me understand why he would choose Muse eyeglass frames when the Anglo American 406 frames–the epitome of Ivy frames–are still available.
Because he likes them? – JB
Proper prices and proper inclusion of a cap.
I hope Mr. Everhart’s recovery continues to proceed well.
A wonderful range of items and combinations! Inspirational.
Kind Regards.
H-U
Thank you so very much, Elder Prep!
Charlottesville, Ive missed yr witty and poignant insights, and yr kind candor!
Thank you, Numbers! My recovery is coming along, slowly but surely.
Heinz-Ulrich von Boffke, thank you so very much, I am pleased that you approve, Sir!
Mr. Sack, it is a good thing that you are not the one wearing my Fair Isle sweater which has been in my family for generations, 3, but still.
Mr. Bean, the reason that I wear my Muse frame instead of that other frame is because I like the frame which I chose, and dont like the frame which you suggested, and choose my glasses frames based upon what suits my taste and face, and not based upon what other people like or prefer.
Gentlemen, thank you all!
Wonderful article about a wonderful man! 🙂
Thank you John and Evan. Feel free to do this again, soon.
Thank YOU – JB
Certainly has style, and I’d love to have his wardrobe, but there’s an odd T. Herman Zweibel vibe about him I just can’t shake.
I’m not on Facebook, so the impeccably-Ivy style of Mr. Everhart is not something I’ve had the pleasure of seeing or reading about. I admire and respect a man who not only knows how to dress this well (and does so with a comfortable ease about him), but also knows the value of the kinds of generational hand-me-downs he talks about here. My father used to wear such terrific Hickey Freeman suits (among others). His collection of ties was outstanding. I remember going with him to a couple of his preferred haberdashers when I was a kid and seeing the vast piles and stacks and racks of varied wool fabrics and trousers and jackets in different hues, patterns, and textures, and assuming in a childlike way that I’d be dressing like that someday. Alas, at the time he was getting rid of a lot of those clothes, my own sense of style had not sufficiently matured into appreciating them the way I would now. I know I missed out on some great stuff that way. But I’m hopeful someone savvier, who knew what they were looking for, found them at whatever thrift shops they ended up in and is wearing the heck out of ’em.
Hi Nevada – I am very sure you and Evan would be friends were you to meet. Kindred spirits. – JB
Nice story. The interview I was waiting for. I am getting married in a few weeks. 10 months ago I started to think about a tuxedo and accoutrements. Keeping Ivy as a thought, and I’m a few decades away from 25 and wanted the finer things. The only guy I reached out to was Even. We aren’t friends, never spoke before and he took the time with straight advice. He didn’t say what I wanted to hear. He schooled me on sox, shoes and the other items. French silk dress socks, Carmina shoes from Spain he said. I asked “full cut shoes?” “No, cap toe, you’ll get more use.” I agree with John, put a shingle up.
Mr. Everhart,
Thank you for your kind reaction to my comment. I can assure you, in all sincerity, that unlike your excellent clothing choices, neither the size nor the shape of those frames suit your face. Furthermore, they detract from the perfect combination of your clothing.
Dear Mr. or Mrs. or Whatever Bean, I assure you that if those glasses are on Evan’s face, they are measured, considered, of the highest quality, and intentional. – JB
Messieurs,
I always appreciate and learn a lot when fellow ivy style dressers present themselves. Mr. Evanhart is a great dresser, pas de doute.
JB: This column is becoming one of my favorites because it is “real life” with “real dressers”. Merci beaucoup et bonne journée de Paris !
René
Hi René – and thanks! I am hearing that a lot and we will make it a weekly thing going forward – JB
I nominate Charlottesville for next.
What do you say, Charlottesville? 😉
H-U
I enjoy reading your blog here in Montana. This was a very enjoyable article and a very nicely dressed gentleman. Thank you very much!
Thanks, Whiskeydent and H-U. I’m not in the Facebook group, but if Mr. Barnett is interested, I am game.
*Mr. Burton, Sorry. Temporary brain freeze.
Hi! I don’t know you but you come recommended 🙂 I will email you 🙂 – JB
@Boston Bean,
Hear, Hear!
Your criticism of Mr. Everhart’s frames was not only correct, but diplomatically mild.
Note: everything else he wears is more than perfect.
Boston Bean, I can assure you that yr comment reiterated has moved from unwanted and fatuous to outright crass and rude, beyond being wrong. Wear whatever you like, and keep yr opinions to yourself.
Thank you, Mr. Giblin! Yr very kind! I hope that yr nuptials will be a real pleasure and the beginning of a wonderful new chapter in your life together with yr new bride!
This guy looks like a real nerd and those eyeglasses are too big for his face.
I am using this as an example. This is just stupid. I am leaving it up so that George knows this is stupid, and so that anybody who thinks “Hey it is okay for George to say things that way” also knows… it is stupid. And will be curated going forward. – JB
A wonderful peek into Evan’s oeuvre.
Im supposing that “George” is also Mr. Bean. As perhaps Mr. Milton may indeed be as well. Do we have a new Jimmy Frost Mellor in the making? Who knows?! Who cares. The waste bin of history is rather deep and dark.
Id forgotten how horridly full of trolls the blog was, and am now reminded. Charlottesville! I will miss your wonderful dialogue, but I will not miss the penny ante pedants who seen to choose this blog as their own point of egress from beneath their collective bridges and stones.
Thanks, Evan. I enjoyed hearing again from you as well. Please don’t leave in a huff, although it is understandable and tempting. I sometimes want to leave this entire century in a huff, or if not in a huff, in a time machine.
I wish people would be kinder in general, and lighten up about matters of personal taste. I have my own preferences too, but (pardon my French) Jeepers, folks! Can you imagine how annoying life would be if everyone with a different idea about the slightest nuance of dress than one’s own were to require personal correction? I wouldn’t have time to eat or sleep if I had to correct every yahoo who ventured out with a tie that was 5 mm too wide, much less in Crocs and cargo shorts. Just look around sometime the next time you venture out of the house in Anywhere, USA, including midtown Manhattan.
I suggest that we all take a ride on a public bus to Walmart (please forgive the snobbery, but it’s only a metaphor), and then, after some time for reflection, be thankful for the handful of men who still dress well (we happy few, we band of brothers).
I cannot imagine what opprobrium would come my way were I to appear online in an otherwise impeccable tweed jacket with the dreaded “Canadian shoulders” that everyone on this site, including most especially me, whines about. I am wearing one now, from J. Press, and the shoulders are, admittedly, peccable if one wishes to cast aspersions (or “cast nasturtiums,” as Lord Peter Wimsey once punned), but the coat is really not all that bad. It goes quite well with rusty brown mid-wale cords, U-stripe Brooks Brothers OCBD, O’Connell’s wool challis tie, tobacco-colored Allen Edmonds pebble-grain long wings, Brooks brown and rust argyle socks, and Brooks cognac alligator belt, all of which I am also wearing. You see? I can be a snob as well, but I know that someone in an Anderson & Sheppard suit, Lobb shoes and Drakes tie can “snoot” me, as the old expression goes, if he is that sort of person. It’s just not worth it. I am thankful that you dress well, and that this site exists.
By the way, Whiskeydent and H-U, John Burton kindly contacted me, and I hope to be able to submit a post at some point soon. Not sure of the topic, but I am thinking. In addition, I would nominate Roy R. Platt for the next man-on-the-street Ivy Style interview. if he is willing. His delightful combination of deadpan humor, and deep knowledge of the LA Ivy scene would be lit, as the kids say.
Charlottesville,
You, Sir, are a gentleman of the first water, as ever. I was not leaving in a huff, so much as stating my reason for stepping back (again) from interaction with the blog as opposed to my regular interaction with the FB Group, although mostly it was that I was unable to post on my other computer for some reason, and the inability to edit comments as I like to do. But Trollery was high on my list of concerns. Especially trolls using boorish pseudonyms. I remember some really persistent ones on here. I do miss Mr. Mellor however, not sure if anyone was aware, but I was informed by a well informed close friend of his that he had passed away. I was saddened to hear that, immensely saddened. By the way, the ensemble which you’ve just summarized; it sounds impeccably tasteful, whether or not the shoulders are Canadian. To be fair, the Canadian shoulders are not ideal (I had a chance recently to inspect a late model Press coat), but they are still better than anything else available in a department store that’s not Ralph Lauren or similar. I agree with yr perplexity with persons who feel the need to micro manage other people’s attire, it is…strange. I prefer to just take pleasure in the fact that someone is at least trying, unless they’re asking for help. As to yr coming interview, I’ll be quite interested! Will the incognito continue with shots from the neck down, exclusively? It will be great to see some of yr exceptional style in real photographic form for once! Finally, I agree, an interview of Mr. Platt would indeed be interesting! I think that there may have previously been one, but I am not absolutely sure. Have a blessed day and easy weekend, Sir!