Misuses of language have a way of spreading like viruses. For years now sportscasters have been using the term “reactionary” instead of “reactive.” Reactionary, of course, means politically ultra-conservative, not “characterized by athletic reaction.” The same guys also like to analyze the “enormity” of the situation, when in fact “enormity” means excessive wickedness, not a …
Tonight at 9pm Eastern/6 pm Pacific I’ll be the guest on Jazz Advance, an online radio show hosted by Dublab.com, the oldest Internet radio site. To tune in, simply head here at the appointed time and press play at the top of the page. And if you’re otherwise engaged, the show will be archived and …
Yesterday the first teaser trailer was released for “Jackie,” a biopic chronicling the First Lady in the aftermath of the assassination of JFK. Natalie Portman stars as Jacqueline Kennedy and the film opens in December. Anyone else have a crush on her? DCG prefers Anne Hathaway, to whom I have a violent allergic reaction. — …
This post from 2009 came up in conversation yesterday and is worth revisiting. What an incredible mix of people. I had great fun writing this and imagining the scene. * * * One of the saddest phrases in the English language is “You missed a great party.” Well here’s one we all missed. In 1957 …
Back to school 1986-1989 meant the return to the Ohio hamlet of Wooster and the college that shares its name. By its very nature, the start of a school year is cyclic. An upperclassman’s confident return is mirrored by first year students’ fearful leap forward into the unknown. A casual observer would witness that awakened …
This story originally published in November, 2009 and is being reposted in honor of National Coffee Day. * * * For the Beat Generation, there were only two places to live: New York’s Greenwich Village and San Francisco’s North Beach. North Beach has been an old stomping ground of mine since my early twenties. I …
I spied this in Brooks the other day — you can see why it was hard to miss. The new patchwork cardigan — includes 20 different panels and 15 colors — is made of lambswool and priced at $498. According to Brooks’ website (which also notes the designer spent 30 hours on it), the sweater …
This morning I woke up well rested but surprised at what I was wearing: a Brooks Brothers dress shirt and Churchill-dot boxer shorts. Seems I conked out in the middle of “Pompeii” for the third night in a row, which probably means it’s time to return the movie to Netflix. As for what trad types …
While I was away in Cape Cod last week, my new “nephew” Al Castiel III crashed at my place so he could attend the Harriman Cup polo tournament on Long Island. What he found was that neo-prep lives, with Harriman putting the H in GTH. Here’s his insufferable report. — CC * * * Early …
Men who are “mad for clothes,” as Charlie of The Andover Shop likes to say, are a funny lot. Wearied from summer and the monotony of donning as few and as thin of layers as possible, they’re simply dying to break out the fall layers. And so they invariably go online the day after Labor …
Yesterday the Wall Street Journal reported on a new Golden Fleece collection from Brooks Brothers meant to be modern and casual. I know what you’re thinking: isn’t that what Red Fleece is supposed to be? Apparently, Golden will be kind of like Red’s uncle. Writes Ray A. Smith of the Journal: The 198-year old clothier …
We’re certainly living in a golden age of oxford-cloth buttondowns, with a dizzying array of choices. But there’s also something of a rennaissance when it comes to made-in-USA footwear, as Cole Haan has just unveiled a limited collection of shoes made in Maine. The downside to the renaissance is that there are only a couple …
Ivy Style’s Millennial Fogey columnist Daniel Greenwood was “greenwed” this weekend in Cape Cod, where his family lives, to his lovely fiancée Sarah. The ceremony was held in a charming, rustic Episopal church, with baroque guitar music provided by Robert Wolf, a coworker of Dan’s at J. Press. Wolf also provided reception entertainment with a …
Last night at the wedding reception for our Millennial Fogey columnist DCG, an old Yalie serenaded the two of us with an old song about a student who can’t afford J. Press clothes but he’s got to have his white bucks, which he wears all the time. It was perhaps in response to George Frazier’s …
De gustibus non disputatum est. In English we know this apothegm as “There’s no accounting for taste.” Much of what is discussed on menswear forums and blogs comes down to personal taste. To illustrate the point, we asked a number of style writers, bloggers and forum posters to name their sartorial pet peeve. One man …
Editor’s Note: Many thanks to contributor Scott A. Burrell for the piece you are about to read. Alas it’ll be reruns for a while after this: freelance writers don’t get vacations (though they occasionally get paid press junkets), but I’m off to Cape Cod for some golf and DCG’s wedding (in order of importance). Expect …
How to let your fellow students know you’re already eyeing a corner office and you haven’t even graduated yet. Ivy Style Facebook group member Def George on the first day of his senior year, dressed up and already hitting the library! — CC
While other indendent menswear stores are shuttering their doors, O’Connell’s is seeking to expand. Fueled by ecommerce from guys like you, the business has submitted plans to the city to construct a two-story addition to its Main Street, Buffalo location. The Buffalo News (from where the above image is taken) has the full story here. …
I grew up in a Catholic, Eastern-European enclave in Pennsylvania coal country. As such, the Ivy League Look is something I’ve consciously adopted. It has not been passed-down to me nor born out of my environment, which I feel has given me total freedom in exploring it. To me it’s almost a form of fiction …