White Friday
Stuff your stocking with stocking ties from White of New Haven.
Happy Thanksgiving From 1923
Be thankful for then — and now.
UVA Fraternity Party, 1963
From the article “Old School: The Photographs Of Ed Roseberry” in the UVA alumni magazine. — CC
Bill Of Wrongs
Bill Cosby is invoking his right to remain silent, so to speak, on the flood of allegations against him. Cosby was the subject of an Ivy Style post during year one for his role — and wardrobe — on the TV show “I Spy.” As seen in the photo above, taken during a performance at …
The Postgraduate
Somehow I don’t think Benjamin Braddock looked like this much longer after the film ends. From a 1962 issue of Esquire. — CC
41: Bush Junior On Bush Senior
There’s a new biography on preppiest president George HW Bush, written by none other than his son, the other George Bush. Father and son are pictured above. The Washington Post has an excerpt and review here. OK, so 41 was wearing sack suits and striped watchbands when Reagan’s look was what Paul Fussell calls “LA …
Ascending From Los Angeles: Mike Nichols, Director Of The Graduate, 1931-2014
In the opening scene of Mike Nichols’ 1967 film “The Graduate,” an airplane captain intones the chilling words “We are now beginning our descent into Los Angeles.” Nichols has died at the age of 83. “The Graduate,” one of my favorite films, is truly directed — that is, crafted by a man with a vision. …
What, Me Worry? Yale During The Great Depression
The 1930s was the time of the Great Depression, yet simultaneously it was also the golden age of Hollywood glamor and of masculine elegance. It was also the time when the Ivy League Look flourished, though within closed corridors, the aristocratic golden age versus the postwar, democratic silver age. This article from the Yale Alumni …
A Natural-Shouldered View Of American History
A few days ago we introduced you to the blog “Wearing The Ivy League Look Since 1958” and its author, “Billax.” This morning Billax left a thoughtful comment on the post, along with what sounds like a mission statement. It’s worth quoting nearly in full to stretch out what Billax calls his 15 minutes of …
UK Ivy News Roundup
Several things are afoot in Ivyland across the pond. • First off, a new edition of “Hollywood And The Ivy Look” has garnered press in The Telegraph, where Hollywood is said to have had an “obsession” with the Ivy League Look. • Also in the press department, the John Simons shop got a write-up on …
Wearing The Ivy League Look Since 1958
Yesterday comment-leaver “Billax” took the time to kindly correct one of my many typos. I wish you guys did that more often. Billax has been a regular on the blogs and forums for some time, and while many amateur blogs are dimming the lights, Billax actually recently started one up with the name Wearing The …
The Last Of The Buttoned-Down Artists
The Heckscher Museum Of Art on Long Island is currently running an exhibit on the brilliantly whimsical work of Richard Gachot. Gachot attended Yale in the 1950s, and, as you can see in the video above, never lost his taste for buttondown oxfords. With so many artists eager to desecrate icons while sporting the physicial …
Tempus Fugit
Five years ago today, a fresh-faced young pup, I left California for New York. Now I’m a big-time big-city bigshot with a Chipp on my natural shoulder. It’s a smelluva town. The Bronx is up and the Battery’s down. And people in cars run you into the ground. — CC
Measure Of A Man: The Martin Greenfield Memoirs
Martin Greenfield, the Brooklyn-based tailor who has, over his long career, made clothes for Brooks Brothers and J. Press, has just released his memoirs. Entitled “Measure Of A Man: From Auschwitz Survivor To President’s Tailor,” the book is available from Amazon for $16.79. To learn more about Greenfield, check out this great video, which is …
In The Right Hood
Last week some of you may have heard on the news that a guy in Philadelphia is selling signs to small businesses that say “No Hoodies.” It created something of a stir, as some people complained it was unfairly biased against contestants of Jeopardy’s college tournament and Mark Zuckerberg. Hoods are much better when attached …
Nice Catch: The Harris Tweed Collegiate Football
For your autumn touch-football games, or your holiday shopping for the man who has everything (which may very well be you), consider a traditional football wrapped in Harris Tweed. If ever there was a way to reconcile clotheshorse and jock, this is it. I spied it a couple of weeks ago at the opening for …
From The Ashtray Of History: Vintage Campus Cigarette Ads
In my junior year of college my dorm room was decorated in a retro manner. One day a salesman hocking fake Polo and other fragrances popped his head through my open doorway. He took a look at two pictures on the wall and said, trying to break the ice, “Are those your folks?” Slightly annoyed …
George Frazier’s The Art Of Wearing Clothes, 1960
Yesterday on our Facebook group a young lad wondered where he could read the famous essay by George Frazier mentioned in our previous post. While it’s certainly googleable, we figured why not present it here. There is a section on New Haven and the natural-shoulder look, plus plenty of fine general observations on dressing. Also, …
The Art Of Wearing Clothes Elegantly
We bring our series on elegance to a close with these thoughts from the founder. * * * Take a look at this photo of former Esquire columnist George Frazier, author of “The Art Of Wearing Clothes.” There’s the Russell Plaid suit jacket, Churchill dot tie, and buttondown shirt — all pretty standard fare. But …