Heard On The Street: Brooks Brothers x Supreme Collaboration
Today GQ reported on the unveiling of the anticipated seersucker suit collaboration between Brooks Brothers and streetwear brand Supreme.
New Spring Items From Bills Khakis: As Always, Made In America
A few days ago over at Golf Style I interviewed Bill Thomas from Bills Khakis, one of our longtime sponsors. Those of you who play or who are interested in this man committed to US manfacturing can check it out here. The brand has grown so much beyond khakis that you wonder if they’re …
Brown University Engineering Students, Circa Early ’60s
I believe it was Derek at Die Workwear! who stumbled upon this, or stumbled upon another stumbler. Either way, it’s a great chronicle of student dress during the Ivy heyday, including plenty of white socks, shorts hems, and penny loafers. — CC
New Colors And Fabrics For Baracuta
We last reported on Baracuta back in September, when the brand unveiled a revamped website. Well this spring it’s showing its famous G9 jacket in a slew of new colors, fabrics and styles, including the olive suede version above.
The Buttoned-Down Store Clerk
I got taken for an employee at Brooks the other day. Hasn’t happened in a while. — CC
Lil’ Sis: Rebecca Tuite’s Seven Sisters Style, The All-American Preppy Look
English lass Rebecca C. Tuite reached out to us several years ago, introducing herself as a sorority girl simpatico with our little sartorial fraternity here. She was researching the corollary of the Ivy League Look, namely the style that WASPy women wore at elite eastern colleges at the same time young men were setting styles …
Haircuts: Ivy League Versus Beatles
Last night the CBS evening news did a story on Joe Brown of Pensacola, FL, who is still a hardworking barber at the age of 98. Patrons were asked, as they should have been, whether they feel safe in the hands of a nearly century-old tonsorian, especially when he breaks out the straight razor. But …
Green Day: Chens Launches GolfStyle.guru
I suppose after nearly three years now of a golf obsession that’s caused me to neglect career and relationships (though apparently I’m not the first the sport has had this effect on), it was inevitable that I start a golf project. And so I’m pleased to announce the debut of Golf Style, which is accessed …
The Shawl-Collared Baseball Cardigan For RL Magazine
My latest piece for Ralph Lauren Magazine is on the shawl-collared cardigan, which was the favored warm-up gear for baseball players from about 1900-1930. Origins of exactly how and why the shawl cardigan became associated with baseball are murky, and very few of the sweaters survive outside of photographs. I was able to talk to …
The Art Of The Bow Tie: R. Hanauer’s Spring 2014 Catalog
Kudos to longtime Ivy Style supporter R. Hanauer for the wonderful cover on its new spring catalog, which arrived in my mailbox today (as it should have in yours). Hanauer paid tribute to the great tradition of apparel illustration that companies such as Brooks Brothers and LL Bean championed for so many years. A quick …
Tartan Day And Men In Plaid, 1950
In case you hadn’t heard, tomorrow is Tartan Day. To celebrate, we’re sharing a LIFE Magazine article from 1950 (scroll down to page 123) that showcased Yale students in plaid vests and Andover preps in plaid caps. The article opens with this: When the British caught wind of the fact that American men were developing …
Double-Breasted, The Reader Verdict
We bring our double-breast-fest to a close with the all-important reader vote. Have your thoughts on them changed? And since they play such a tangential role in the trad wardrobe, how many of you even own one? Vote below. Pictured above, incidentally, is the 1941 Yale swim team. Note DB with buttondown on the left, …
Golden Years: Getting High On Reefer Twill
We continue our exploration of the double-breasted jacket’s place in the Ivy genre with these recollections from King Richard XLIV. * * * The best-selling blazer in J. Press history was gathered by its roots from Aunt Florence. Irving Press’s spouse was a lady who lunched at the fringes of La Cote Basque and other …
Money In The Bank: Men’s Wearhouse To Buy JAB For $1.8 Billion
Yesterday a deal between Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A Bank was reached. No doubt JAB sealed it with a “buy one company, get three free!” kind of deal. There was a time when Jos. A Bank, which was often called a poor-man’s Brooks Brothers, sold American-made traditional staples such as dark herringbone suits, flannel blazers, …
Spring/Summer 2014: Prepare For White Jeans & Chinos
Yesterday Brooks sent out an email blast of its spring catalog. Inside its pages I spied something that echoes our most recent post on GQ’s Nantucket photo shoot. The common link is white jeans (and worn with sportcoats, no less).
Rhymes With Nantucket? GQ’s Preppy Spring Photo Shoot
What rhymes with Nantucket? Photobucket, of course. The March issue of GQ gets us ready for spring with a photo shoot shot on Nantucket entitled “The New New England Thing.” The photo above is the choicest, and here are highlights from the copy: We’ve seen a lot of crazy, tweaked-out preppy style over the past …
Writers On The Storm: The Ivy Style Staff’s Favorite Overcoats
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 …
Meet The Number Two Guy
Zachary DeLuca was one of Ivy Style’s first contributors, and he recently rejoined us in the more formal role of assistant editor, where he’ll be writing regularly, helping plan content, and fixing typos (though how good he’ll be at that, when he can’t even remember to button his own collar, remains to be seen). Zach …
Brylcreem’s Brilliantly Classic New Packaging
The other day I was browsing the men’s grooming aisle at the drugstore when something caught my eye. Among the Williams Shaving Soap and rancid Clubman after-shave, something was not the same: Brylcreem had changed its packaging. The update apparently happened last summer. Of course, if you follow the hair cream’s instructions and only …