Of the infinite cultural things that could stand as shorthand for the victory of the lowest-common-denominator across middle-class American culture, one of my favorites is the attire worn for the “Jeopardy!” college tournament. Whether from the most elite and expensive college or a big state school (yes, I’m a living example that sometimes smart guys, …
Last night was annual Brooks Brothers holiday party, where Wynton Marsalis filled 346 Madison with jazz, creating the soft shoulders and hard bop combination that was, as I often point out, the inspiration for this website. I took photos of a number of partygoers, but they all pale in comparison to this shot of a …
This week a new start-up called The Hardy North debuted. Founded by three Cornell grads, the brand offers American-made sweaters in school colors and with the year of the institution’s founding on the back. Says a spokesperson: All the products are made of 100% superfine merino wool that is sourced, sheared, spun, organically dyed, and …
Recently a portion of the MFIT’s “Ivy Style” exhibit was brought to Japan for display at Tokyo’s Isetan department store. Last week museum deputy director Patricia Mears posted a write-up on her trip to Japan to oversee the installation. Here are some highlights: Although the run was only a week long, the buzz surrounding the …
Isn’t there some miracle diet that promises to burn fat while you sleep, so you can ostensibly wake up weighing less than when you went to sleep, without having to do anything except dream about donuts? Now there’s another way to wake up slim. This morning J. Crew sent an email touting slim-fit lounge pants …
Paul Winston has had to clone himself in order to keep up with the sudden demand for his value-priced neckties. Look closely in the photo above and you can see there are three of him taking phone orders. Earlier this week Paul Winston finally got around to putting up an ecommerce site for his wonderful …
Those who can’t get enough of brushed Shetlands should thank Derek at Die, Workwear! who just tweeted about some Scottish-made ones from Norse Projects, a brand definitely under our radar. The specs (especially the fully fashioned sleeve) are compelling: Made in limited numbers for Norse – Regular fit made from 100% Virgin lambswool – Unique …
Brooks Brothers CEO Claudio Del Vecchio talks to Bloomberg TV’s “Street Smart” show about the brand’s current business strategy, including the upcoming steakhouse, which he says was inspired by his grandmother’s kitchen. The hosts’ questions are on point, and include asking Del Vecchio if the more fashionable clothing risks alienating “the traditional East Coast customer.” …
Twenty-seven months and 20,000 balls after hitting my first, I finally made a swing on the third floor of Brooks Brothers (in my socks, no less) that the instructor said “could be on television.” Though it happened about six weeks ago, I just now got the video clip, from which these screenshots were taken. Since …
Today on Ivy Style’s Facebook page (which you should follow, by the way, for yet another vehicle for trad camaraderie and debate) a member posted a link to a recently uploaded slideshow of William F. Buckley. Included is the above shot of the family playing football on Thanksgiving weekend in 1971. I thought this one …
You have no idea how tempted I was to create a gift guide consisting entirely of black “Ivy chic” items. But seriously, it should come as no surprise that advertising support is what has enabled me to devote the time necessary to inform and entertain you as we approach our 900th post. So the following …
Although the tie above is from Chipp, this year I’d like to state how thankful I am for Charlie Davidson of The Andover Shop. Notoriously reticent and press shy, if Charlie hadn’t agreed to talk to me about dressing Miles Davis some five and a half years ago, and made it all sound so cool …
Recently an email sent by an Emory University student to his fraternity brothers telling them they were badly dressed made national news. Well it’s about time someone took them to task.
There are multiple meanings in the headline above. For starters, there’s the coming winter weather, which will require coats like the one pictured above, which is coming to a retailer near you. It’s a toggle coat in rugby stripes and is either brilliant or monstrous, depending on whether or not you take your whisky straight. …
As our exploration of “cool Ivy” continues, assistant editor Chris Sharp examines this Stanley Blacker advertisement, which is held in special reverence in the jazzier corners of Tradsville. * * * This Stanley Blacker advertisement is from 1965 and features an American blazer being offered at a British store. When it appeared on the Film …
Answer: only as cool as the guy wearing it. Cigarettes and sunglasses help. Here’s a sampling of images we’ve run over the past five years. — CC
© Photograph Judith Jamison/Barry Feinstein Photography, Inc. A new book shows that Steve McQueen could wear an undarted sack jacket and more than live up to his title as king of cool. Based on candids and stills from the movie “Bullitt” taken by friend Barry Feinstein, “Unseen McQueen” is due out next week from Reel …
Tonight at 9 PM is the premiere of a new JFK documentary on PBS. Here’s the description: Forever enshrined in myth by an assassin’s bullet, Kennedy’s presidency long defied objective appraisal. Recent assessments have revealed an administration long on promise and vigor, and somewhat lacking in tangible accomplishment. His proposals for a tax cut and …
In last month’s issue of GQ, the magazine managed to twice make an assertion that puzzled us here in Tradsville: namely, that a buttondown-collared shirt is not a dress shirt. The first instance occurs in question-and-answer format in Glenn O’Brien’s “Style Guy” column: Most of my dress shirts are buttondown- collar oxfords, but I recently …