If Ivy And Covid Had A Baby

Thanks again to the amazing Tom for sending me an article from Bloomberg by Max Berlinger this week about what is happening, somewhat disturbingly, to custom clothes.  The gist of the article is (it’s a paywall and we don’t link paywalls anymore) is that… A 2022 forecast from personal-styling service Stitch Fix found that half


Poison Ivy, The Madras And Clearing Up Some New England Confusion

There are things that New Englanders are very specific about, and New York not being in New England is amongst them.  They’d be correct.  New England was first defined by John Smith in 1616, but I think he meant New England as in, “Everything I can see from here is New England.”  And before you


Two Reader Submissions.

Editor’s Note:  Reader submissions are always welcome.  You can email me here.  Ask these guys, it is painless.   First, a ditty about the Scally Cap by Mitchell.  In “Bonfire of the Vanities,” Tom Wolfe famously alluded to Boston style with his catchy phrase, “the Boston Cracked Shoe look.” Apparently, Tom Wolfe never ventured farther than



Ivy Notes S1 E14

P.J. O’Rourke and I were not friends other than online, but I was going back over my emails when it dawned on me that P.J. O’Rourke is the Father of Degage. Exhibit A Exhibit B   Exhibit C I am loving Bruce Boyer’s work on music, and the playlists are doing well.   I did see



Question Marc

Editor’s Note:  Our first round of questions for Marc Chevalier, whose Ivy History cred stands up with anyone’s.  As always, you can email me questions or just put them in the comments.   And that last question, we already voted, the quarter zip is in.  🙂 Q:  Are there other types of collars, other than the


Ivy Notes S1 E12 – Chipp Off The Old Block

Alright man, look.  In various professional capacities over the years, I have had to write funny for money.  My brief to my divorce attorney was both hilarious and ultimately economical.   I have punched up scripts (a godawful project I couldn’t finish, it was written by an actor, a REAL actor, who should REALLY act.  He




Lord Have Mercer. The WOCBD Review.

  David Mercer is simply a great, great guy. And has the bona fides: “Not being a math major, I figure it’s always safer to say I was born in 1946. My Mercer&Sons designs and manufactures shirts and boxer shorts. I was fortunate to enjoy a classical secondary education and studied the liberal arts and


Ivy Notes S1 E11 – A Follow Up

Emails came in (thank you ALL) in large volume about the Ralph Lauren initiative with Morehouse and Spelman. First, thank god and finally. Second, I need a deeper understanding of the way that WWD handles the subject. Here is a typical headline of the coverage:       In contrast, WWD starts with the line,



Young Chet Baker by G. Bruce Boyer

Editor’s Note: We are beyond fortunate to be able to print as an exclusive three essays on music, specifically jazz, by Mr. G. Bruce Boyer. After reading Mr. Boyer, you are going to want to hear the music. I have put together a playlist here for you of some of Mr. Boyer’s recommendations.   Thank you


A Consideration Of The Pocket Square.

We are still struggling to get the world back in ties.  It isn’t as hard as it was a year ago, two years ago, but the battle is far from over.  I got sent articles (plural) yesterday (and thank you) about working denim into your office portfolio.   I have done you the service of reprinting


Ivy Notes S1 E8

First, the WOCBD review is working out.  Next up is Eagle.  If you have not heard of Eagle, they are a line Macy’s carries.   There are plenty of readers here who know the business better than I, maybe you can get us some history of the brand.   On the Victor post we got into a


The Victor Besnard WOCBD Review

Editor’s Note: There were some questions about sleeve length and measurement here. For a guide on how to measure shirts and convert between European and American measuring, Mr. Bresnard published this piece. From his email response to me this morning: “I have noticed that Americans measure sleeves differently than Europeans. We measure from the top