I taught guitar for years. When I did, I started everyone out with a classical, nylon string guitar, no more than $100. In the beginning neither you or your hands know anything, and you must learn and practice the fundamentals. I used to say to people who brought me guitars they were thinking about buying: …
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 …
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, …
Had lunch with G. Bruce Boyer and Eric Twardzik last week. It was fantastic. Wine, pizza and two hours plus of conversation. We covered a ton of ground, and I learned so much from these two veterans. But first, the mountainous challenge of what to wear to that. I mean, it is Boyer and Twardzik. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
“The distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” – Albert Einstein Einstein and J. Press are both… pretty Ivy. In his theory of General Relativity Einstein submits that there really is no past, present and future. J. Press’s Spring Book is an exhibit thereof. You can check it out here. …
Editor’s Note: Dylan Arnold is a certified fitness trainer, and when I say certified, I mean elitely so. Not sure elitely is a word. You can read his credentials in the article. He will be offering up tips and nutrition advice, and will answer questions in his column here. You can email me any questions, …
Victor Besnard is a brand that may be unfamiliar. I did a review of the shirt, but thought you should get to know the creator behind it first. The shirt is very much like the man, old school European artisan standards with classical DNA. Here’s Victor. Me: Tell me the story of the shirt. Well, …
Editor’s Note: Happy Monday – back from a short staycation here on my side. First, from our friend James Taylor at Waterhollow Tweed, a brief history of the classic LL. Bean Chamois Shirt. Introduced by L.L. Bean in 1927 after L.L. Bean himself had worn the prototypes while hunting the Maine woods the Chamois …
We are going through the archives for any number of reasons, and I came across an collaboration between the site and Kent Wang. This is Kent Wang. Kent Wang is currently living in an RV in Europe. Actually, traveling through Europe. I didn’t know that when I reached out to say that I admired the …
Uniqlo has a navy blazer out that was brought to my attention from Jakob in an email. You can check it out here. Jakob wrote: To my admittedly novice eye for Ivy, it looks like this checks most of the boxes for the ideal Navy Blazer: sack-cut, undarted, swell stitching, patch pockets, and even brass …
My favorite story about presidential valets (grammar note before you get your blood pressure up, “presidential” is only capitalized when it is part of a formal title, like the name of an event, like Presidential Inauguration – it is not a proper noun unto itself so in this usage, small p – which reminds me, …
Quick note for the weekend, the paperwork is done, and Zoë Burnett is official as the Creative Director of Women’s Ivy. Zoë will oversee the creation and development of our Women’s Ivy section, as as well as write for the site in general and also work as an essential part of our Redesign Team. To …
Editor’s Note: This article is by James Taylor of Waterhollow Tweed fame. If you are in the FB group you know him and his wares. If you are not, you are missing out. He offers one of a kind Ivy items, every so often. You can see his listings in the group. And you should. …
“Seriousness is stupidity sent to college.” – P.J. O’Rourke Out my window this morning are trees shedding snow. In Bedford we are three inches deep but it is already starting to warm. Today will be in the mid 40’s. The trees will shake the snow the way a dog shakes the rain. You get to …
Editor’s Note: All shirts were dry cleaned with light starch at an eco-friendly dry cleaner and delivered on a hanger, not folded. The same ties and suit will be worn across the board so that you can compare apples to apples. All images were, to my tremendous humility, posted without a filter so you …