FDR Degage
Thanks to SE for inspiring –
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 …
Jazz Goes to College: Jazz and Ivy Style at Mid-Century
Editor’s Note: We are very pleased to present the second in a series of columns by G. Bruce Boyer on music (jazz mostly) and fashion. We have also put together another playlist for you to correspond with this piece, which can be found by clicking here. Without further ado, the versatile Mr. G. Bruce Boyer: …
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 …
The State Of Southern Ivy
Editor’s Note: We are especially proud of this piece. First, any time that someone tries out Ivy in part because of what they experience here, we are doing at least part of our job. Second, I love to hear from people who weren’t born into Ivy (actually we were all born naked, right?). Over at …
True Style by G. Bruce Boyer: Entertainment, Persuasion, and making Style a Fine Art
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: …
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, …
Two Titans of Ivy and Fashion Meet A Blogger For Lunch and Ivy Notes S1 E10
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. …
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 …
J. Press Spring 2022 Book & Einstein’s Block Theory
“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. …
Dylan Arnold Will Make You Look Better In Your W(hatever)OCBD
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’s WOCBD – An Introduction Before The Review
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, …
Ivy Notes S1 E7
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 …
Meet Kent Wang, Accidentally Ivy
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 …