There are more than one kind of whisky, but then there isn’t. Scotch Whisky is Whisky. There is Irish Whiskey if one cannot get one’s hands on Scotch Whisky. Scotch Whisky is made, or given to us by the Gods, I dunno, from malted barley. Irish Whiskey is a blend, made from malted and unmalted …
Editor’s Note: Old School sent me a collection of essays from old Land’s End catalogs… and they are fantastic. We’ll feature some of them – there’s an essay on ironing your own shirt (the male author says, “You may call me a pantywaist but…”) (I have to tell you, I had no idea pantywaist was …
Book reviews are so predictable. They start in one of two ways – either with the author’s take on the subject and then a segue into the book (if you want my take on the subject read WASPS by John Burton – KIDDING there is no book like that) or with a quote from the …
I promise cigars. But here is a close up of the guy to the left of JFK. This photo is credited as being at Hyannis. Ok, I will get back to the central thesis. But no promises that we don’t circle back. A number of events coalesced. First, I have a huge day on Monday …
Recently, JB posted an Ivy Style Playlist on Spotify, and there was a discussion in the Ivy Style community about music tangentially related to the Ivy League. Be it that the artist attended an Ivy, dressed Ivy, or had some sort of connection to Ivy. If we’re judging by those standards, Vampire Weekend is gold-caliber. …
An ill-mannered impeccably Ivy-dressed person is… … … an ill-mannered person. I shouldn’t have to sell you on the idea of wearing Ivy rather than Ivy wearing you, and that the difference between Ivy as cosplay and Ivy as wardrobe isn’t the Ivy, it’s the person wearing it, right? I am a product of …
The problem with picking a strong lead image for an article is that since a picture is worth a thousand words one has to start in the middle of the piece to avoid repeating one’s self. Since not everybody is a visual learner, here: the death of the necktie has been predicted almost as …
My favorite Rodney Dangerfield joke has nothing to do with the rules about madras and white bucks and Labor Day, which the rest of this article will be full of. Here’s the joke. “I asked my wife, Honey, how come you never make any noise when you have an orgasm? And she says, how would …
I have received a lot of inquiries about the J Press catalog I reviewed and when to expect it in the mail. It went out at the end of last week. But please make sure you are signed up by going here: The J Press Website where a pop up happens and you can sign …
I have always been a fan of Chukka boots. The desert boot’s close cousin, Chukka boots are essentially a beefed-up version of their relative. While the basic outline remains the same, Chukkas have a slightly more streamlined silhouette and are made of sturdier leathers and more durable rubber soles. All around, the Chukka is …
On the Ivy Style Facebook group, we started a playlist of songs that were Ivy for one reason or another. Click here for the playlist as currently constituted. The reasons varied. The artist dressed Ivy. It was jazz. The artist attended an Ivy school. It reminds one of an experience one had at an Ivy …
J. Press is Ivy’s North Star, and the catalog, which you can see if you click here, strikes the perfect balance between letting us know North is still North and inviting a new audience. We’ll take a quick tour here, but really, go look for yourself. J. Press has not only stayed true to its …
Ted Danson stood on the shoulders of giants, too. Before Sam, there was only one celebrity bartender, and his name was Jerry Thomas. If you want to understand the structural roots of the Old Fashioned, you start with this guy: I have had chapters in my life where I was a bon vivant, but they …
The lead picture is boat shoes not on a boat. Here’s Aristotle: Aristotle knew how to frame thinking. He wrote a book. Rhetoric. In Rhetoric he talked about the Rule of Three. That people remember things most easily in three’s. I have heard, but cannot verify, that that is why area codes and the …
Editor’s Note: Just spoke to Tucker at Andover – this is a great opportunity to work in the field with one of the greats. The information you need is below. – JB The Cambridge and Andover locations of The Andover Shop are looking for seasoned full and part-time sales associates. This is a unique opportunity to …
My ritual is this. Every morning for the past seven years, I get up at 3:15 to 3:30. People find this hard to believe, so over the years I have challenged people to send me a random email at that hour, see if I respond. Then I realized what a tool move that was, and …
Is a home run. Why a home run? He rolled the cuffs, and no socks. Kidding. Kinda. Michael Bastian and Brooks Brothers gave the first look yesterday, less of a collection and more of a message, and it is a brilliant one. And I was the first one out of the gate screeching that tee …
Editor’s Note: Why Ivy Guys? is a title I guess I am stealing from Zoe, to be a monthly column about the perception of Ivy guys. We will also do a Why Ivy Ladies except I need someone to write it and give me a title I can steal. This’ll be monthly too. The columns. …