Just take a look. There are new entries into the OCBD market (I reviewed one). A lot of them. Fashion predictions are like – well you know the saying about everyone having one. But we can still identify a trend when we see one. Once a quarter we will do an organized, reader-driven review of …
I haven’t worn aftershave in 30 years. I have had a beard my whole adult life (and part of my childhood, if you count 10th grade as childhood). The first time in 30 years I wear aftershave, and I had it strapped to my face. I live in Westchester, NY, and was heading into town …
The good news is that there was so much traffic. The bad news is that the host wasn’t ready for that many surprise dinner guests. The good news is we are now. Apologies for being down the last few days – there are so many things happening here and none of them could start without …
The American-made oxford cloth button-down shirt (or the original polo shirt), has been put into peril. Another blow to American-made American style. But as the old saying goes, “every ending is a new beginning.” Enter Junior’s, the Philadelphia-based, American-made, and Ivy league style-centric company founded by Glenn Au in 2020. Cutting his teeth at the famous O’Connell’s Clothing …
I didn’t know that the Golden Retriever breed is only 150 years old. The 13th Amendment is 150 years old, so are speed limits and The Secret Service. Golden Retrievers owe themselves to Lord Tweedmouth. Of course they do. 1864. Lord Tweedmouth was an interesting guy. He came from money, and when that money trickled …
Editor’s note: I blame myself. We use the Latin version on FB, and when we introduced it we met with A TON of discussion – which wound up (I love it when social media actually does good) in the hands of two (2) (more than one believe it or not) actual (real) Latin scholars, and …
Once a week or so we will profile a member of the Facebook Group to see how Ivy Style translates to Real Life. They take place over text or Messenger. Laura Arnold is relatively new to the group, she has been there for about a year, but has received a tremendous response because (1) she …
Editor’s Note: This article is a reprint of an article at Ivy-Live, which will be down in a bit as we consolidate here. It is written by my friend Jonathan Boorstein. I have had the pleasure of getting to know Jonathan from the Facebook group, and in addition to being a gentleman and a good …
This, folks, is the collar of Paul Stuart’s new offering, the Oxford Non Iron Sports Shirt. That is what they call it. That is not what I call it. Tom Turner of our site emailed me this yesterday and we had a great talk about it (that man knows the business of ocbd’s better than …
Many thanks to all for the birthday wishes. Another thing I learned – cake is no longer a viable option. So for the next few posts, mostly housekeeping as we use August to evolve a bit. Comments are essential. If you want a response, email me. But comments …
In 1992, while a student at my California state school, I met with one of my English professors to talk about grad school. “I think I’d like to go to the Ivy League,” I said. She gave me quite a look. I don’t know where that came from, as I clearly didn’t know what I …
Today I’d like to look back on one of my favorite menswear stories I was ever fortunate enough to tell: my 2012 profile on Charlie Davidson of The Andover Shop, written shortly after meeting the legend for the first time. * * * A League Of His Own By Christian Chensvold From The Rake, issue …
I’m headed for the last roundup, as they used to say out here in the Old West. A big and exciting change is coming to Ivy-Style.com this weekend, so stay tuned. In the meantime, here’s the latest news from Tradsville. First off, the above image. Recognize it? That’s William Holden from the 1954 classic “Sabrina,” …
The laws of acceptance and exclusion were epiphanies I experienced during my days at the prep school Loomis, now known as Loomis Chaffee. My own humble status skyrocketed the day the November 22, 1954 issue of LIFE Magazine came out, which proclaimed the Ivy League Look a national style sweeping the country from its wellspring …
In our last post we mentioned a 1954 LIFE Magazine article entitled “The Ivy Look Heads Across US.” It’s been referenced several times here, including in a few of Richard Press’ columns, as J. Press was largely featured in the article. But we’ve never actually presented it here and new readers may not be familiar with …
The inevitable result of the fall of the Ivy League Look in 1967 is that eventually, for a certain segment of the public, the look would become America’s version of the powder and wigs of the ancient regime. Which means it’s time for the guillotine. Ralph Lauren, the man largely credited with saving the Ivy …
Some years ago The Rake asked me to meditate on the concept of poolside elegance. My starting point was the work of Slim Aarons, while my ending note was James Bond. In between are stops in Palm Beach with a few notes on WASPdom. If anything, this piece should get you thinking about a summer …
As mentioned in the comments section of the last post, “Preppy Chic,” watch discussions are always worth preserving. This post ran 10 years ago and was picked up by several other websites. The Sartego watches have since been discontinued and will prove difficult though perhaps not impossible to find. At the bottom of the post you’ll …
Commenting on our article “Is Ivy Cool?” reader “Camford” asked, “Are cigarettes and jazz cool?” I cannot say whether they are cool. Well, I could, but I won’t, as my physician, insurance agent and childhood music teacher might be reading this article. But I believe they are both addictive and potentially lethal. When I was young …