For me, Joe Williams always was, is, and will be the perfect male jazz singer. I say this with the greatest respect to Armstrong, Sinatra, Nat Cole, Johnny Hartman, Torme, Bennett, and anyone else you can think of from that fifty-year classic period of jazz singers, 1925–1975. From the moment I first heard his …
There’s much to get caught up on since the relocation of Ivy Style HQ from Newport to California, so this will take several posts over the next couple of weeks. By which time, of course, there will be new news. We’ll start with shirts. Simon Crompton at Permanent Style recently did an overview of Ivy …
Heraldic club ties: So handsome to look at, so foolish to wear — or are they? Trad clothiers bring out crest-emblazoned ties every fall — including, this season, Lands’ End (above)— but who actually buys them? Do they make you a royal ass, shield you from the commonplace, or leave you a crestfallen subject of ridicule? …
The winter weekend celebration known as the Dartmouth Winter Carnival was an intramural Ivy League event of local consequence before Walter Wanger decided to bring Hollywood into the act. Wanger flunked out of Dartmouth in 1915, but achieved notoriety in the film world. Intensely proud of his days in Hanover burnishing his contributions to the …
Shortly after my dark comedy storybook “These Are Our Failures” came out last January, The Rake showed me a fine writeup they did. Then the virus hit and it was never published, apparently, as I heard, because men weren’t interested in neckties at the present time. Of course, that is the entire point of the …
At a moment when the necktie is facing an uncertain future, a new label is seeking to recreate the Brooks Brothers ties of decades past with an Italian flair. Grange Fine Neckwear is the brainchild of J. Mueser’s Chase Winfrey, who announced the project last month on his blog The Grange. Winfrey, a collector of …
Originally posted in 2011, this is Ivy Style’s first tribute to Black History Month. It also has the distinction of being written by Ivy Style’s youngest contributor, Robert I. Brown, who was a mere 16 years old at the time. * * * Although Jacob Lawrence was a high school dropout, he adopted the Ivy …
Winter is a good time to bunker down and take stock of your wardrobe, especially when there aren’t many occasions to get dressed up. You can always become a more perfect version of yourself. Nietzsche actually said words to that effect, though I wouldn’t take any style advice from him. Or grooming tips. When and …
Deciding on the right thing to do in a situation is a bit like deciding on the right thing to wear to a party… It might seem right to wear a navy blue suit, for instance, but when you arrive there could be several other people wearing the same thing, and you could end up …
With a little bit of luck — as the song goes — the year is off to a good start, all things considered, and you’re feeling flush. Congrats, and your good fortune continues, as Leffot is taking orders until February 7 for its limited-edition shell cordovan bit loafer made in collaboration with Rancourt. We live …
k Since 2011 Ivy Style has honored Black History Month by helping tell the story of the many African Americans who have donned the Ivy League Look since its heyday. Throughout February we’ll revisit some of our previous posts, and welcome fresh ones. Interested contributors may use the contact button above. * * * On …
Legendary Yankees announcer Bob Sheppard was raised in Queens and went to St. John’s University, where he won seven letters and served as senior class president, and later returned to serve as a speech professor. While best known for his announcement work, Sheppard, who died in 2010 at the age of 99, always considered his teaching …
John Koethe’s poem, “Sartor Resartus,” recalls his education in clothes. Composed several decades after the fact, it longingly remembers hallmarks of the Ivy style, “The perfect khaki pants, the madras shirts, cordovan Florsheim / Shoes,” and namechecks beloved stores, both those that survived changes in fashion and those that did not: Style was the point—a …
Who’s that stylish Frenchman in yesterday’s post? Why this fellow right here, who we originally profiled in 2010. * * * How influential are blogs? Influential enough to make at least one guy from the nation that invented chic to start taking his cues from America. French guys aren’t exactly short on style. Nor on having …
In 2010 Francis Cazal from the Paris-based blog Greensleeves To A Ground had this shot taken by Laurent Laport of Where Is The Cool?, reading “The Official Preppy Handbook” in an urban alley, and at night, no less. It remains eerily atmospheric and open to interpretation.
The wide, wooden floorboards are creaking beneath your feet. You hear the saxophones and stand-up basses — so characteristic of Golden Age jazz — just audible over the bustle of conversation from a few guys in the corner; today’s topic is the latest cricket match, but it could just as easily be the newest café …
Those of you familiar with the Great American Songbook will recognize the headline as a lyric from the tune “California Here I Come,” memorably recorded by Al Jolson and Judy Garland, among others. I am indeed right back where I started, in the most Twilight Zone way imaginable. But first, let’s recap. Thank you for …
As a follow-up to our last post on Taylor-Made shyoes, here’s another Main Street retailer that used the term “Ivy League” in its ad copy once the look became popular. These two Stetson ads are from 1953 and 1955 (coincidentally the same years as the Taylor-Made ads). Thanks to frequent comment-leaver “Old School” for alerting us …
Once the Ivy League Look gained popularity during the silver age of the ’50s, Main Street clothiers used the term as an advertising buzzword. Needless to say, Brooks Brothers and J. Press never had to resort to the term, and in fact dismissed the term “Ivy League” with mild scorn, as they’ve always done with …