By Matthew Longcore I am very much enjoying a three-week stay in Poland, the country where my wife grew up. We visit her family here every two years. So much of this place inspires me – the architecture, the food, the music, the history. I consider myself fortunate to have married a European woman who …
Mentioned recently in the post “Searching For The P In WASP,” this 1979 cover story on preppies is one of the most important historical documents on Ivy Style. It’s situated between the end of the heyday of the Ivy League Look and the preppy trend of the 1980s. It was first posted here in 2009 …
J. Press will be the official sponsor of The Harriman Cup — the annual polo match between Yale and the University of Virginia. This year’s match will be held on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at Bethpage Polo at the Park. For four decades, The Harriman Cup has commemorated the life of diplomat, polo player, former …
By James H. Grant Horse-bit loafers, also known as brass-bit or snaffle loafers, have been around for many years. Not being a horseman myself, I had no clue what a “snaffle” was, so I had to look it up. The original shoe was introduced by Gucci of Florence, Italy, in 1953. Consequently, the style is …
The Official Preppy Handbook was first published in 1980. It defined fashion at the time and still impacts style today. Dennis House, Chief Political Anchor and Host of “This Week In Connecticut” on WTNH News 8, an ABC affiliate, chatted with Matthew Longcore, the founder of the Preppy Handbook Fan Club and the publisher and …
By Matthew Longcore Last summer I had the opportunity to attend the Newport International Boat Show. For those unfamiliar, this is an annual event in the coastal city of Newport, Rhode Island. It is one of the largest and most prestigious boat shows in the United States. In addition to showcasing sailboats and motor yachts …
Interview Part 2 with Constantine Valhouli, author of Miles, Chet, Ralph & Charlie: An oral history of The Andover Shop Back in February, Ivy Style editor Matthew Longcore had the opportunity to interview Constantine Valhouli, author of a book about The Andover Shop. Here is Part 1. We reconnected recently to continue our conversation. This …
Henley Royal Regatta was established on March 26, 1839. The international rowing event is held annually on the River Thames in the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The regatta lasts for six days, beginning on a Tuesday and ending on a Sunday in the first weekend of July. Henley regularly attracts some of the finest crews …
By Ebrima Santos Sanneh Ebrima is a reporter at American Banker who covers government regulation of the financial industry primarily at the Treasury, FDIC, and the OCC. He also moonlights at classic clothier J. Press, where he helps clients, from senators to students, find their footing in classic American style. This article was originally published …
By Isobel Harte “There’s nothing more flattering than pearls,” says Andreas Kronthaler, creative director of [fashion designer] Vivienne Westwood. “They play with the whites of your eyes and teeth; pearls really talk to you. And they work on everybody, from young to old… You can wear them all the time—it’s one of the few things …
By James H. Grant [Warning: The following article will probably cause considerable controversy and disquietude – perhaps even some gnashing of teeth. Proceed with caution. – JHG] In the late summer of 1961, I embarked upon a venture to change my wardrobe from the non-descript blue jeans, plaid shirts, and black loafers I had worn …
By Matthew Longcore I hold a M.A. in Archaeological Studies from Yale University and work for the Human Relations Area Files (HRAF), an anthropological research organization based at Yale. HRAF produces an archaeological database used by scholars around the world. I also teach a course titled Great Discoveries in Archaeology at the University of Connecticut. …
By Matthew Longcore “Navy blue. The new neutral, it is the automatic first choice for shoes, purses, suits, sweaters. It serves as the perfect foil for colors that do not exist in nature – shocking pink, poison green, brilliant yellow, Windex blue. Purple is not Preppy.” – The Official Preppy Handbook (1980) If there is …
By Matthew Longcore Ivy Style. The very name evokes a collegiate aesthetic. We hear this phrase and we imagine cool, crisp autumn days. Football games and fraternity parties. Or we envision the rites of passage in springtime. Graduation ceremonies and academic regalia. Pomp and circumstance. As academic, I love all of this. I work at …
By Matthew Longcore Memorial Day this year will hopefully mark the end of a long cold rainy spring here in New England that followed a bleak and bitterly cold winter. I could start wearing white ducks with white bucks, but I’m not quite ready. It’s still too cold, the grass is wet, and the …
Never, Always, Sometimes: Ten Simple Rules of the Southern Collegiate Style By James H. Grant As far as I know, there were no codified standards which governed how we should dress when I went off to college in the 1960’s. There was no handbook, no Hoyle’s Guide, and no Marquess of Queensberry Rules. We were …
By Dan Covell Now that Rory McIlroy has – after ten tries – finally earned his career Grand Slam by winning the 2025 Masters Tournament, and the PGA caravan has moved on, it seems like an opportune moment to take a look at the Ivy Style impact of that annual men’s golf Woodstock that emerges …
By Matthew Longcore Last night I had the great honor and privilege of speaking at the Yale Club of New York City. My presentation topic was my doctoral dissertation titled “Dreaming Spires: Collegiate Gothic Architecture on American Campuses.” Many thanks to the Yale Club of New York City and all those who attended. It was …
By Matthew Longcore The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, widely considered to be the great American novel, was first published on April 10, 1925. To celebrate the centennial, here is a look at Gatsby’s enduring impact on style. In an article for The Telegraph titled Why the Great Gatsby at 100 is still the …