This week discussion erupted — well, at least between a couple guys — regarding whether Ivy-preppy is a truly American style, or a global one because of its varied components and the people who wear it. Well back in 2012 during the last global Ivy trend, the French magazine Monsieur could declare the whole world was …
What is the future of dressing up? Has the pandemic, as many have suggested, killed off proper attire for good? Back in January I published a storybook of “apocalyptic menswear fiction” in which I assembled the entire history of men’s fashion in one place, lit a match and burned it to the ground. And just …
One of the many things I remember about my parents across their 55-year marriage is that they always followed politics. When I was little, I’d hear them mention off-handedly about friends or relatives, “Oh, they’re just Republicans.” And when I was older, after their political persuasions had moved right of center, “Oh, they’re just Democrats.” …
The last time there was a hit TV show called “Gossip Girl,” a certain patchwork scarf from J. Press had its 15 minutes as a fashion icon. Now a new version of the show — which centers around kids at an Upper East Side prep school — is being shot for release next year. Time …
Nine years ago Jeffrey Banks and Doria de La Chapelle presented me with a copy of their book, “Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style.” It was an honor as a couple of my Q&As for Ivy Style are cited in the credits, as is W. David Marx’s article on the Miyuki-zoku, plus work from early Ivy Style …
In 2015, PowerHouse Books, publishers of “Take Ivy,” released another book chronicling midcentury life on the East Coast. “Rebirth of the Cool: Discover the Art of Robert James Campbell” features mostly photos of jazz musicians, along with various shots of life in New York City by a photographer, as the title suggests, in the process …
Yesterday I awoke with one of those inexplicable feelings of esprit. The energies were flowing, the early autumn weather stimulating in its tension of changing seasons, and life felt good. Soon I realized that despite no particular place to go save where whim might take me, I found myself in a pleasantly drawn-out session of …
On Monday I posted an essay musing on whether we’ve lost the sense of cool, while also arguing that its spirit of detachment, poise and style has been with us at least since the time of Alcibiades. Then yesterday our eminent new professorial contributor took us on a stroll through the Ivy heyday, when Brooks …
It is remarkable how many references to Brooks Brothers appear in discussions of mid-century American poetry, most of them critical. As the discipline of creative writing grew, more poets found work in the academy. Critics of this new system and the poetry it produced liked to describe these poet-professors as dressed in Brooks Brothers, a …
Today Ivy Style extends warmest wishes for a happy International Men’s Day, with a little help from Harvard’s theatrical troupe The Hasty Pudding Club. The above image dates from the 1880s, when men were men.
Our last post ended with a shot of Norman Mailer arm-wrestling Muhammad Ali, or at least pretending to. So in light of that, and because coincidentally I got back into training yesterday, here’s a fresh look at the man born Cassius Clay, who is pictured in the blistering combination of checked jacket and white buttondown. …
Today we revisit one of the great icons of manly trad, who always gave the impression that, at any moment, he might take off his sack jacket, club tie and oxford and arm-wrestle Muhammad Ali.
One thing’s for certain: nothing’s funny anymore. Once upon a time, say back in the Middle Ages, monarchs and jesters held the mutual understanding that mocking the king in front of the court was fine, so long as there was a grain of truth to the jest. Today comedians say their audience has become a …
In 2011 Josh Sims released a coffee-table book entitled “Icons of Men’s Style.” The icons in question are not well dressed men but rather clothing items, and include such trad staples as khakis, buttondown shirts, tweed jackets and sack suits. The section on shoes includes some interesting facts about penny and tassel loafers: The origins of …
Yesterday news outlets reported/curated content informing/misinforming us that some 130 Secret Service agents serving President Forty Five have tested positive for the coronavirus pandemic. Things were different under President Reagan during the preppy ’80s, when a pestilential prepidemic caused symptoms such as popped collars and argyle socks. A mustache was believed to grant immunity.
This Norman Hilton advertisement dates from 1958. The copy includes the phrase “comfortably distinctive,” which is a good description of the Ivy League Look in general. Being distinctive while still comfortable is much more challenging, alas, when not wearing a flannel suit and soft-roll collar. But let the principle guide us nevertheless.
The much anticipated Todd Snyder x LL Bean capsule collection was released this month, pairing an award-winning American designer with an iconic brand whose name is synonymous with traditional, American-made quality. Like Snyder’s past collaborations with heritage brands such as Thomas Mason and Alden Shoes, the TS x LLB collection reinterprets the classics with slimmer …
Those of you who spend a lot of time on Facebook or who have a large network of office worker friends who email humorous ephemera to lighten the day may have stumbled across a certain kind of meme known as WTF, which compare the past to the present, rather unfavorably to the former. Now it’s time …
Rashid Faisal is a principal-intern coach for Teachers College of Columbia University. He also partners with his wife Christie Faisal in a venture called Golden Apple Guest Teachers supplying hard-to-staff schools with substitute teachers who have gone through their own Urban Teachers Academy training. A self-described “equity educator and a social entrepreneur” Faisal is an award-winning …