There’s much debate about the difference between Ivy and preppy, but it’s really quite simple: they occur at different points on a timeline. For example, in 1964, when a spirited girl meets a handsome, reserved, all-American, clean-cut kind of guy who gets his clothing at Brooks Brothers, and simultaneously finds herself both attracted and repelled by …
Pipe Dreams: It’s the most ancient method of smoking in human history — and, popular perception would have it, the preserve of modern society’s most ancient members. But is pipe smoking overdue a rebranding? By Christian Chensvold The Rake, issue 22 My grandfather smoked a pipe, so like many who grew up with a pipesmoking …
With summer in the home stretch we revisit this post showing a glimpse of what O’Connell’s, one of the last surviving independent trad clothiers, sold back in the day. A 2012 edition of the Buffalo News carried a story on independent men’s clothiers, including O’Connell’s, which has opened in Buffalo in 1959 and still carries …
Going through our archives, I found this post I originally wrote in 2012 and am pleased to update it for summer 2020, which I think we can all agree is the strangest summer in any of our lifetimes. One year ago I’d decided that 10 years in New York were enough and was planning to …
Yesterday J. Press announced a new made-to-order shirt program. You choose the fabric, fit and details and receive the shirt, which is made in the USA, in three to four weeks. Prices start at $135. Given the competitiveness of the dress shirt market — not to mention the current state of office attire — we …
Last month, Thomas Mason collaborated with Simon Crompton of Personal Style to host its first online symposium, focusing on how luxury menswear can adapt to a more digital, online future. Of the many distinguished panelists from across the menswear community, Mark Cho of The Armoury kindly agreed to answer a few questions for Ivy Style …
When his sons got out of the army at the end of World War II, Bernie Gantmacher asked his pal Jacobi Press if he could give his sons Elliot and Marty a job in the stock room at J. Press. Gantmacher had owned a shirt factory in New Haven since the ’20s and occasionally supplied …
Today the sale of Brooks Brothers went before a judge, while this evening news broke that Brooks Brothers has sold the Haverhill, MA Southwick factory. CBS Boston reports: Eastern Real Estate will buy the building and 21 acres of the property for $14 million. Brooks Brothers filed for bankruptcy six weeks ago. Two other firms …
Although this is somewhat tangential to our subject matter, it is germane to this present moment in American society. I should also be of interest to style omnivores. As a previously unpublished writer with the paper, I pitched this piece to the LA Times back in 2005 . An editor greenlighted the proposal, and when …
While many menswear retailers are shuttering in the wake of the virus and its economic aftermath, a new “updated trad” shop, Junior’s, has opened. Based in Philadelphia, it was founded by Glenn Au, a veteran of O’Connell’s and H. Stockton. Contributing writer Eric Twardzik investigates. * * * Glenn Au may have named his new …
Brooks Brothers’ bankruptcy is fueled in part by having too many retail stores in nearly every corner of the globe. But there was a time when the brand maintained a presence in only two places outside of New York. And these were not in other bastions of the eastern establishment, such as Boston, Philadelphia or …
Yesterday a reader named “IT” left the following comment: The panic over “traditional clothing disappearing forever” because of the pandemic is starting to get on my nerves, honestly. Those who’ve always dressed poorly, still dress poorly, and those who’ve always dressed nicely, still dress nicely and can’t wait for social life to come back to …
We posted this back in 2012. Given recent speculations of COVID’s fatal blow to the way people dress (more on that soon), maybe a preppy costume revival isn’t such a bad thing. * * * A few weeks ago Esquire’s Matt Sullivan wrote a piece about his high school reunion. And not just any high …
Drake’s, the classic English menswear brand, pens itself as being under the guiding philosophy of “relaxed elegance”. Originally opening in 1977 in East London, Drake’s is still to this day arguably best known for its neckwear, and despite a clear Italian influence when it comes to their tailoring, houses an array of pieces that would …
… and those that don’t, lead to prep. So relax: There’s hope for the future. It’s just that the future includes critter pants. This chart from that other world known as 2012 brought out some lively discussion. Fashion cycles churn fast these days, so you never know….
Does anyone remember the movie where a character says to another, “We seem to have passed that point where life stops giving and starts taking away.” In what in the big picture is a necessary cosmic correction for our consumer-based society, two more major retailers with trad connections have filed for bankruptcy. Both of them …
George Frazier snagged a mention here recently, which makes this post a nice follow-up. It’s one of many things that’s been sitting in my inbox for quite some time, sent by a colleague. It appeared in a 1983 issue of Esquire and is being posted here for the first time. Head over here to sign …
If you haven’t heard of this great musician with great style, here’s a reminder to give him a listen. * * * The June issue of GQ, while also including Justin Bieber, devotes a full-page profile to Nick Waterhouse, a Southern California singer and guitarist who takes his music clues from Buddy Holly and songwriters …
A New York Times obit for a recently deceased Borscht Belt social director described his job title, “tummler,” a Yiddish word for someone who stirs up tumult or excitement, a jack of all trades. J. Press salesman George Feen (above left), known around New Haven as “Little Georgie Feen”, was a tummler on York Street …