In our last post, a comment was left asking me to speculate what if the heyday of the Ivy League Look had never happened, that it had remained the relatively closed, little-known aristocratic style that it was in the 1930s. Would this have been better or worse in the long run for preserving authentic …
Arnold Steiner isn’t your typical fashion designer. He isn’t sickly thin, he doesn’t dress in black, and he rarely has a dour expression on his face. In fact he seems downright jolly, like that encouraging high school teacher that we all wish we had. Or like a dad who enjoys fatherhood because he finally gets …
By 1980 it was crystal clear: “The sport shirt of choice is Lacoste,” declared The Official Preppy Handbook. “Only the all-cotton model will do, the one with cap sleeves with the ribbed edging, narrow collar and two-button placket (never buttoned).” How did a French shirt with a crocodile for a logo become the go-to preppy polo? …
This year the scene above is not allowed to take place because of the virus outbreak. Still, we may meditate upon it and note that its ultimate meaning can never be taken away. And we can also once again enjoy these words from contributor Charlottesville, which he originally wrote two years ago. * * * …
The May 2011 issue of Japanese mag Free & Easy carried these illustrations based on photos from “Take Ivy.” Despite the sedate outfit, the copy accompanying the image above is the same phrase on the cover of the magazine: “Bankara Ivy no susume,” or “In praise of roguish Ivy.” Perhaps Mr. Salaryman has a dark side. Breathe well …
Brooks Brothers is 202 this month. The UK-based website Fashion United has “Ivy League” in its headline about the anniversary, but strangely no article. We’ll file it under Ivy Trendwatch anyway. In other Ivy brand news, J. Press is helping fight the virus. Kudos to them. And speaking of the virus, a member of Ivy’s …
Today’s announcement has us mourning that no matter what the election result in November, there will be no blue buttondowns in the White House. Long live the revolution.
If the Northeast is the pinnacle of old money, Ivy Leaguers, and powerful men of distinction, then Washington DC is a close second. Though our democracy could use a few more of distinction in that city it seems. The men are bred and trained in the New English tradition and migrate down to the swamp …
Nothing’s worse than having to say “I told you so,” especially to yourself. It’s right up there with “Be careful what you wish for.” Back in December, which feels like another world, I’d just arrived in Newport after a decade in New York. It was the Christmas season, and I felt charmed, bedazzled, and filled …
Earlier this week, in the wake of coronavirus, I suggested that the current Ivy trend should shift towards what the Japanese call rugged Ivy. But they have another similar and creative twist on Ivy, called bankara, which was celebrated on the cover of Free & Easy magazine in May of 2011, when this post originally …
Although I’m a young man, I’ve tried just about all the oxford-cloth buttondowns out there. They all have excellent qualities, and each has a character entirely its own. I truly do enjoy them all. But the more I explore new things, the more I long for the original: the Brooks Brothers buttondown polo shirt. We …
As spring inches nearer, you may be considering wearing white denim (if only around the house). Or maybe not. In that case, consider a pair of tan jeans. They have the advantage of being a neutral basic like khakis, but more hearty, in case you end up in a wrestling match over the last roll of …
Traditionally April 1st is the day of the year when Ivy Style makes attempts at being funny. This year the online consensus is that under no circumstances should April Fool’s Day be “celebrated.” After a great deal of pipesmoking deliberation, I have selflessly decided to share the complete prologue and first act of my new …
It would be an understatement to say F. Scott Fitzgerald was an arbiter of the Ivy League Look. A former student at Princeton who, having become absorbed in writing dropped out to write several critically acclaimed books, Fitzgerald helped chronicle the Jazz Age and the clothing styles that came to define it. Though Fitzgerald was …
What role does clothing play in an epidemic, where we’re supposed to be distancing from each other? On one hand, traditional clothing is inherently about signaling. But without an audience, there is no need to signal – no need to establish allegiance, aspiration, or identity when one is home alone. On the other hand, on those brief …
Ivy League house party, because there’s no place like home!
“The Official Preppy Handbook” wasn’t the bible for me that it was for many. But at least part of the fun of reading it was recognizing the places and things that may have already been in our lives. In particular, I have been lucky enough to enjoy many of the “trad” restaurants mentioned in the …
Recently I purchased a 1926 yearbook for my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, and was pleasantly surprised to see a Brooks Brothers advertisement on the first page of the ad section. Flipping through, I also discovered ads for a few local establishments, including a campus menswear shop called Gommy. It seemed like Gommy may …
As many readers of the site have fortified their dwellings into makeshift self-isolation zones, the perfect opportunity to work without disruption also brings the opportunity to surf Amazon Prime and Netflix in equal concentration. In this self-isolation, my thoughts drifted to a style icon often not mentioned. I am speaking about Clint Eastwood as one of cinema’s …