Those in search of a happy medium between the colorful exuberance of Neo-Prep and the stoicism of full-cut traditionalism might find encouragement in Club Monaco’s new line of undarted sportcoats, designed and presented with both youthfulness and restraint.
Released within the brand’s domestically-produced capsule collection, Club Monaco’s sack jackets bring the 3/2 roll and the two-button cuff to unexpected territory, the American mall. Described as having a “heritage-inspired look” and a “modern slim fit,” the sportcoats will no doubt catch the ire of those who consider the heritage movement a commoditization of tradition into fashion. Though the coats feature a dartless front, 3/2 roll, flapped patch pockets and hook vent, they are cut with the trim, cropped fit that has, for the last decade, been characteristic of attempts to bring a younger customer to tailored clothing. (Continue)
Onward Kashiyama, owner of the J. Press brand, has informed Ivy-Style.com that it has been unable to find a new Manhattan location for the store currently located at Madison Avenue and 47th Street, and will be closing New York retail operations on January 18.
J. Press will be forced to lay off the sales staff, which includes several veterans, the source told us. Ecommerce will continue from out of the company’s Long Island City warehouse, and Onward Kashiyama will maintain its corporate offices in the Fashion District.
Although it has not lost its current lease, J. Press has been forced to vacate the premises as the building’s owner is planning major renovations.
Although J. Press would reopen sooner if it finds a suitable location, it could be as late as spring 2015 until the company reestablishes a retail presence in Manhattan. “The corporate office has not decided the new location yet,” the source said, “so we will be closed a while. They said we will maybe reopen in spring 2015.”
Founded in New Haven in 1902, the company has operated continuously in New York since 1912.
“I am very saddened at the news and regret the situation,” said Richard Press, former president of J. Press and grandson of the company’s founder. — CHRISTIAN CHENSVOLD
Photo via MuffyAldrich.com
A reader with an eagle eye for spotting three-button sacks in the wild tipped us off to the upcoming film “At Middleton,” which is slated for release later this month.
Andy Garcia stars as George, a trad dad who learns to cut loose and find love while on a college tour with his son. The film’s Facebook page offers the following synopsis:
It’s not only teenagers who find themselves when they go off to college. Two brilliant actors best known for dramatic roles join forces in a romantic romp, and they have a ball. Vera Farmiga and Andy Garcia play strangers who meet while escorting their teen children to campus-tour day at a mythical college named Middleton (the film is in part a hilarious parody of American college life).
In the trailer below, George sports a white buttondown, bow tie, navy blazer with a 3/2 roll, khakis and loafers all supplied by Brooks Brothers, as well as tortoise horn-rims by Anglo-American, according to the film’s credits.
Those apprehensive about the bow tie might take heart in how Farmiga’s character Edith quips flirtatiously, “Wait. Let me guess. Are you a Brooks Brothers model?”
Considering how she seductively unties his bow, she evidently doesn’t think it’s a bad thing. — ZACHARY DELUCA
We segue from Charleston’s Ben Silver to another trad outpost far from the Northeast, this time San Francisco’s Cable Car Clothiers.
Founded in 1939, the store has managed to survive the city’s transition from traditional stronghold (in such neighborhoods as Nob Hill and Pacific Heights), to beatnik and hippie haven, and finally dot-com hotbed.
It’s fitting that the independent retailer should survive, despite multiple changes in location: San Francisco has the world’s last surviving manually operated cable car system.
Cable Car Clothiers recently gave its website a much-needed overhaul. Prices, alas, remain just as steep as the hilltop streets. Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco; you might just leave your wallet. — CC
Happy 2014 from Ivy Style, and let’s get back to business and ring in the new year with a laugh.
You may have heard that Esquire has launched a TV network, and from what a colleague tells me who’s already been in a pitch session, they’re not exactly looking for highbrow content.
In this clip, an exceptionally unlikeable style host pays a visit to Ben Silver. A self-confessed devotee of the “bare-ankle lifestyle,” the host is clad in a contrast-collared shirt open at the neck, jeans, no socks, and a sportcoat he refers to as a blazer and thinks would look swell with some nifty metal buttons. He’s shopping for some double monks, which, of course, he plans to wear sockless like it’s 2011.
The facial expressions from Ben Silver managing director Bob Prenner are quite priceless, and towards the end he refers to the host as “Cinderella,” which might sound like a mild slur save for the reveal still to come, namely that the host has a wife.
Good luck to Esquire TV. At least they have a flair for the comedic twist. — CC
Commenting on our article “Is Ivy Cool?” reader “Camford” asked, “Are cigarettes and jazz cool?” I cannot say whether they are cool. Well, I could, but I won’t, as my physician, insurance agent and childhood music teacher might be reading this article. But I believe they are both addictive and potentially lethal.
When I was young and impressionable, I saw a jazz documentary on my local PBS station and have never been the same since. Years later I learned it was Bert Stern’s smoked-infused 1958 bacchanalia “Jazz On A Summer’s Day.” It should have come with a warning label. To this day I struggle with the compulsion to drink Rheingold beer and dance on rooftops, an endeavor I know is as foolhardy as a Lucky Strike habit.
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