Power Dressing, 1965
A Black Power activist in 1965 with striped tie, pinned club collar, and two-on-the-cuff. Plus damn cool goatee and shades. From the 1998 book “Men Of Color” by Lloyd Boston.
Blue Man Group
Before 1894, when Yale adopted its special shade of blue (hex triplet #0F4D92), its school color was green. Kind of like the freshmen pictured above at a welcoming ceremony, 1964. Now that they’re bulldogs, it’s time to start looking the part. First, a college sweater (1959): Then a proper jacket. Freshman getting a sermon on …
Historic Preservation
I’ve been thinking a lot about preservation lately. There are preservation societies throughout the country that work to save old buildings and keep various traditions alive, and I’m starting to see Ivy Style as having a similar function. Sure we cover current happenings in the world of trad clothing and contemporary culture, but we’ve also …
Jersey Boys
Princeton University dance, 1960. The school didn’t admit women until ’69 — except on nights like this. According to Fitzgerald, Princeton men are “lazy, good-looking and aristocratic.” Whatever they’ve got, the chicks sure dig it: At least until the boys start getting fresh. Easy, tiger: The next day, the girls decide those Harvard sissies and Yale …
My Kinda Clothes: The White And The Blue
Have you ever seen an outfit on a movie screen and it spoke to you? One of my favorite scenes is from “The American President.” The camera pans the POTUS’ closet and a row of white and light blue dress shirts, with minimal pastels and stripes, fills the screen. White and light blue are the …
The Quiet American
It’s been a decade since John Updike died at the age of 76. While his status as a Great American Novelist is well known, his role as an icon of sartorial understatement is not. And so we present this homage to a master not only of English literature, but of dressing with quiet flair. Our …
Dick At Dear Old Dartmouth
Just a reminder to keep your Internet dial tuned to the Richard “Dick” Press’ column “Threading The Needle” over on the J. Press website. The above image was sent out yesterday. No surprise Richard is the centerpiece of the photo among his classmates.
Classic ‘Rock
It’s long been said that Yankee frugality dictates that men hang on to their clothes, repair them as necessary, and pass them on to their progeny. Somehow I got hold of one when the owner wasn’t looking. It bears witness to the values of Ivy style: quality, smartness, practicality, longevity, thrift, stability. Custom made in …
Andover Shop Winter Sale Drops Prices To 1948 Levels
As many readers here know, The Andover Shop was recently acquired by several long-time customers who wanted to see the beloved store continue (and, upon closing, received a firm but smiling admonition from co-founder Charlie Davidson, “Well, it’s yours now. Don’t fuck it up”). As they prepare for the arrival of spring and summer merchandise, …
Poison Ivy League
See these Ivy frat boys? Elvis uses his fists to wipe the smug looks off their faces. After seeming to romanticize fraternity life in a recent post, let’s balance the scales by romanticizing fraternity jerks who get punched out by a greaser from the wrong side of the tracks. Such a greaser is played by Elvis …
The Return Of Pink And Green?
You’re probably so desperate for a nice spring day that you would be willing to don pink and green and prance in public in exchange for one balmy day. According to the new Lands’ End spring preview catalog, the notorious preppy combo of pink and green might make a comeback. Time wil tell. — CC …
Frat Pack
College fraternities of the past offered male bonding in a stylish setting. The photo above, plus the two below, are from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, 1949. Dig Joe College here in newsboy cap and varsity sweater: The chap in the bottom center providing the smoky atmosphere reminds us that for 400 years it was …
Frank Reilly, President Of Brooks During The ’80s, 1928-2018
We have one more passing to report, although I was unable to find much information. Perhaps this post will attract some comments from readers who knew the man. Frank Reilly was president of Brooks Brothers during the preppy ’80s, and retired shortly after the Marks & Spencer takeover. He died last October at the age …
Poor Richard
Richard Yates was one of those guys who adopted the Ivy look early in life and never let go of it. Whether due to good taste, lack of imagination, or being too impecunious to afford new clothes, Yates’ perennial style was described by Dan Wakefield (author of “New York in the Fifties”) as follows: Yates …
Building Character
The Ivies are not the same, including when it comes to matters of style. In 2008 Slate posted an article analyzing Fitzgerald’s heroes and whether they went to Harvard, Yale or Princeton. Fitzgerald has Amory Blaine, hero of “This Side of Paradise,” his first novel, offer the following assessment of the three schools: I want to go …
John C. Bogle, 1929-2019
Our next tribute to the recently deceased is Jack Bogle, founder of the investment firm The Vanguard Group and a member of the class of 1951 at Princeton, the influence of which can be seen most evidently in his harircut. Head over here for the Wall Street Journal’s obit. — CC
Customer Service
There was a time (1954, for example, as in these two LIFE Magazine photos) when you could visit J. Press in New Haven and have an old gent like this help you pick out a jacket. He may have been on commission, but he probably knew what looked good on you. You might even bump …
Nathan Glazer, 1923-2019
We have several recent passings to catch up on, and the first is prominent Harvard sociologist Nathan Glazer. Glazer burst on the scene in 1950 “The Lonely Crowd” and continued to study and publish on the subjects of the American melting pot and multiculturalism. Here is an obituary in Tablet, and a 2016 profile in National …
Roger Stone Arrested For Prole Gape, Will Plead Collar Roll Defense
Political operative and clotheshorse Roger Stone was arrested this morning in the Mueller investigation. His coat did not lie flat against the back of his neck, possibly caused by posture issues due to a tattoo of Richard Nixon on his back. His lawyer plans to mount the negligent collar defense. In spring 2017 contributing writer …