Stay Little Valentine, Stay
“My Funny Valentine” certain has staying power: it was already a classic when it appeared in 1958 in the movie “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” still one of the great jazz-Ivy movies. May cupid bless you on this day. — CC
Fats Tuesday
Today is Fat Tuesday, and we have a perfectly apropos post courtesy of G. Bruce Boyer. For our continued Black History Month coverage, Mr. Boyer has given Ivy Style an exclusive piece on Fats Domino. Although the artist didn’t get hip to Ivy duds as other musicians did during the heyday, he was a popular …
A Voice To Remember
Midcentury pop crooner Vic Damone has died at the age of 89. He’s pictured here looking every bit the country gentleman in herringbone jacket, tattersall buttondown, vest and pocket square. And here he is doing the title track from the 1957 Cary Grant film “An Affair To Remember.” — CC
A Model Gentleman
Recently menswear historian G. Bruce Boyer was asked to collaborate on a shirt collection with an Italian brand named Marol. The results are now available. The shirt collars are all semi-spread — they’re also priced way, way beyond the budget of most trads. But as Bruce is an old pal of Ivy Style who’s written …
Black History Month: Lee Morgan
Update: since this post was first written in 2012, a highly praised Lee Morgan documentary has been released. * * * While the perpetually stylish trumpet player Lee Morgan was a consummate musician, bandleader and composer, he was nothing if not a prodigious swordsman. It was, in fact, this libidinous inclination that brought about his …
Bean Gives Unlimited Return Policy The Boot
I actually had no idea how generous LL Bean has been for the past century with its return, exchange and replacement policy. It took our Millennial Fogey to explain that for a certain kind of consumer, a one-time purchase was a lifetime guarantee of replacements. New England kids would even source old Bean Boots and …
Yesterday & Tomorrow: Vintage Allen Edmonds Short Film
Slowly recovering here at Ivy Style HQ, thank you. And so here’s a space-age shortie by Allen Edmonds called “The Shoe Of Tomorrow,” from the late ’40s or early ’50s. The future sure ain’t what it used to be. — CC
The Man Of ’52
Hey guys, flu got me. First time at my desk in 48 hours. Chew on this for a bit, courtesy of commentariat member Carmelo. — CC
Black History Month: Stanley Turrentine
Stanley Turrentine, the Pittsburgh-born tenor saxophonist known for a big soulful sound, lyrical delivery and erudite harmonic sense, was one of the few jazz instrumentalists to have crossover success as a popular artist. Known to play his black-lacquered Selmer tenor saxophone while his R&B star was in the ascendant, Turrentine’s sartorial presentation was always elegant …
An Almost Mystical Presence: Charlie Davidson On Chet Baker
This 2012 piece for The Rake features quotes from The Andover Shop’s Charlie Davidson. * * * Passive Form: Don’t be fooled by those pulse-slowing tunes: self-destructive jazz prodigy Chet Baker — the most stylish man ever to not give a hoot about clothing — was a man of sheer, energetic brass By Christian Chensvold …
I’m Here For You, Brother
Today I have a special message on what is a for me a dubiously special day. Exactly one year ago today a traumatic disruption fell into my life like a meteor. Although in retrospect it was a fairly small stone, at the time it was more than enough to shatter my world. I eventually realized that …
Putting The “nasty” In Dynasty
Politics is a dirty business, and people on Twitter can be nasty. Last night, after the State Of The Union address by President @#$%!&, the Democratic response came from a member of one of America’s greatest dynasties: Joe Kennedy III. Reaction on social media to this Kennedy kin was less than kind, and even major …
Daily Princetonian, 1964: GI Bill Students Spread New Ivy League Look, Killed Off Old One
Gentlemen, I just found out that photos and video of Richard Press’ talk at J. Press last week have been delayed and it will be a couple more weeks until they’re ready. So in the meantime, let’s do one more piece from Princeton before we give the Tigers a break. Apparently 1964 was a watershed …
Dateline 1964: Sloppy Dress, New Morality
Next up in our series of heyday-era reports from The Daily Princetonian is this piece called “Out of class, sloppy dress and a new morality,” also from 1964. It includes a topic dear to my own heart — or rather feet — namely the breakdown of social dancing, after centuries of waltzes, country reels, minuets, …
The New Ivy League Look, 1964
Richard Press’ event at the New York J. Press store on Wednesday was a delight. Photos and yes even video was taken, so stay tuned and I’ll post it just as soon as it’s ready. In the meantime, one of the gentlemen who came up to me to introduce himself was a Princeton student who …
Your Desert Island Jacket
Pictured is Andrew Bridier of Castaway Clothing, snapped at the menswear trade shows earlier this week here in New York. He’s wearing and holding two tartan jackets made for Castaway by the Hardwick factory in Tennessee. The words “castaway” and “jacket” set one to speculating. So if you were a castaway on a desert island, …
Cocktails & Laughter: Richard Press Event At J. Press 1/24; Space Limited, Reserve Now
Richard Press will be giving a talk at J. Press’ New York store next Wednesday evening. Listen to the great raconteur spin tales about the Ivy heyday, imbibe a drink, and mix with your fellow trads. I’ll be there with copies of my new mini-book “The Disengage,” for those unfortunate souls who don’t have one …
Slim Aarons, Chronicler Of Old Money And The Jet Set
Maybe it’s because I’m a photographer myself, maybe it’s because I’m from a town and work at a club which he photographed on multiple occasions, or maybe it’s because I, like anyone else, don’t mind looking at glossy pictures of “attractive people in attractive places doing attractive things” (his words, not mine), but I’ve always …
Out of Luck: The Rise and Fall of Peter Lawford
On the surface, Peter Lawford lived a charmed life. He enjoyed a successful career as an entertainer and leading man, married into one of the most high-profile families in American history, and was a member of the famed Rat Pack. Yet despite his success Lawford ultimately died a tragic figure. From the beginning, English-born Lawford …