Castaway Clothing, which recently uveiled some new shirts made in India the old-school way, had some videos of madras fabric being loomed in Chennai, the city formerly known as Madras. At my request Castaway has uploaded the videos to YouTube so we can all see them. Click play to watch the video below: There are …
Even in an ancient culture like India, old traditions can die out — or perhaps we should say “dye” out. Last year Matt Bridier of Castaway Clothing met with Prasan Shah at the New York office of The Original Madras Trading Company, a multi-generational family-owned business that is truly one of the original madras makers …
George Axelrod’s play “The Seven Year Itch” lit up Broadway in 1952 and stayed there for 1,141 performances. The star, Tom Ewell, a dedicated J.Press aficionado, won a Tony Award, although his performance was later dimmed in the movie version when he was paired opposite Marilyn Monroe. Taking time out from my mainstream obligation running the …
“Entry E” is something of a pulp novel, telling a tale of Ivy League life in America that was considered startling on its release in 1958. But for all the adolescent angst and raucous action in this story, there is plenty of mid-century Ivy League style and quiet consideration of the “Ivy Man,” described in …
Last week we ran a photo from 1954, the dawn of the Ivy heyday. The post was entitled “The Ideal” and featured tennis player Vic Seixas wearing a J. Press sportcoat for a Sports Illustrated clothing spread. Now, as promised, is the rest of the article. The piece is entitled “The Not So Odd Jacket” …
Startup shirtmaker Michael Spencer, the dream of founder Spencer Bennett, continues to grow and has added a number of new summer shirtings. Yes, it’s fun to actually use the word “shirtings” correctly. A variety of seersuckers and poplins are now available. “We are extremely excited about the new fabrics that have been added to the …
These photos of a young man with precocious trad-dressing competence were posted over the weekend to Ivy Style’s Facebook group, where they earned instant accolades. The young man, JL, has just graduated high school but is already years ahead in the dressing department. Note the contrast of the sober J. Press suit, blue buttondown, Argyll …
As Marily Monroe once sang, “Happy Birthday, Mr. President.” Today JFK would have been 100. We mark the occasion by revisiting a 2011 column by Richard Press. * * * The epic saga of President John F. Kennedy’s individual travail and public triumph is recounted with explicit and captivating detail by Chris Matthews in his …
Updated 5/26 at 2:15 PM Today J. Press made it official on its website: It will reopen a New York store this fall in the most ideal of locations. Not only will J. Press return to 44th Street, the historic epicenter of Ivy in New York during the heyday, it will take over a ground …
This photo may be familiar to half of you, while the other half are seeing it for the first time. It’s floated around Tradsville for years, but I’m not sure we ever posted it here, and even if we did, it’s due for a curtain call. Why today? Because it was recently posted to our …
Years ago I came across a quote that goes something like, “Everyone is right-wing when it comes to the things they care about.” I think it may have been attributed to the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, but my attempt to track down the quote via Google came up with nada. The argument goes that …
Today we revisit Chris Sharp’s 2012 piece on artist LeRoy Neiman. * * * As the Olympics draw to a close, my thoughts turn to the 1976 games in Montreal, which coincided with the American Bicentennial. If America had some maturity under her belt, I certainly did not. I was eight years old and the …
There’s a saying in sports: slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. That’s why waiting for Mister Slowboy’s portrait of me went by so quickly, and why I came out looking smoooooth. Late last year I did a piece on Fei Wang, the London-based artist known as Mister Slowboy, for The Gentleman’s Journal. I followed …
I get a lot of random emails of people asking me for clothing advice. I’m flattered that they value my opinion enough to reach out to me, but mine is just one man’s subjective opinion. Jean-Paul Sartre wrote something to the effect that in asking for my advice you’ve already chosen the answer. Most of …
It’s so rare these days for someone in politics to sport buttondown collars with ample roll that when one does come along he gets a tribute at Ivy-Style.com. Here’s former FBI director Robert Mueller, who shot into the national spotlight this week when the Justice Department appointed him a special counsel to lead an investigation …
After several months of searching Ralph Lauren has found a new CEO: Patrice Louvet, formerly of Procter & Gamble’s beauty division. Writes New York Magazine: Louvet, who will start on July 17, comes from Procter & Gamble’s global beauty business. He will report to Ralph Lauren, who said in a statement, “Finding the right partner …
Yesterday Duck Head updated its dormant Facebook page with the announcement that it will return — once again — this fall. The most recent owners burned through their investment capital at a rapid pace with, among other things, the most lavish booth at the New York trade show. If I understand correctly, some of the …
Today Jack Carlson, author of the book “Rowing Blazers” and a competitor at the rowing world championships, has unveiled a clothing collection entitled — what else? — Rowing Blazers. The collection consists of blazers, shirts, ties and accessories, all made in the US. Jack’s knowledge of the history of blazers and all the quirks behind …
This post originally ran on April 28, 2009, and is being reposted in the light of a new piece by Town & Country that looks at Jamie Johnson’s documentary “Born Rich” 13 years later, and the famous subject featured therein. * * * Like twilight through faded chintz curtains, the sun is setting on the …