While the English are often praised for laying the vestiary groundwork forthe Ivy Leauge Look, it is my biased opinion that the Scots are worthy of praise for their numerous contributions to the genre as well. I am biased because my Scottish grandmother made sure that I am not only proud of my Scottish heritage, …
Ever seen an unlined oxford-cloth buttondown actually being made? Probably not, but you can now. Michael Spencer has just released a video that examines its three shirt collar options: unlined, lined but not fused, and finally lined and fused. While purists like the comfort and nonchalance of unlined buttondowns, lining and fusing is often best …
No, not the couple. The guy’s outfit in this 1959 illustration. Check out the full image: He’s matched light blue socks to his light blue shirt. That’s a matchy-matchy no-no, to say nothing of harmonizing with the drapery. The other items are fine, including what we assume is a navy knit tie, and penny loafers …
There’s breaking news today in the world of men’s footwear. That’s right: it’s not often that velvet slippers make headlines, but last night at the President’s speech before Congress, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross took a piece of “winter White House” style with him from Palm Beach to DC and donned slippers from Stubbs & …
Happy Birthday to singer, actor and activist Harry Belafonte, who turns 90 today. Below you can check out an early recording he made with the Zoot Sims Quintet below. It features Roy Haynes on drums. Haynes was one of the jazz musicians who got hip to Ivy in the mid-’50s, and I interviewed him in …
Yesterday I was looking at some images by Japanese illustrator Kazuo Hozumi and came across one that had five of his signature smiling figures in a random assortment of outfits. Something clicked and I realized that two of the figures, who were side by side, formed a clever cartoon parody of the fall of the …
Since I started working at The Andover Shop several months ago, every day has been a “party”,” in 90-year-old owner Charlie Davidson’s words. After noticing that forward pleats seem to be making a comeback, I figured I’d give them a try. Most of the customers at The Andover Shop opt for them when commissioning suits …
This past week J. Press unveiled its Spring 2017 collection, the second in a row to feature the use of live models, which made their return last fall. It looks to be the same two models. the older not too old and the younger not too young. The looks feel current without being trendy, a …
When we ran our profile of a tradly dressed Washington DC police officer recently, a reader left a comment invoking the name of Mike Stone, the cop played by Karl Malden on the ’70s TV show “The Streets Of San Francisco.” In contrast to his wide-lapelled and groovy necktie-wearing partner (played by a young Michael …
Like many people who work in Washington DC, I am a transplant. However, I don’t work for a congressman or a law firm. I walk a foot beat in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods as a member of the Metropolitan Police Department. I grew up on the South Shore of Massachusetts and credit my …
Longtime J. Press New York employee David Wilder alerted me to the story of Detective Rick Lee, a plainclothes NYPD officer who retired this week at the age of 51. Lee became a minor Internet sensation because of his stylish clothes, earning the nickname “hipster cop” because “trad” is not part of the contemporary lexicon. …
As a follow-up to yesterday’s post on the University Of The South in 1969, here’s a revisit of one of Ivy Style’s most popular posts, which offers a glimpse at how the school’s students look today. * * * Yesterday The College Fix — a site located on the conservative side of the political circus …
It’s been well noted that the South has hung onto classic American attire better than any other part of the country. It’s certainly a region where traditions are deeply valued. Which is why students at the University Of The South did not jump the Ivy ship en masse like their peers in the Northeast. These …
Nobody told Frank Sinatra the heyday of Ivy was dead when he steered his entourage into J. Press on a January afternoon in 1969. “Dressing The Chairman,” an upcoming off-Broadway play scribed by Joseph Cosgriff, tells the story of an unexpected and fascinating odyssey that began when Sinatra commanded, “Lemme see all your 38 Regulars.” …
Whether you’re out playing golf today, or dressed up in a bespoke jacket… …. with a collar pin … have faith in our great nation, which was founded on freedom. And as the ancient Greeks taught, pursue everything in life with a touch of moderation. Happy Presidents’ Day. — CC
Tomorrow is International Pipe Smoking Day, so if you don’t have a pipe and tobacco, you can spend your Sunday afternoon procuring them. And you’d better hurry before it’s illegal. Pictured here are two undergrads with tobacco-colored tweeds as depicted in a 1936 issue of Esquire. Here’s to our fellow men of the pipe. — …
Although we’ll be examining 1967 throughout the year as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the fall of the Ivy League Look, this post comes from 10 years later. It landed in my inbox a month or two ago, and if I recall it was an archive piece reposted by The Washington Post. Written by …
Michigan halfback Tom Harmon doing his sports radio show, in classic combo of button-down collar, knit tie and cardigan, 1940. Below, crew cuts and crewnecks. University of Illinois, 1956: The archetypal combo of argyle socks and tassel loafers. Looks cooler if you’re 20, though. University of Illinois, 1956: Varsity sweater, OCBD, and lovestruck Wake Forest …
Part of our yearlong series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the year 1967, which brought an end to the heyday of the Ivy League Look. * * * I was still in grad school and a teaching assistant in 1967. In grad school we were reading “Beowulf” and Chaucer, Alexander Pope and John Donne. As …