Back in the spring J. Press’ managing director told me that this fall the company would be unveiling live models on its website and in its promotional material. That day came yesterday when J. Press sent out an email blast showing new fall items worn by real live human beings.
The collection of images are presented in a new section on the site called “Style Guide.” Meanwhile, some of the new suits have been shot not on headless mannequins, but headless models. The benefit of human arms allows us to see how long J. Press thinks jackets should be, and the answer is pretty short:
Here are the rest of the Style Guide looks. Head over to the JP website to see everything else that’s new. — CC
Make the coat and sleeves the proper length and the suit will look very nice. As photographed, it looks downright ridiculous. Shoulders and fit look good though.
Will
Pee Wee Herman length.
Non-Ivy surprises, some more trifling than others: lots of conspicuously-placed tie bars … and uncuffed legs, even on suits … and plaid flannel ‘Kurt Cobain’ shirts, worn over OCBD shirts and ties … and puffy silk pocket handkerchiefs ….
Not inspiring. It looks like some photo shoot from Boston in 1990, styled by a barber, photographed by a student photographer.
The worst looks come from the tailored clothing. The suits look like they were found at a Short Hills, NJ garage sale.
I am very surprised that the sport coat is shown as being worn so short on a J.Press model. I was taught that the bottom of the sport coat should be aligned with your knuckles when your arms are at your sides.
Lots of disappointingly Canadian shoulders remain, not to mention the problematic lengths
Pretty much agree with all the above. Yea, what is with the tie bars???
The younger model needs a longer sportcoat. Tie bars aren’t my cup of tea, but they don’t bother me. The lack of pant cuffs is no problem, these are models on a photoshoot, so the clothing is going back on the rack. The ‘Kurt Cobain’ shirts over a OCBD are traditional casual dress, at least in Kansas City in the 50s on, but not with a tie. I’ve always worn a tradition tartan Pendleton or Navy CPO over OCBDs in lieu of a Barracuda or sweater.
The coat lengths is why I’ve never bought from J. Press online.
The so called “Rule of Thumb” or trying to match the jacket length with your knuckles is not a very reliable way to judge jacket length, due to the fact that some people can have longer or shorter arms for their frame. A better way to judge the coat length is outlined by our friend Derek here: http://putthison.com/post/41872259063/the-rule-of-thumb-theres-a-rule-of-thumb
Tie bars. Take ’em away. Never worn one, never will. How I’ve always loved to see a tie’s tail fluttering free, showing the world all your tie, not just that stage hogging blade. After all, isn’t a tie just a modern version of the scarf? I seem to remember Bruce saying so. And no one pins down their scarf…well not around my neck of the woods.
The suit on the head-less model looks like a Thom Browne suit. Just make the trousers “high-water” length and add three inch cuffs.
Is the suit worn by the headless model part of some sort of modern “line”? Because the jacket lengths on the non-decapitated models look appropriate.
Cuffless suit legs look cheap, end of discussion.
It is rare that the tailors at J. Press will recommend/support you wearing the jacket with those proportions. If Black Fleece was any guide, the proportions on the models are generally a bad indicator of real world proportions.
Followed the link to the J Press website and found this “button down” shirt……
http://www.jpressonline.com/trim-fit-oxford-blue-white-collar/
Brooks Brothers says “golf collar”; J. Press says “button down”.
“Golf collar!”
“Button down!”
“Golf Collar!”
“Button down!”
Let’s call the whole thing off …
For me, the overwhelmingly larger problem about these photos (and additional product shots accompanying the Fall lineup) is the jacket shoulders. It’s not just that they’re not “natural” by any definition, they’re noticeably large and structured as compared even to non-Trad makers. Jacket lengths rise and fall, but natural shoulders are THE core of the look, and it seems like a pretty immense departure that J Press products (at least the healthy percentage made in Canada) don’t have them.
Why the hate for tie bars? I’ve worn small, monogrammed oval tie clasps with sack suits and jackets since the 1960’s. Keeps your tie out of trouble and looking neat, very traditional. However, they should be worn just below the mid-point of the tie, not above as in the photo.
On the other hand, I am offended by the uncuffed trousers. Sad that Press seems to be headed in the wrong direction. With the demise of Brooks Bros., only Press and O’Connell’s are carrying the flag for our beloved “Ivy League” look.
I think using live models for J. Press is a great idea. I’ve done it myself:
http://www.ivy-style.com/young-man-with-a-horn.html
But most of the items used, or outfits that were styled, are of the more fashionable variety. Those items can stand on their own as products better. What I think the company might benefit from even more would be showing its traditional suits and sportcoats with a live model, thereby helping to lure new customers to the classic look.
@GTwig63: Cable Car Clothiers in San Francisco is also still carrying the flag.
They’re really going out of their way to make the clothes look as bad as possible. People who want to shop at J. Press don’t want to look like Cree-Pee Herman. And they don’t want massive shoulder pads in their jackets.
@GTwig63
Did someone say they hate tie bars? Where did they say that exactly?
@Roycru, same thing in women’s shirts/blouses: product descriptions read “button down,” but obviously mean “button front.”
Fred Astaire use to say, if you must wear tie bars, you wear them at an angle, never horizontally
When I first saw the jackets, I thought they were too short, but I was tired at the time. Seeing them again, and reading these comments makes me feel I’m not crazy–they are too short for these models.
J Press continues their downward trajectory. Supposedly they restored true natural
shoulders a few years ago after a long detour. Those shoulders and the image in general
has more than a passing resemblance to Joseph A. Bank. Richard Press must be suffering from
chronic agita’
How has no one commented on the worst photo of all, the guy wearing a zipped up rain jacket/wind breaker under his sport coat?!?!?!?!?! In bright blue no less. The sizing and length of everything is pretty irrelevant as long as you as the customer buy a jacket that actually fit you, models usually wear a size too small and a size too short to flatter figure, just look at RL.
So many opinions. Most likely the model in the first picture is a tall lean guy who was made to wear a regular length suit, alas the sleeve issue. You can also tell that the coat is not tailored but rather pinned back because the bottom of the jack curves around his hips. This was simply bad direction on the photographers part, and not a testament to the clothing.
As for the plaid over buttondowns, tie bars and so forth, remember that they are a business trying to balance between keeping their traditional customer and appealing to a new, younger demographic at the same time.
@Benjamin
Usually when one tries to please everybody one winds up pleasing nobody.
I just saw the J Press Blue offering. If the objective is to try to make young men look cool (which is what I assume they are trying to do with the inclusion of the word Cool) with these clothes, they are way off the mark. Just my opinion. I saw a little old black gentleman yesterday who must have been close to ninety wearing a rumpled tan suit with wing tips and a club tie who was the epitome of cool. I said “looking sharp sir” and he just smiled and nodded. Weird proportions and combination are not what make a gentleman look cool and trends are just that, something that will look more moronic in a couple of years. Stick to the subtle classics and you shall not go wrong. But what the hell do I know?
Will
…inclusion of the word Blue…
beach weekend on my mind.
Will
I am terribly sorry, but this looks like a poor attempt to ape Lurch’s wardrobe (yes, from the Adams Family).
They’re changing its name to “J. Unimpress”.
I’m buying the whole lot!
Thom Browne has done more irreparable damage to traditional men’s clothing than any other individual.
To play Devil’s Advocate for a minute, I don’t think the issue with jacket/sleeve length is deliberate on on their (or most retailer’s part – especially those in the classic men’s clothing world) part but more of a factor of the build of models these days. When I worked at Paul Stuart and we had model castings, all those guys were either size 38 or 40 but also about 6’1-3″. There’s no way that an off-the-rack jacket or shirt is going to have the proper dimensions to fit them length-wise. I’m willing to cut them some slack in that dept. Just my 2-cents.
Press has used live models for years now. The last few big glossy brochures had the scalped models. And back in the days of Misterman, there were full-page ads with full-headed models in Men’s Vogue.