The J. Press Fall-Winter 2022 Book Is Out – Some BTS Photos
September 9, 2022
Yesterday morning I posted about where to put the fulcrum between past and present in Ivy style. Yesterday afternoon the answer showed up in my email in the form of the J. Press Fall-Winter catalog.
I asked Senior Vice President & Chief Merchandise Officer Robert Squillaro a few questions, starting with what the theme of the book is:
“The overall theme to the book is “Now & Then” highlighting our origins in the city of New Haven and the opening of our new store back in our original neighborhood. Throughout the book we included vintage catalog images of several of our timeless products on top of the current offering of the same items. The city of New Haven serves as a backdrop throughout the book. We opened with the suit shot in the New Haven Union Station to both start the arrival into New Haven and to reaffirm our commitment to classic tailored clothing.”
The first thing to strike you is that the model is in a tie for the first three pictures. Then, they lead with The Flannel Suit. Followed by The Regimental Tie. The order of the catalog is intentional, of course. Says Squillaro, “This book targets our core customer and continues our commitment to our classic style and iconic products. There will be other marketing material focusing on our Pennant Label products. We will be launching a collaboration with an interesting partner in October and will introduce that digitally.”
On the future of ties, Mr. Squillaro noted, “Tie sales are not what they once were, but we continue to sell the styles we’re known for well – Regimental Stripes, Emblematics, Knits, Foulards, Irish Poplins. That is what we will offer going forward.”
Both the suit and the tie.
A turtleneck under a blazer is a look that, if it ever went away, we welcome back. It solves so many problems. First, it silhouettes almost any body type in the most flattering way. Second, and this is more important now than ever, it strikes that balance between formal and casual in a pitch perfect way. I’ve always worn penny loafers or boots, but I like this look better:
Click on the image and you can get the shoes. Slippers. Whatever.
J. Press catalogs are so well curated that not only can you shop from them, but you can also learn from thing. I am not good at matching pants with sweaters, and usually resort to jeans. I made a New Year’s resolution though not to wear jeans once this year though. You might be better at this than me, but when I look at the sweater in the picture below, I think, “That sweater is spot on but khakis are going to wash everything out…” but the catalog solves the problem.
Those pants would not have occurred to me. Catalog as textbook.
There is enough in the book to interest everyone, which is in and of itself an accomplishment, Shaggy Dog Hoodies, the Pennant Collection, but also a few pages of Black Watch Plaid with gold buttons, to bring you right back to the nucleus, which is the point.
Looks good. J. Press perseveres in “standing athwart history, yelling ‘Stop!'”, recalling the Burkean wisdom that when the oppressed are liberated, they become the oppressors.
Actually, “become” is way too polite. They eagerly and gladly assume the role. In this context: now that the slothful math nerds have become rich execs, they’ll insist that everybody opt for combo that served them well at Berkeley: hoodie-t-shirt-jeans-flip-flops.
Baltzell warned us that when when we look to this lot for high-minded, aristocratic leadership, we’ll be doomed. Here we are. Welcome to the jungle.
Ah, but J. Press is a muscular counterpoint. The downward spiral is irreversible but there’s honor in resisting — while wearing a tie. Ivy styling as noble undertaking.
I got mine this week and I noticed that in the photos showing OCBD’s with ties the shirt collar has no roll. either the model is wearing a shirt collar which is too big for his neck or there is some other issue at work here as all my J Press button down collar shirts collars do have a roll, even if somewhat slight sometimes. As I am in New Haven I will see the new shop soon and check things out in person.
Some sweaters were meant to be worn with jeans. It depends on one’s activities. Consider Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, when things are settled down, and you spend the day throwing logs on the fire, heating up leftovers, reading, and sippin’ Wild Turkey 101.
What prompted my comment is that they paired it with denim blue cords. At first glance, they look like jeans. That particular sweater might look great with a variety of colors, and Press certainly has a variety of colors. I haven’t worn cords since the 8th grade. If I had but one pair, which color? Oddly enough, there is a pair which looks to be pink. Hmmm….
I refuse to browse the digital look-book until my hardcopy arrives. It’s always a pleasure to peruse and (bull)dog-ear those pages I know I will order or take inspiration from.
That said, I did scroll through the new autumn offerings on the Press website and in doing so, noticed the lack of ties. This is something I may expect from Brooks, but not Squeeze. Hoping it’s just a blip. I returned to school recently, and on multiple days when hitting the gym after a day of teaching I’ve received compliments for having a tie on. It completes the uniform. I’m preaching to the choir here, but their conspicuous absence from the fall collection makes me worry for their future.
This is pretty much the same thing you posted about the last J Press catalog. Are you just going to do this same post twice a year every time time J Press releases a catalog, you’re going to just re-post pictures from it and talk about how they have something for everyone and they’re innovating while staying true to tradition? And then whenever J Crew or Brooks releases a catalog you’re again just going to re-post the pictures and criticize them for diverging from tradition?
The instant I saw the new posting on the J Press catalog, I knew someone out there was speedily authoring their critique, spending precious time reporting to you what they do not like — not about the catalog, mind you — but about the way you comment on the publication of the catalog. Only Heaven knows what keeps you going, John, but thank you — again — for creating something fun and light in a world that is too often without either quality.
The top picture, including white shirt, gray chalk stripe suit and black longwings, is quite close to what I wore a couple of days ago (although lightweight wool rather than the lovely flannel shown above and a neat-print foulard rather than striped repp tie). Obviously, it is a look I like very much. I can’t wait for my copy of the Fall Brochure to arrive
Those horizontally striped sweaters almost — almost — make me to move some place colder. As it happens, it’s cooler today than normal for Austin in September. It’s only 93 with a heat index of just 96.
Happy Friday y’all! I see in my future a G&T at the local.
Like many here, I eagerly await the arrival of the print edition. There’s always inspiration to be found in its pages. This site has recently reviewed the J. Press OCBD, and I’m wondering if an occasional review of other items from their catalog might ever appear here.
I’m lately noticing that my closet has more and more Press and less and less Brooks. That said, there are a few new Brooks offerings that manage to merit positive attention — truly! But you have to dig for them.
The Pennant label interested me when it first dropped on the website last month, particularly their popover shirts. I’m glad I stopped everything and ordered them because it seems they’ve been scrubbed from the site. I’ve noticed J Press will do that, where they’ll suddenly remove an item from their site without warning. Hopefully they bring those popover Pennant shirts back because mine feel and fit incredibly.
I’m looking forward to the debate on blue slippers, and whether they’re appropriate only in certain seasons. And if my espadrilles are comparable alternatives in the warmer climates.
I received my Fall brochure a few days ago but finally had the time to sit down and read it as opposed to looking at the digital images on the website. I much prefer a hard copy version as well as actual books instead of kindle version since most of my working day is spent in front of a screen. The flannel chalk stripe suit featured looks fantastic and I have heard rave reviews about Fox Flannel. It is a very nice 68 degrees in Fort Worth this morning and easier to envision wearing the fall offerings. I note that the suit is made in America. Now that Southwick is defunct, does anyone know the manufacturer?
The Black Watch is always good to see. I like it a lot. Cashmere? May be a bit much, but AOK. What I really like, though, enough to spend money on, is the “Then”, woolen flannel navy blazer. So much preferable to the “Now” doeskin. The shiny look is for Elvis at the prom.
@NaturalShoulder
A few of Southwick’s ‘higher-ups’ have landed well— after the fall of that once mighty giant of natural shoulder styling (Grieco Bros. / Southwick). The decline and gasping for a final breath — painful to witness. Without Southwick, no Heyday Ivy style as we now know it. The custom offerings of the greatest of the great stores/shops, including Langrock and The Andover Shop and Max’s (Charleston) and Stockton and Cable Car, were headlined by Southwick. During the 50s and 60s, their two standby Ivy models were Warwick and Andover. Latterly, Douglas and Cambridge, which resembled the old Norman Hilton Hampton. If you stocked Alden, Troy Guild, Southwick, Viyella, Pantherella (and Byford), Gitman Bros., and Atkinsons neckwear, you were a top drawer shop. Norman Hilton was a cut above (“the shelf above top shelf”); ditto for Crockett & Jones and Welch Margetson. I’m aware of only a few Ivy-tending retailers who persevered with Norman Hilton after, say, 1970.
Lawrence Trousers has been profiled. (Excellent). Now, JB, how about turning your editorial attention to Rochester Tailored Clothing (of Hickey Freeman).
I hope the J. Press execs are giving them some hard-earned, well-deserved business. Canadian manufacturing is what it is (some of it good; some of it not so good) — but there’s no good reason to not support made-in-the-U.S.A. clothing and accessories.
My son and I become J. Press customers several years ago after discovering the company through this website. Just received the fall brochure and really enjoyed looking through it. But I am perplexed by the current emphasis that J. Press places on marketing the Pennant Lable to a national audience. I can understand the appeal to the few (very) who attended these schools or maybe those who did not attend but want to give that impression. And I can understand providing this clothing through the website. But the national presentation of Pennant Brand strikes me as more of a RL approach to marketing. The first thought that came to mind was the Talented Mr. Ripley. Let the traditional design and superlative quality be the hallmarks that carry the brand.
The combination of the black and white herringbone jacket with a brown-orange-red, etc cardigan really looked off to me. Both are fine, but together? Am I the only stalwart Ivy Style/J. Press fan who was disturbed by that? I’ll wait for someone else to comment on the colors of the duffle coats.
Unfortunately JPress is not willing to send a copy of their catalogue to Paris in France. This is a pity because there are also fans of the brand in good old Europe.
Well….America first……
Others have chronicled (much better than I) why this style is, looking way ahead (long term), winningr: relaxed and unpretentious–especially compared/contrasted with the style(s) that preceded it. If a person was gonna bet on a “dressed up” look for the 21st century and beyond, this is it. With due respect to the Savile Rowi(sh) Anglophiles, the future of fully bespoke double breasted jackets, stiff spread collars, and black captoes is, well, bleak. Very bleak.
Recently I came across a picture that of Dean Acheson, Averell Harriman, George Marshall, and Truman. Circa ’51, best I recall. Lots of heavily padded, stiff-looking double-breasted suits. The shoulders are high-and-wide and the shirt collars look overly starched. Except where it isn’t (members of the British royal family, for instance), this look is now a corpse. Brooks-inspired Ivy, led by J. Press and a multitude of mimics, drove a nail into the coffin.
Sartorially speaking, Ivy is a bit of a miracle: the merging of sporty nonchalance and just the right amount of “dressed up” formality.
I’m collecting and keeping all my J Press catalogs, they’re place in a very sacred place in my home,to be kept forever. I learned my lesson,not keeping all my Huntington catalogs. Maybe a time capsule?
As someone who didn’t (literally) run J. Press in NYC until moving there in the late 80s (I had then been a dyed in wool Brooks Bros. customer for many years prior), I am just myopic in my hoary views, but I’m not comforted in the “broadening” of the Squeeze look. The one thing I always loved above J. Press was that it appeared dedicated to NOT not looking to dumb down a trad/Ivy look to find a new audience. They left that to Brooks Bros, who simply looked to be morphing into an online department store. Press had always managed from year to year to come up with new colorways and other variations on traditional/time tested Ivy. I don’t believe their new “lines” are going to attract a great new raft of patrons but I do believe that it runs the risk of making some believe that they are joining those who no longer find it committed to the best of what was/is. I know my size (48/L) is not among the most common; but for decades I could also find an odd jacket, blazer or suit in stock to suit my needs. The “new” J. Press seems to not carry much for me in that regard and even getting a 17 1/2-36 OCBD has become a challenge. I’m grateful that so much of what hangs in my closet seems to wear forever and (true to what I had always believed about J. Press) always remain in tasteful style…”in fashion”…not so much but for me, that was always the point.
Looks good. J. Press perseveres in “standing athwart history, yelling ‘Stop!'”, recalling the Burkean wisdom that when the oppressed are liberated, they become the oppressors.
Actually, “become” is way too polite. They eagerly and gladly assume the role. In this context: now that the slothful math nerds have become rich execs, they’ll insist that everybody opt for combo that served them well at Berkeley: hoodie-t-shirt-jeans-flip-flops.
Baltzell warned us that when when we look to this lot for high-minded, aristocratic leadership, we’ll be doomed. Here we are. Welcome to the jungle.
Ah, but J. Press is a muscular counterpoint. The downward spiral is irreversible but there’s honor in resisting — while wearing a tie. Ivy styling as noble undertaking.
Bully for Squeeze.
I got mine this week and I noticed that in the photos showing OCBD’s with ties the shirt collar has no roll. either the model is wearing a shirt collar which is too big for his neck or there is some other issue at work here as all my J Press button down collar shirts collars do have a roll, even if somewhat slight sometimes. As I am in New Haven I will see the new shop soon and check things out in person.
It does look like it’s too big. Wash and dry it a couple of times and it would roll better, and give a little tie space, too.
Some sweaters were meant to be worn with jeans. It depends on one’s activities. Consider Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, when things are settled down, and you spend the day throwing logs on the fire, heating up leftovers, reading, and sippin’ Wild Turkey 101.
Totally agree. Some. Not all. I was doing all. But am working on it.
What prompted my comment is that they paired it with denim blue cords. At first glance, they look like jeans. That particular sweater might look great with a variety of colors, and Press certainly has a variety of colors. I haven’t worn cords since the 8th grade. If I had but one pair, which color? Oddly enough, there is a pair which looks to be pink. Hmmm….
Putting “Hudson’s Bay Company” stripes on a cream crewneck sweater: a masterstroke.
I refuse to browse the digital look-book until my hardcopy arrives. It’s always a pleasure to peruse and (bull)dog-ear those pages I know I will order or take inspiration from.
That said, I did scroll through the new autumn offerings on the Press website and in doing so, noticed the lack of ties. This is something I may expect from Brooks, but not Squeeze. Hoping it’s just a blip. I returned to school recently, and on multiple days when hitting the gym after a day of teaching I’ve received compliments for having a tie on. It completes the uniform. I’m preaching to the choir here, but their conspicuous absence from the fall collection makes me worry for their future.
This is pretty much the same thing you posted about the last J Press catalog. Are you just going to do this same post twice a year every time time J Press releases a catalog, you’re going to just re-post pictures from it and talk about how they have something for everyone and they’re innovating while staying true to tradition? And then whenever J Crew or Brooks releases a catalog you’re again just going to re-post the pictures and criticize them for diverging from tradition?
Scroll back like two posts to where I praise J Crew.
Or a dozen posts back where I praise them again. And these pictures are not in the catalog. And.. never mind.
The instant I saw the new posting on the J Press catalog, I knew someone out there was speedily authoring their critique, spending precious time reporting to you what they do not like — not about the catalog, mind you — but about the way you comment on the publication of the catalog. Only Heaven knows what keeps you going, John, but thank you — again — for creating something fun and light in a world that is too often without either quality.
I truly appreciate that. Thank you very much.
The top picture, including white shirt, gray chalk stripe suit and black longwings, is quite close to what I wore a couple of days ago (although lightweight wool rather than the lovely flannel shown above and a neat-print foulard rather than striped repp tie). Obviously, it is a look I like very much. I can’t wait for my copy of the Fall Brochure to arrive
Those horizontally striped sweaters almost — almost — make me to move some place colder. As it happens, it’s cooler today than normal for Austin in September. It’s only 93 with a heat index of just 96.
Happy Friday y’all! I see in my future a G&T at the local.
Like many here, I eagerly await the arrival of the print edition. There’s always inspiration to be found in its pages. This site has recently reviewed the J. Press OCBD, and I’m wondering if an occasional review of other items from their catalog might ever appear here.
I’m lately noticing that my closet has more and more Press and less and less Brooks. That said, there are a few new Brooks offerings that manage to merit positive attention — truly! But you have to dig for them.
Eric, the J. Press website has ties. A lot of them. On the homepage, go to the category called “Personal Furnishings,” then click on “Ties.”
Good call. Glad to know they’re still on the site & available. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
Oops. Eric, first click on “Shop,” then do what I said above.
The Pennant label interested me when it first dropped on the website last month, particularly their popover shirts. I’m glad I stopped everything and ordered them because it seems they’ve been scrubbed from the site. I’ve noticed J Press will do that, where they’ll suddenly remove an item from their site without warning. Hopefully they bring those popover Pennant shirts back because mine feel and fit incredibly.
I wonder if they do that on a schedule just to make room. They’ll probably put them back out next spring.
I hope so. They were only available for like a month!
On second thought, you might catch them on sale shortly after the Holidays, in advance of next spring’s new inventory.
John,
I wish there was a nice way of telling you that your hait style doesn’t suit you and is also not Ivy. Apart from that, your style is perfect.
JB has a hairstyle that probably induces envy in those who have less of it. “Flow it, show it/ Long as I can grow it/ My hair.”
Thank you… ?
Is there a NEED to tell me my hairstyle doesn’t suit me?
I’m looking forward to the debate on blue slippers, and whether they’re appropriate only in certain seasons. And if my espadrilles are comparable alternatives in the warmer climates.
I received my Fall brochure a few days ago but finally had the time to sit down and read it as opposed to looking at the digital images on the website. I much prefer a hard copy version as well as actual books instead of kindle version since most of my working day is spent in front of a screen. The flannel chalk stripe suit featured looks fantastic and I have heard rave reviews about Fox Flannel. It is a very nice 68 degrees in Fort Worth this morning and easier to envision wearing the fall offerings. I note that the suit is made in America. Now that Southwick is defunct, does anyone know the manufacturer?
Good question. They had been going with Empire for a while there, but they’re Canadian. Maybe one of the Freemans?
The Black Watch is always good to see. I like it a lot. Cashmere? May be a bit much, but AOK. What I really like, though, enough to spend money on, is the “Then”, woolen flannel navy blazer. So much preferable to the “Now” doeskin. The shiny look is for Elvis at the prom.
@NaturalShoulder
A few of Southwick’s ‘higher-ups’ have landed well— after the fall of that once mighty giant of natural shoulder styling (Grieco Bros. / Southwick). The decline and gasping for a final breath — painful to witness. Without Southwick, no Heyday Ivy style as we now know it. The custom offerings of the greatest of the great stores/shops, including Langrock and The Andover Shop and Max’s (Charleston) and Stockton and Cable Car, were headlined by Southwick. During the 50s and 60s, their two standby Ivy models were Warwick and Andover. Latterly, Douglas and Cambridge, which resembled the old Norman Hilton Hampton. If you stocked Alden, Troy Guild, Southwick, Viyella, Pantherella (and Byford), Gitman Bros., and Atkinsons neckwear, you were a top drawer shop. Norman Hilton was a cut above (“the shelf above top shelf”); ditto for Crockett & Jones and Welch Margetson. I’m aware of only a few Ivy-tending retailers who persevered with Norman Hilton after, say, 1970.
Lawrence Trousers has been profiled. (Excellent). Now, JB, how about turning your editorial attention to Rochester Tailored Clothing (of Hickey Freeman).
I hope the J. Press execs are giving them some hard-earned, well-deserved business. Canadian manufacturing is what it is (some of it good; some of it not so good) — but there’s no good reason to not support made-in-the-U.S.A. clothing and accessories.
A significant portion Of Hickey Freeman production is now done in Canada.
My son and I become J. Press customers several years ago after discovering the company through this website. Just received the fall brochure and really enjoyed looking through it. But I am perplexed by the current emphasis that J. Press places on marketing the Pennant Lable to a national audience. I can understand the appeal to the few (very) who attended these schools or maybe those who did not attend but want to give that impression. And I can understand providing this clothing through the website. But the national presentation of Pennant Brand strikes me as more of a RL approach to marketing. The first thought that came to mind was the Talented Mr. Ripley. Let the traditional design and superlative quality be the hallmarks that carry the brand.
The combination of the black and white herringbone jacket with a brown-orange-red, etc cardigan really looked off to me. Both are fine, but together? Am I the only stalwart Ivy Style/J. Press fan who was disturbed by that? I’ll wait for someone else to comment on the colors of the duffle coats.
Unfortunately JPress is not willing to send a copy of their catalogue to Paris in France. This is a pity because there are also fans of the brand in good old Europe.
Well….America first……
Others have chronicled (much better than I) why this style is, looking way ahead (long term), winningr: relaxed and unpretentious–especially compared/contrasted with the style(s) that preceded it. If a person was gonna bet on a “dressed up” look for the 21st century and beyond, this is it. With due respect to the Savile Rowi(sh) Anglophiles, the future of fully bespoke double breasted jackets, stiff spread collars, and black captoes is, well, bleak. Very bleak.
Recently I came across a picture that of Dean Acheson, Averell Harriman, George Marshall, and Truman. Circa ’51, best I recall. Lots of heavily padded, stiff-looking double-breasted suits. The shoulders are high-and-wide and the shirt collars look overly starched. Except where it isn’t (members of the British royal family, for instance), this look is now a corpse. Brooks-inspired Ivy, led by J. Press and a multitude of mimics, drove a nail into the coffin.
Sartorially speaking, Ivy is a bit of a miracle: the merging of sporty nonchalance and just the right amount of “dressed up” formality.
I’m collecting and keeping all my J Press catalogs, they’re place in a very sacred place in my home,to be kept forever. I learned my lesson,not keeping all my Huntington catalogs. Maybe a time capsule?
As someone who didn’t (literally) run J. Press in NYC until moving there in the late 80s (I had then been a dyed in wool Brooks Bros. customer for many years prior), I am just myopic in my hoary views, but I’m not comforted in the “broadening” of the Squeeze look. The one thing I always loved above J. Press was that it appeared dedicated to NOT not looking to dumb down a trad/Ivy look to find a new audience. They left that to Brooks Bros, who simply looked to be morphing into an online department store. Press had always managed from year to year to come up with new colorways and other variations on traditional/time tested Ivy. I don’t believe their new “lines” are going to attract a great new raft of patrons but I do believe that it runs the risk of making some believe that they are joining those who no longer find it committed to the best of what was/is. I know my size (48/L) is not among the most common; but for decades I could also find an odd jacket, blazer or suit in stock to suit my needs. The “new” J. Press seems to not carry much for me in that regard and even getting a 17 1/2-36 OCBD has become a challenge. I’m grateful that so much of what hangs in my closet seems to wear forever and (true to what I had always believed about J. Press) always remain in tasteful style…”in fashion”…not so much but for me, that was always the point.