1990-present

Final Thoughts: Searching For The C In PC

As we bring PC Week to a close, I’d like to address why I thought it worthwhile to broach this issue that is so contentious on college campuses. In wondering how to close things out, I found myself pondering the “correct” in political correctness. Can we pursue the “correct” without the “political”? PC by definition




Cast Your Vote: Is Trad Politically Incorrect?

According to the season opener of “South Park,” which aired last month, political correctness is back with a vengeance. Its shelf life in the ’90s was about six years, says a character in the show, adding that we’ve got 5.9 more years to go before people start to chill out. In the meantime, you can


Gant Unveils Bold New Heritage-Fueled Campaign

After being teased earlier this week on social media, today Gant unveiled a bold new marketing campaign. A high-production video on Gant.com features an elderly campus dry cleaner narrating the story of all the changes he’s seen over the past 50 years, spoken over footage of campus-quad touch football, herringbone-clad students carrying picket signs, poetry


Lights Go Out On York Street

Hot on the heels of Brooks Brothers‘ announcement that it will pull the plug on Black Fleece comes the news that the lights are going down on York Street, J. Press’ attempt to court younger guys with money. The news actually came out last month — apparently while we were all on vacation. The story


Campus Capers: The Atlantic On Coddled College Students

Back-to-school month may not be until September, but magazines generally publish a month early. That means that hot on the heels of Vanity Fair’s lengthy dissection of the dating apocalypse is The Atlantic’s September cover story on that other thing kids do at college — or rather are supposed to be doing — namely, getting


Blacklisted: Brooks Will Discontinue Black Fleece

On Thusday it was reported that Brooks Brothers will cease its Black Fleece collection headed by Thom Browne. The New York Times interviewed both Browne and Brooks CEO Claudio del Vecchio, and writes: “I don’t think people ever saw the collection as being inappropriate or irresponsible to live within the world of Brooks Brothers,” Mr.


Old Navy’s War On Prep

Summer 2015 will be remembered as the summer of outrage. On whichever line of Donald Trump’s combover you stand, each day brings some gaffe, injustice or felonious act about which to gripe bitterly to the enjoyment of your friends and followers on social media. And so within this spirit of antogonism and hyperbole that I



ACL On Ostentatious Loafers

Today A Continuous Lean put up a post entitled “The Enduring Appeal of Ostentatious Loafers.” What does “ostentatious” refer to in this context? Why to bit loafers, Prince Albert slippers, and Belgian Shoes. Here’s the preppiest passage: … By the eighties the Gucci loafer came to represent the pretentious bravado of pastel wearing undesirables. From


Pretty Penny: Mr. Porter And The $480 Weejuns

  This week the e-commerce company Mr. Porter brought out an exclusive collection of Bass Weejuns. And I mean exclusive in every sense of the word: the shoe carries a whopping price tag of $480, a pretty penny indeed. Today, perhaps to get consumers excited and justify the price (especially when you consider the shoes


Barbarians Storm The Gate Of Yale Club

Yesterday the New York Post’s gossip column Page Six reported on the annual meeting of the Yale Club, where some members aren’t too happy about all the tatterdemalions running amok. Writes the paper: One member wrote in a letter to the club, “A horrifying example of this denouement, this sad decline in the atmosphere and



Modest Capitol Hill Turnout For Seersucker Thursday

Turnout for yesterday’s Seersucker Thursday on Capitol Hill was a modest nine, down from previous years. It was also predominantly, though not exclusively, Republican. In the interest of balance, here’s a brief history of political seersucker, courtesy of NPR. — CC Update: There are some quotes from me in this article at The Daily Caller.



Style Icon: Jon Carlo Dominguez

On May 23, The New York Times ran a story called “Catching A College’s Eye,” based on an open call the Times holds for college application essays that address the subjects of money and class. One of the high school students featured is Jon Carlo Dominguez, pictured above in a Times photo by Bryan Anselm.


Dog Days Of Summer: Introducing Logan Richard

June arrived with a letter of introduction in my inbox from Logan Szidik, a young style entrepreneur looking to corner the market on preppy dog collars. No kidding: Szidik, a 23-year-old who graduated last year from the University of Vermont, has launched a collection called Logan Richard featuring collars for canines and belts for humans.


Boutonnieres For A Summer Wedding, And That’s No BS

If you or someone you know is planning a summer wedding, why not outfit the groomsmen in boutonnieres made of oxford cloth? Made by Mordechai Rubinstein of the blog Mister Mort, these were a highlight of the Pop-Up Flea show, founded by Michael Williams of A Continuous Lean, held two weeks ago.