Last night J. Press hosted a tweed-themed event at its New York store. It was the first with Richard Press in his new role as columnist and what you might call brand ambassador. Richard shared tales of J. Press’ 50-year partnership with the Irish tweed mill Magee, along with Magee CEO Patrick Temple. The chat …
Last week I met with Robert “Squeeze” Squillaro, the new exec at J. Press, to learn about Richard Press’ new column. After that, talk turned to the new fall collection and where things are going. You could say it’s a story of expansion (“press”-ure, perhaps?), and contraction (that is, squeezing). As soon as the fall …
OK, much to catch up on here, so let’s jump right in. You could say it’s like building an outfit from head to foot. Starting at the top in hat news, check out the caps by Rowing Blazers. My dad picked one up to keep the sun off his nose while visiting New York just …
Last we looked at Brits donning American duds, and today we seem them in their native English garb, albeit often anachronistically. If you’re an Anglophile and a bit of a young fogey, there’s a magazine for you — which covers such topics as tweed on film — that’s finally being distributed in the US. Of course, maybe it’s …
Last week I reported on LL Bean discontinuing its iconic camp moccasin. Soon after LL Bean sent me another message on Twitter saying that items often go in and out of the catalog, suggesting that the move may be temporary and that the shoe could be brought back with presumed fanfare. Isn’t that what happened …
If there’s a Neo-Prep revival afoot, don’t expect J. Crew to be part of it. Unless of course the trend gets really big. After all, they’re in the fashion business. Recently new CEO James Brett, formerly of West Elm, told the Wall Street Journal, “We can’t be all New England preppy. Not everyone wants to look …
First-time contributor EAE has composed this paean to Brooks Brothers’ Beverly Hills store, which closes Monday, August 27. Like this post and want more like it, more often? Help keep Ivy Style going for another decade. * * * Brooks Brothers’ location at the corner of 468 Rodeo Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard has been …
As hinted in our last post, we continue with an examination of the rising revival of neo-prep. It comes to us from the trade publication Women’s Wear Daily, which absorbed the menswear publication DNR several years ago. Recently I spent a fun but exhausting near hour speaking with a reporter from WWD, and last Monday …
A little preview of our forthcoming post. Though it came out in spring, I hadn’t seen this until this week. — CC
Last week Brooks Brothers unveiled its exhibit inside Grand Central Terminal, just a couple blocks from its Madison Avenue flagship. I checked it out on opening day, and found commuters of all stripes — some even rep — who stopped by to have a look. It certainly shows the breadth of the brand over …
Last night Jack Carlson hosted another packed party at the Rowing Blazers pop-up shop in downtown Manhattan. The occasion was the introduction of the brand’s latest collaboration, which is with Murray’s Toggery Shop. Why work out in basic gray fleece when you can do it in Nantucket Red? Just the day before Rowing Blazers was …
In light of the recent J. Press news, let’s “squeeze” in this New York Times piece from 2000. * * * The Traditionalist’s Hit Parade By Ginia Bellafante 12/19/2000 Not too long ago, in an attempt to compete with the world’s Gaps and Banana Republics, Brooks Brothers transformed itself from the kind of store that …
The PR firm representing J. Press has just announced it will be closing the store in Cambridge, which served Harvard men since the heyday of the Ivy League Look. Note: J. Press send out a correction. The store was actually opened 86 years ago, not 68 as previously reported, and as indicated in the press …
Over the years of working the trade shows and covering menswear, I can’t tell you how many lawyers I’ve run into who started an accessories collection, often neckties. Arguing the case for the anti-tie side of things, however, is a California litigator-cum-mayor who made news last week for a proposal that his town of Lancaster …
Last night was the opening party for Rowing Blazers‘ summer pop-up shop. Located in Downtown NYC, founder Jack Carlson secured a much larger space than last summer, and pulled everything together in about a week. As befitting the Downtown location, the party was packed with the young and hip. I spent most of the evening catching …
In the interest of maintaining balance in the universe, posts about Kennedy and posts about Bush, posts about jazz and posts not about jazz, we follow-up the last post on teetotaling with a review of a new book about whisky. Comment-leaver “Canadian Trad” takes it on. * * * Taste in clothes and taste in …
In the past week, two big newspapers both came out with stories on a pair of the most legendary shops in the history of the Ivy League Look. Yesterday we looked at the New York Times’ piece on Brooks Brothers in the wake of its 200th anniversary, and today we visit a Boston Globe feature …
On Saturday the New York Times ran a major feature on Brooks Brothers, pegged on the brand’s 200th anniversary. It includes an interview with CEO Claudio Del Vecchio. Here’s a sample quote: “Brooks Brothers is a special place,” Mr. Del Vecchio said during an interview in his upper-floor office at the 346 Madison Avenue store, …
American shoe brand Sebago — which is named for the second-largest lake in the state of Maine — was quietly acquired by Italy’s BasicNet back in August 2017 for $14.25 million. BasicNet is the owner of such brands as Superga, Kappa and K-Way. Sebago was at one time a brand of The Sebago Moc Company …