One of the advantages to collecting vintage madras is that it provides the opportunity to compare the idiosyncrasies of this unique fabric. Just as no two bolts of madras are completely alike, no two madras jackets are alike. As a counterpoint to the in-depth historical analysis of Christopher Sharp and the poignant madras-heyday memoirs of …
When it comes to certain things, you just don’t want to know how they’re made. Madras, however, isn’t one of them, as its creation is pretty interesting. The following is a 2011 interview with Cape Madras cofounder Brian Sisselman, who provided these wonderful photos of madras being made in Southeast India, and tells us how your favorite …
When I visited The Andover Shop in 2010, Charlie Davidson had a handy tip if you’re unsatisfied with the collar roll on your buttondown oxfords. It goes like this: 1) Unbutton the collar. 2) Push it upwards until it achieves an arched shape. 3) Stick the tip of a pencil through the buttonhole and make a …
Some complain that slim-fit shirts are evidence of Brooks Brothers losing its way, yet the brethren have offered them for decades, as this late ’80s catalog shows. In faxt, the pleated pants are fuller cut than the shirt. Preppy types have typically preferred a generous cut to their clothing, and this may (or may not) …
How do prep-school students view clothes in a post-preppy world? Here’s an example published in 2012 in the school newspaper of Choate Rosemary Hall — the school that gave us the navy pinstripe/yellow socks/ribbon belt/bow tie look — sent to Ivy Style by Doria de La Chapelle, co-author of a book on preppy style. * …
One of the best things about my job is that every so often I come across a piece so good that I have to take a moment to admire the finer points of hand-tailoring that went into it. In this instance, I found not one but two such pieces, both from Brooks Brothers, both with …
Last month a salesman from Langrock named Frank Mennella left a comment on G. Bruce Boyer’s post about the legendary Princeton clothier. Ivy Style followed up and asked for further recollections from Mr. Menella, and the comment and his subsequent email have been combined below with minor edits. * * * I just read this …
Today we honor those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. It’s also the unofficial start of summer, and therefore the start of madras season. Pictured above is a shot of 25 people, only one of whom is wearing madras, the man who would become known as our preppiest prez. Happy Memorial Day.
In honor of the mostly official start of summer, here’s my 2010 article on madras for The Rake. * * * American Indian: Madras, named for the Indian city where it originated, remains a distinctly yankee summer staple By Christian Chensvold The Rake, issue 10 Though Brooks Brothers and Chipp were just across the street …
H.I.S Inc. may be the missing link between workwear and Ivy-styled clothing. The company was originally founded as Honesdale manufacturing in 1923 by Henry I. Siegel. It specialized in workwear, including denim, and was a contract manufacturer for JC Penny and Montgomery Ward. The firm was headquartered in New York with manufacturing facilities in Tennessee. …
A quick look back at a clever GTH pant from almost a decade ago, which should get you looking forward to summer. Oh, and these need to be brought back into production. * * * The Gant show yesterday was my lone fashion week event. Twenty minutes every six months is just about right for …
Over a year ago Gregg Donnelly, founder of Jack Donnelly, known in the Ivy Style community for its American-made trousers, was hospitalized for three months after suffering a severe allergic reaction to a prescribed prescription medication. After leaving the hospital, it took Donnelly another twelve months to fully recover. Faced with financial trouble from hospital …
In my storybook “These Are Our Failures,” which was released in January, one of my characters argues that a change in mindset is necessary for the clothes-wearing men of today. We are fast becoming “retro-eccentrics,” relics and remnants of past standards, or, one could say, ghosts. The situation of the coronavirus will surely reveal much …
Keep sending in your photos!
By 1980 it was crystal clear: “The sport shirt of choice is Lacoste,” declared The Official Preppy Handbook. “Only the all-cotton model will do, the one with cap sleeves with the ribbed edging, narrow collar and two-button placket (never buttoned).” How did a French shirt with a crocodile for a logo become the go-to preppy polo? …
Today’s announcement has us mourning that no matter what the election result in November, there will be no blue buttondowns in the White House. Long live the revolution.
Nothing’s worse than having to say “I told you so,” especially to yourself. It’s right up there with “Be careful what you wish for.” Back in December, which feels like another world, I’d just arrived in Newport after a decade in New York. It was the Christmas season, and I felt charmed, bedazzled, and filled …
Earlier this week, in the wake of coronavirus, I suggested that the current Ivy trend should shift towards what the Japanese call rugged Ivy. But they have another similar and creative twist on Ivy, called bankara, which was celebrated on the cover of Free & Easy magazine in May of 2011, when this post originally …
Although I’m a young man, I’ve tried just about all the oxford-cloth buttondowns out there. They all have excellent qualities, and each has a character entirely its own. I truly do enjoy them all. But the more I explore new things, the more I long for the original: the Brooks Brothers buttondown polo shirt. We …