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 …
As spring inches nearer, you may be considering wearing white denim (if only around the house). Or maybe not. In that case, consider a pair of tan jeans. They have the advantage of being a neutral basic like khakis, but more hearty, in case you end up in a wrestling match over the last roll of …
Practically every American accustomed to reporting to an office on a regular basis is finding himself in the midst of a new normal due to the Coronavirus pandemic. With even Senators such as Florida’s Marco Rubio publicly asking how much longer those 100 women and men will continue to meet in person, many if not …
Are you a student or working man who’s been told to stay home? DO NOT USE THIS AS AN EXCUSE TO LET YOUR SARTORIAL STANDARDS SLIP! Put on your best outfitt, take a photo, and email it to christian@ivy-style.com for what will be the first of hopefully-not-too-many best-dressed contests as we ride out the Coronavirus. …
Recently I was perusing a 1979 Brooks Brothers catalog and this image caught my eye. I liked the contrast of the patchwork tweed cap with the otherwise “correct” clothing. This has always been the WASP approach to sartorial whimsy. I’d been on the lookout for a new cap for this fall/winter season, and decided to seek …
The following is a sponsored post from Hemingway Tailors. * * * With over 100 years of family tailoring history and experience, Hemingway is renowned in the UK for classic bespoke and made-to-measure garments including jackets, suits, waistcoats, trousers, overcoats, and shirts made from only the finest fabrics. Hemingway combines the best of American and British …
Today is International Women’s Day, and so we are pleased to present a post penned by a young woman with a taste for trad clothing. * * * What makes a woman trad? It’s a tricky question, especially these days. A certain self-possession, an appreciation for the mutually beneficial relationship between form and function, and …
“1986 was no ordinary year. A gallon of gas was 89¢, Halley’s Comet buzzed the earth, and a company called Dockers was about to upend what guys wear to work forever.“ So goes the ad copy for the Dockers brand, created in 1986 as a subsidiary of Levi’s, so as to differentiate the brand images. “Taking …
We close out February with this fine example of what Ralph Lauren was doing back in 2011. The collection’s press release included the following copy: Polo Ralph Lauren presents a world of vintage preppy dressing inspired by the iconic Northeast, from a rugged Maine expedition to an urban Ivy League campus to charming New England …
You’ve probably noticed over the past couple of years that J. Press has greatly improved its bi-annual brochures under the tutelage of executive Robert “Squeeze” Squillaro (I gave him that nickname, by the way, and he’s yet to tell me not to use it). The new one for spring-summer has just been posted online, and …
Old Money Style is latest in Byron Tully’s thoughtful series of books on the habits and practices those who have known the best in clothing, manner, and deportment for generations. He puts these ideas into practice, and across the series, emphasizes that old money is about much more than the money itself – and …
Our series of posts on the color olive comes to an end with a peek inside the armoire at Ivy-Style.com headquarters back in 2011. This is one of the Norman Hilton sportcoats that his son Nick relaunched at the time. I picked it up at the New York factory where it was made; Nick Hilton gave …
Olive and khaki were enormously popular colors for Ivy-styled civilian clothing directly after WW II, through the Korean Conflict (fighting ended in 1953), and a decade beyond. We can only surmise that the wealth of well made but inexpensive military clothing on sale in Army & Navy stores throughout the country after 1945, as well …
Someone over at InsideHook (formerly Real Clear Media, for which I wrote a few pieces) is an Ivy stylist. The site just put up an ode to J. Press’ classic Shaggy Dog sweater, which comes in an extra-high number of flavors this year. Writes Jason Diamond: The Shaggy Dog, for those that don’t know, is …
Reposting this in light of a comment on our previous post “The Chase And The Catch,” regarding white socks being dorky. No personal opinion on the matter, as I believe it depends primarily on whether or not the wearer is a dork. — CC
Do fathers still take their sons to Brooks Brothers upon college graduation? Yes, some still do. Andrew Eastman recounts his own father-son outing under the Golden Fleece. It was my father who decided it was time for my first serious suit. I was 23 and had just graduated from Dartmouth. At some point before I’d …
My wonderful wife gave me a new blue oxford-cloth buttondown from Michael Spencer for Christmas, and I recently purchased my first “new-old” Brooks Brothers version in white. Sunday after church, I decided to compare and contrast those two along with a previously purchased Mercer & Sons version. All three shirts are sized 16 1/2 x …
Gentlemen, thank you so much for your patience during the past two months. Throughout November was the storm and stress of wrapping up life in New York, and most of December involved being bewitched by the magic of Newport at Christmastime while living in a construction disaster zone and a nightmare landlord. I also had …
Here’s an amusing year-end and rear-end piece of ass-tounding entertainment from Ivy Style’s salad days. * * * Harvard’s financial troubles have been well publicized. The university also made news several months ago when it was announced that it had licensed its name for a contemporary fashion collection called Harvard Yard, and was criticized for …