It’s menswear market week here in New York, and yesterday I met with several brands at a small trade show held at the Park Lane Hotel. Among the regular attendees are two friends and colleagues of Ivy Style, Crittenden and R. Hanauer (otherwise known as bowties.com). Both are from the South — Hanauer hails from …
Here’s an idea on this historic glorious/infamous day when our country inaugurates its new president: how about creating a national fashion police to enforce standards of dress? There would be no more pajamas in the classroom or on the airplane, and hoodies would be banned from anyone over 18 or with a net worth over …
Here’s a gallery of images of the so-called aristocrat of topcoats. Perhaps because it’s called a polo coat, Polo Ralph Lauren has used them frequently in its advertising imagery, including the image above as well as the following: Here’s Ralph himself, looking casually bundled up rather than stiff and formal. This is the feeling …
For many years the 1981 BBC miniseries “Brideshead Revisited” has been my favorite film, if you can call a 10-hour book adaptation a film. It had been enough years since I’d last seen it, and so I decided to watch again between Christmas and the New Year. A great book or movie will constantly yield …
Comment-leaver “Old School “offers this appreciation of the bar stripe necktie, also known as Brooks Brothers’ #3 stripe. * * * It all started in my freshman year in college in 1961. My French professor was an Englishman who came to school every day in a black suit, white broadcloth shirt, and a bar stripe …
The subject of tie knots may seem sufficiently banal and #menswear to only occupy the concern of selfie-snapping enthusiasts, but a recent discussion I had on an Internet forum underscored the subtle —and not so subtle — messages such a thing can send. A tie knot can project fastidiousness, nonchalance, ignorance, and any numbers of …
There’s a fascinating new 5-minute video out on how tweed fabric is made. If you’re not a nuts-and-bolts geek about clothing craftsmanship, this might just make you one. Head over to The Atlantic to check it out. — CC
Ah, the search for the happy medium. This tie’s too wide, this one too narrow. This trouser has a full rise but the leg’s too baggy; this one has a slim leg but a low rise. You get the picture. It’s something every man who’s exacting about his clothes goes through. Enter the new Golden …
The great thing about getting your clothing made-to-measure is that you can get things that don’t otherwise exist. Last week I visited Jay Walter, who heads up J. Press’ made-to-measure program, and he showed me a corduroy sportcoat he’d just finished for a client. The jacket was rendered in olive, that popular heyday hue, and …
Previously I’ve written about the Boston Cracked Shoe look, a term applied to certain WASP patricians who would wear items that had far outlived their presentable lifespan. Members of the press discovered the concept during the presidential campaign of Adlai Stevenson when they observed Stevenson had holes in the soles of his shoes while working …
Some are fond of asking whether Barbour jackets are Ivy or preppy. They are certainly not collegiate in the 1960s sense, although they would later be embraced by J. Press. They were not in “The Official Preppy Handbook.” The jacket that was sanctioned there was the LL Bean Field Coat. So what was the Barbour? …
You might remember reports over the past couple of holiday shopping seasons that LL Bean could barely meet demand for its famous rubber boots. Well the kids are still wearing them and the company is predicting sales of one million units by 2018, up from the current 600,000. Ten years ago it was a mere …
“My kinda clothes” is a charming little phrase coined by Charlie Davidson of The Andover Shop. Here at Ivy Style, it’s a regular series in which readers share their favorite clothing items. If you’d like to share yours, use the contact button above. * * * I picked up my style of dress largely without …
In our last post about Washington & Lee University in 1969, many were surprised — including myself — by how many of the young men had fastened the top button on their three-button jackets. It certainly led to many speculations here and on our Facebook page. Was this a regional thing? Were the jackets made …
Ancient madder ties, a fall/winter classic, are extra prevalent this year. Brooks Brothers has introduced them in its narrow width, and Ralph Lauren’s collections, especially Purple Label, are full of them. But what exactly is ancient madder? We asked menswear sage G. Bruce Boyer to give us the scoop. * * * Authentic ancient English …
Ever the imperious editor of my wardrobe, last year I decided to purge a couple of real gems. I had two pairs of grey flannels — one charcoal, one mid-grey — made in Italy for Ralph Lauren. These are the trousers that sell for $350 or more, which I happened to score new with tags …
Last weekend I met G. Bruce Boyer at a menswear event and eagerly asked him what he thought of my new sportcoat. He stroked the fabric, examined the fit, and concluded that it looked great. “Very Princeton 1958,” he said. I can think of no better unofficial endorsement of Ivy Style’s first collaboration than praise …
There’s the preppy way of doing things, and then there’s every other way. Case in point, above we have a turtleneck worn under a buttondown. Verdict: preppy. Below (from a Valetmag.com feature yesterday), we have a buttondown under a turtleneck. Verdict: something else. Honor your forefathers. Defend tradition. Avoid forced foppery. And finally, go forth …
Was John F. Kennedy the most Ivy of US presidents, or did the most important man in the country actually encourage American men not to follow the Ivy League Look? That depends on whether you’re talking about President Kennedy the nation’s leader, or Jack Kennedy relaxing among friends and family in Hyannis Port. On assignment …