Here’s the article in the October issue of The Rake. We have gone from Chensvold’s literary death sentence of the necktie to Boyer’s plea for clemency to a user’s manual. What are we to make of this? I reviewed Christian Chensvold’s book here, and in reflecting now on that review I realize that the …
In Hyde Park, NY, of all places, on the banks of the Hudson River, one of the most prestigious private universities in the country offers up one of the most aggressive and well-regarded educations available, the offspring of which is masters of their majors. Celebrity masters and non-celebrity masters alike, industry seeks graduates of this …
When I got the gig, I set out to meet the existing advertisers. Had coffee with some, went to the offices of others, the stores of even others. Started with a few emails, then phone calls, you know the drill. Ivy has the potential to be a stereotype. The boss’s son taking over the company …
I like pens and I go into town (that is what you call it when you take the train to Manhattan from where I am) about twice a week. There is a non-Staples pen store a few blocks outside Grand Central, I had a few dollars in my pocket from the last Evening With James …
I have worn a Columbia ballcap to Columbia before with predictable results. I have now worn Duck Head khakis to a cigar room on Madison Avenue, and gotten unpredictable results. If you are from parts south you might be more familiar with Duck Head. The company has everything we love here, including starting as a …
EDITOR’S NOTE: Please, for the love of god. This is a piece about Ivy dressed news anchors, or the lack thereof. I get you don’t like one side or the other. We are talking clothes here. Get it? – JB Walter Cronkite is still America’s most influential news anchor according to the polling done by …
Well well well. It does seem that our sails are catching some wind, yes? The flurry of Prep Is Coming Back (damn with the Prep thing but we can get to that too) articles that line up with our jam is gratifying. I could review one a day, but this one is particularly good and …
EDITOR’S NOTE: Nathaniel Means was kind enough to offer up this review of Alan Flusser’s book on Ralph Lauren. It’s a thought and reaction-provoking review, and if you haven’t read through the book, you should. I revisited the book itself in preparation for this article, and here is what I was left with. First, it …
Editor’s Note: ALL of the illustrations in this article were done by the author, ZG Burnett. – JB By and large, the Ivy closet was the first gender-neutral safe space. Since the founding of the Seven Sisters, students were snapping up their brothers’ and boyfriends’ clothes to wear in the secluded comfort of the quad. …
Here’s the article. Three observations, then have at it yourself. First, the using of Ivy and Prep as interchangeable. I know they aren’t, you know they aren’t, how does Kareem Rashed not know they aren’t? Easily explained dear reader – because for him they still are, and he is the window shopper we are looking …
Editor’s Note: Old School sent me a collection of essays from old Land’s End catalogs… and they are fantastic. We’ll feature some of them – there’s an essay on ironing your own shirt (the male author says, “You may call me a pantywaist but…”) (I have to tell you, I had no idea pantywaist was …
The problem with picking a strong lead image for an article is that since a picture is worth a thousand words one has to start in the middle of the piece to avoid repeating one’s self. Since not everybody is a visual learner, here: the death of the necktie has been predicted almost as …
My favorite Rodney Dangerfield joke has nothing to do with the rules about madras and white bucks and Labor Day, which the rest of this article will be full of. Here’s the joke. “I asked my wife, Honey, how come you never make any noise when you have an orgasm? And she says, how would …
I have always been a fan of Chukka boots. The desert boot’s close cousin, Chukka boots are essentially a beefed-up version of their relative. While the basic outline remains the same, Chukkas have a slightly more streamlined silhouette and are made of sturdier leathers and more durable rubber soles. All around, the Chukka is …
J. Press is Ivy’s North Star, and the catalog, which you can see if you click here, strikes the perfect balance between letting us know North is still North and inviting a new audience. We’ll take a quick tour here, but really, go look for yourself. J. Press has not only stayed true to its …
The lead picture is boat shoes not on a boat. Here’s Aristotle: Aristotle knew how to frame thinking. He wrote a book. Rhetoric. In Rhetoric he talked about the Rule of Three. That people remember things most easily in three’s. I have heard, but cannot verify, that that is why area codes and the …
Editor’s Note: Just spoke to Tucker at Andover – this is a great opportunity to work in the field with one of the greats. The information you need is below. – JB The Cambridge and Andover locations of The Andover Shop are looking for seasoned full and part-time sales associates. This is a unique opportunity to …
My ritual is this. Every morning for the past seven years, I get up at 3:15 to 3:30. People find this hard to believe, so over the years I have challenged people to send me a random email at that hour, see if I respond. Then I realized what a tool move that was, and …