O’Connell’s is a big place. How big? Big enough for 26 tweed sportcoats to get lost for decades. Owner Ethan Huber recently discovered a stash of two dozen tweed sportcoats made shortly after the store opened in 1959. The jackets have all the Ivy details straight from the heyday: natural shoulders, three-button fronts, narrow lapels, …
I know, fall is here and you’re eagerly breaking out the woolens. No one could be happier than me, as I get to spend my first autumn in New York. But apparel brands are always working well in advance, so I need you to temporarily shift your brain back into warm-weather mode and have a …
J. Press has given Ivy-Style a sneak peak at items from its Fall/Winter 2010 collection. The full collection will be posted on the Press website on August 19.
Last week Allen Edmonds unveiled the Kenwood model to US consumers. Previously — and inexplicably — the classic American beefroll penny loafer, made in the company’s own “Gentry” leather, was only available in foreign markets. The lone penny option for US customers was the beefless Walden model. The Kenwood will be available in Allen Edmonds …
Two 19th-century American heritage brands have teamed up to offer a new US-made jean. Brooks Brothers and Levis — founded in 1818 and 1853, respectively — today debuted a collaboration appropriately called Levi’s Jeans, Made In The USA For Brooks Brothers. “For generations, nothing has conveyed the image of iconic American style more than a …
Since their invention by British soldiers in India, who tried to conceal dust by dying their trousers with tea, khaki pants have been a menswear staple marked by overabundance. Department store racks are lousy with them, and new brands appear and die out yearly. The khaki market is a hard one to win a share …
It’s Menswear Market Week here in New York, and I’ve spent the past few days at a couple of the trade shows. First up, Designer Forum, sponsored by the Custom Tailors & Designers Association, the oldest trade organization in the US. Pictured above are rep bow ties from Collared Greens, which has combined the preppy, …
Last summer, when I posted a photo of myself on the front page of Ivy-Style, I was also wearing madras. Of course, that was a shot from the rear. This year I’m showing my less flattering side. Recently, while researching a story on madras for The Rake, I spoke with Ethan Huber at O’Connell’s and …
Eager to reinvigorate a stodgy brand in the wake of the Americana fashion trend, Bass is preparing a new marketing campaign aimed at “hipsters,” Harbor Footwear spokesman Jason Lazar told Ivy-Style. Curious, we probed Lazar, the excutive vice president for Harbor, which holds the footwear license for G.H. Bass & Company (which is owned by …
Last night Brooks Brothers held a soiree at its Madison Avenue flagship celebrating the launch of its bow tie collection in collaboration with the blog Social Primer. Guests were asked to honor the occasion by wearing a bow tie. Most did, as you’ll see in the shots below.
Polo Ralph Lauren has finally released images to Ivy-Style of its Fall/Winter 2010 collection, which include a new silhouette in the Blue Label line. This updated sack suit was first reported by WWD Men’s about two months ago, which was picked up by Valet, and since then has been sitting in Ivy-Style’s Ephemera column under …
Yesterday Bruce Boyer and I visited Brooks Brothers, who were showing the Fall/Winter 2010 collection on the sixth floor of the 346 Madison flagship store. The goods represented the company’s growing commitment to reclaiming its heritage, and there were many nods to its golden age in addition to the new girls and home collections. Though …
The designers at Gant Rugger appear to have hit the books in preparation for the Spring 2010 collection. Or at least one book: “Take Ivy,” the 1965 Japanese photo book hyped to the max on the Web over the past couple of years. The sartorial motifs of “Take Ivy” abound in the Rugger collection, mixed …
As promised, a few notes on the ENK menswear trade show held last week. For spring and fall, Allen Edmonds will be bringing out a number of updated shoes in the trad category. Three of them are highlighted above, while all six are in the photo below (apologies for the bad shot).
This weekend I attended Designer Forum New York, a menswear trade show sponsored by the Custom Tailors and Designers Association, the oldest trade organization in the US. The event allowed me to finally meet two cyber-colleagues in person: Ivy-Style contributor Zachary DeLuca and author G. Bruce Boyer. Meanwhile, the clothes on display (such as the …
Last night Brooks Brothers held a Christmas bash at its flagship 346 Madison Avenue store. The event drew hundreds, with shopping proceeds benefitting St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. On the third floor, Wynton Marsalis (pictured at left) and members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, who are dressed by Brooks Brothers, played swinging renditions of …
Seven days ago I filed a story on JFK the man and then jumped on a plane to JFK the airport. I’ve just finished my first week in New York and think I’ll stay for awhile. Does it get much colder? I’m staying in Astoria. Longtime denizens of Tradsville will recognize this as the place …
Today Ivy-Style.com completes its freshman year. From now on all posts will be sophomoric. The image chosen to commemorate our anniversary is from the LIFE archives (the well ain’t dry yet), dates from 1966, and is captioned “Freshman student Barry Unger gets perspective on Op Art exhibit at MIT’s library.” And what a dizzying year …
Last week the New York Times blog ran a piece on the new book “American Fashion Menswear,” by Robert E. Bryan, former men’s fashion director for the Times. As the book includes chapters on both The Ivy League Look and dandyism, the publisher asked me to read the manuscript. Adding to the honor was a …