Ivy Trendwatch

  As we close out 2019, here’s a look back. Not at this year, but what was going on 10 long years ago, which in fashion is practically an eternity * * * If you keep an eye on our Ephemera column of news links, you’ve no doubt sensed there’s something zeitgeisty going on. The …

We wrap up the workweek with a roundup of recent news items. First off, today is the anniversary of JFK’s assassination. I didn’t know that there had been an earlier attempt in 1960, which was foiled by the Palm Beach Police Department.  Ivy Style’s plentiful posts on the former president can all be found here. …

Last Thursday, to a standing-room-only crowd at the Town Stages venue in Tribeca, Simon Crompton of Permanent Style, in partnership with menswear company Thomas Mason, kicked off their New York stop in a series of talks on menswear they have been running called the symposiums. This event had a focus on the distinctly American Ivy …

Menswear writer Stuart Husband, whose credits include The Rake, has a new piece at FashionBeans.com called “How ’60s fashion still puts swagger into menswear.” The piece focuses on the UK and ’60s styles in general, but there is some mention of our cherished style here: The prime look, for [Michael] Caine and his working-class-made-good peers, …

While going through the archives, I found this post on Danish photographer Sergei Sviatchenko from January of 2010. Turns out he is still doing his “Close Up And Private” project, which consists of atmospheric, artistic shots of midcentury and preppy style. Below are a few shots from his spring/summer 2019 edition. Head over here to browse …

Sperry is ready for fall with a new collection hearkening back to those Ivy Varsity days. I like the pictures and the vibes even if I don’t love this collection. Sperry for life, though! I’m still getting nice mileage from one of their summer boat shoes.  Images, logos and mascots are memorable and a useful …

According to Esquire, there’s a boat shoe trend going on. Of course, they’re not your father’s boat shoes. That’s probably because not much that was once your father’s is your father’s anymore. From Esky: Though a staid classic of maritime casual wear, and a favorite among style icons like JFK and Paul Newman, they have, …

Paris-based contributor Matthew Benz, who recently wrote about Tommy Hilfiger’s “True Prep” pop-up prep experience, sent along this scan from the Mai/Juin issue of French men’s magazine Monsieur. The copy discusses the “uniforme de WASP en vacances;” the phrase “go-to-hell” as coined by Tom Wolfe (“toujours vetu de blanc“); and “les pantalons flashys des Bostoniens… …

I have to tell you, I’ve never seen a genre of clothing so contentious as prep and its related cousin, Ivy League style. In just the past week three articles have posted that wrestle with the now-problematic legacy of traditional American clothing. In a feature on J. Crew from the current issue, Vanity Fair addresses …

Brooks Brothers showed its Spring 2020 collection recently. Exactly when or where I don’t know, since they no longer invite Ivy Style. I could blame that on the commentariat cranks, but no, it’s firmly on me. WWD reported about it on Tuesday, writing: The 201-year-old brand updated many of its staple pieces — dress shirts, …

Kamakura Shirts, in case you were unaware, devotes a part of its website to what you could call “dynamic content.” That’s another way of saying a brand blog. Since 2014 fashion critic Toshiyuki Kurosu has been writing pieces for Kamakura, and a number of them have been translated into English by “Ametora” author W. David …

There’s still much news in Tradsville to catch up on, so here’s a double-shot of your favorite titans of the Old Guard. Earlier this month Troy Patterson, who has linked to Ivy Style several times over the years, attempted to unravel the mysteries of business casual for The New Yorker. The piece ends with J. …

Updated May 7, 2019. This is one of our first posts categorized under Ivy Trendwatch back in 2009. It’s worth a re-look as the artist in question is still at it (we’ll look at his recent work in a future post), and the combination of items in the photos — which include rumpled oxfords, knit …

The latest Ne0-Prep news comes via Ralph Lauren’s online magazine, which has several prep-themed feature stories in the latest issue. Writer Sean Hotchkiss has the requisite “rule-breaking” take on prep, as ever since the invention of rock-and-roll in 1954, everything in American pop culture must break rules instead of upholding them. Of course, it’s tough …

Earlier this week the UK-based website Fashion United ran a piece entitled “The great prep revival a growth opportunity for menswear,” which introduces the term “remix” into the latest iteration of neo-prep. Ralph Lauren takes the opening of the piece, followed by Rowing Blazers, which is driving much of the publicity for the new prep-meets-streetwear trend. As …

The trade publication Sourcing Journal, for which I’ve written for in the past, put out a trend report last week noting the coming popularity of “New Ivy League.” Not surprising, it comes with an irreverent spin. Rather like an Ivy League education, symbols of wealth and prestige can be cool so long as they are …

Yes, it’s really happening: big media outlets are reporting on an Ivy League men’s fashion trend. What the clothes look like is a different story. The latest comes from the website Hypebeast and concerns the new lookbook from Japanese brand BEAMS Plus, with a headline about celebrating “Ivy League America.” There are three links in …

Are you a Japanophile, or just like to brush up on your knowledge of world history? Well earlier this season online retailer Bodega ran a lengthy piece on “ametora,” or American Trad in Japan. What’s helpful about it is that it provides a nice cursory overview of Japan’s gradual opening to Western cultural (and sartorial) …