Level Up

Remembrance Of Mothers Passed

Once the dust had settled from my journey back to California and I was firmly nestled back in the very same apartment where I’d stayed for six months in 2009 (shortly after founding Ivy Style), I began work on a lengthy article. It quickly became clear it was the most important story of my life.

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Tradified

From The Editor

John Burton, Publisher Ivy is a fashion born of a mindset manifested in a lifestyle.  There are values attached:  dignity, the value and power of thought, ethics, hard work, aesthetics, appreciation of all things classic, and the dogged pursuit of excellence.   While Ivy evolves (I haven’t worn socks since Easter) the values don’t.  If you

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From The Archives

Harvard Commencement, 1961

Shot for Life Magazine by Alfred Eisenstaedt, the same photographer who brought us the wonderfully atmospheric shots of New Haven commuters. Top hats and morning coats by day, white dinner jackets at night. 

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May The Face Mask Be With You

Over the past couple of years I’ve shared my outside self-improvement articles here under the category Level Up. I’ve just published a new one pegged on the coronavirus. It’s for the Nob Hill Gazette, the San Francisco luxury and society magazine. I hope it helps you all navigate the constantly shiftings sands of this situation,


A Traditionalist

Gentlemen, for the past six months I’ve alluded to my new project Traditional Man, run a banner for it in the ad tower, and put a fixed-position spot for it on the front page. However, I haven’t announced it in the form of a conventional blog post, so I’d like to beg your indulgence one



Be Still My Soul

Gentlemen, be still my soul. Never have I prayed so hard, nor grasped so much towards the heavens, before the raging sea in the darkness of night, to pull down the energy of the stars and believe that I can shape my destiny. At the moment and location when I was born, almost all the


The College Man’s Guide to Life

Back in 2010 we compiled these words of wisdom from Ivy Style readers. They’re aimed at the college men of today and are as timeless as ever.  Feel free to leave a comment and add to the wisdom. * * * Wake up every morning thinking the day has the potential to be the best


Soul Man

Level Up is a new category I launched last year to share my extracurricular writings on becoming a better man. My latest essay posted over the weekend and centers on a few traditional activities all but guaranteed to improve your sense of well-being: weightlifting and martial arts on one hand, and prayer and meditation on


Much To Be Thankful For, My Friends

Happy Thanksgiving, my natural-shouldered brethren. There’s so much to be thankful for, so let’s jump right in. For starters, as a follow-up to our spate of posts on the great RL, you can stop calling him “Uncle Ralphie” (never understood that one) and start calling him Sir Ralph. That’s right, after a lifetime of drawing


Level Up: The Art Of Living

Forum is a privately circulated men’s lifestyle title produced by the company that puts out the menswear trade pub MR. I’ve been writing essays for it for over a dozen years, many of which I’ve shared here. What follows is my second piece from the current fall/winter issue. It’s based on a wonderful recent interpretation


Level Up: Play’s The Thing

We take a break from the run of news items with a fresh installment in the new Level Up category, in which I share my articles on becoming not just better dressed, but a better man. This piece just came out in the latest issue of Forum, a privately circulated men’s lifestyle magazine produced by


Corpore Sano: Ivy Style Readers On Diet & Exercise

Last week an interesting discussion broke out on Ivy Style’s Facebook group. What do your fellow trads eat, and how do they stay fit? It’s not all squash and gin-and-tonics. Here’s what they do. Chime in and let us know what works for you. * * * Play football/soccer 3-4 times a week and watch