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Ivy & The Arts

  K,  So I am doing a fundraiser for an arts center, which normally would not concern you.  Except that my friend, Faheem Haider, is the Executive Director and an Ivy Style fan.  He bought that bucket hat at J Press.  And that is a J Press jacket I am wearing. Faheem does nothing not

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Tradified

From The Editor

  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 are a

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From The Archives

GQ: The Great Preppy Style Comeback Has Begun

According to GQ, a preppy style comeback has begun. Apparently fashionistos have gotten tired of workwear and streetwear. In a post from earlier this week, the mag writes: Brendon Babenzien’s Noah—the New York brand that unites streetwear heads, skate rats, and glossy prepsters under one roof—just unveiled its latest seasonal collection. While the brand has

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Will Trent – A TV Show That Lost Its Way

Editor’s Note: We have all enjoyed reading Mr. Grant’s work, so I wanted to make sure I said thank you to him. Thank you. The alleged TV drama on ABC and Hulu, Will Trent, is based on Karen Slaughter’s series of novels.  Frankly, I have not read any of Ms. Slaughter’s novels, but I would


A Rising Tide Lifts All Chinos

Before you say anything. Here’s the picture from this GQ article. Breathe and hear me out. Just wait a second. I know what you see. MC Hammer made chinos, right? And pleats and that one pair of shoes look like what was on Neil Armstrong during a famous walk he made. But look closer. See


A Few Reflections On Ivy After All This

Having gone through what I just went through, and having had a truly scary number of people from the site reach out to me and tell me they are going or went through the same thing, as I get back behind the wheel here, I have some reflections on Ivy Style. The first myth, which


The Wrong Way To Sell The Right Clothes

K, first, take a look at this article in Town & Country about how the prep aesthetic (don’t worry, you didn’t lose me, third paragraph down or so they conflate prep and Ivy) is taking over athleisure. The article is paywalled but you get one free if you mention my name. Actually you don’t have


Covid-Era Aesthetic Has Ivy Roots

Editor’s Note: Please click here for the accompanying photo essay. DO NOT be concerned if you are not up to speed on the aesthetic phenomenon known as Dark Academia. It is an esoteric subculture which gained traction during the peaks and valleys of the Covid-19 pandemic. During those austere times, the DA aesthetic was of particular interest to


OCBD’s For Women

… are remarkably hard to find. Which is weird because I think they look great, and I am offering up this paucity as a business opportunity for someone. Ivy has come back, and this niche is sooooo empty. For LL Bean, a woman’s oxford is a straight collar. In fact, for literally 99% of retailers,


Of  OCBD’s and a Conspiracy Theory

Editor’s Note: It is Mr. Grant’s week here and we are grateful. The cover image is a small puzzle, it’ll be solved in a second here by someone bright.           It would be my guess that 5% of the visitors to this website have never heard of an OCBD. They probably stumbled onto Ivy Style,


Of Plaids And Tartans

Editor’s Note: Hank Grant is one of those people who offered to step up when my family’s health went down. THANK YOU The textile known as Scottish tartan has long been associated with the traditional style of dress. Tartan sports coats, vests, and trousers are frequently worn to Christmas parties. Tartan ties and scarfs are


Ivy Notes S2 E10

The Wall Street Journal is paywalled, so all of the following are interesting, but paywalled. And thank you to The Amazing Tom for sending these in. (Mitchell also sent in the first article, not not first – it’s not a race, just trying to give credit where credit is due. First, there’s a pretty good