Thank you to J. Press for hosting a wonderful evening. A number of great things happened. First, I FINALLY got to meet Laura Arnold in person.
Mountain & Sackett, the company that is 3rd generation family owned and makes their silk-on-both-sides ties, has their spring collection out. I am going to review it later this week, but the tie I am wearing here is from that collection. You can check it out here. The ties are… remarkable. And, apparently, easy to clean. Before the event, we were hungry, so me and these two hobos:
Ok, so the gum shot is not representative. Though it is funny and I stand by it.
I also got to meet in person Richard Press. This would have been a big deal for me in any event, but man. Mr. Press is one of the nicest, most humble, and funny people of whom I have had the pleasure. What a good man. He made it a point to meet my family. In my former career I met a lot, an awful lot, of people at the top of their field. They do not all turn out like Mr. Press.
One of the reasons I love this job is the people. I have never said that about a job before. But as I continue to preach, Ivy is a qualifier (hey, commenters, nothing is absolute, yes, mean people wear Ivy too, right Kent?) And tie incident aside, this was not my first corporate event. The presentations can get… stale. I mean, the people are there to sell, so you get one-sided. But the themes that kept returning during the presentation here were family, aesthetic, history. It was a pleasure.
There was a Q& A. And I did it. I asked Rhys if there is a period in St – and there isn’t. So I got one in the win column.
Finally, to add counterpoint to the let’s-talk-smack-about-people-we-don’t-know thing, some GOOD stuff about Steve McQueen.
- He served his country. He was a Marine for 3 years.
- He may have saved Bruce Lee’s life. Lee wanted a Porsche 911S Targa and wanted to drive it like McQueen, so McQueen took him out driving. Apparently McQueen knew how to drive, and Bruce Lee got so scared he wound up on the floor of the car. As the story goes.
- He was a big animal lover, and brought home strays all the time. From bars, even.
JB
Your article made me smile. Thanks.
Regarding the cleaning of neckties, perhaps a tutorial is in order. I dripped some BBQ juice on one of my favorites yesterday, an “irregular” BB club tie from the Garland store.
On it. Good suggestion. -JB
The award for “Best-Dressed Man in the Room” goes to Richard Press.
This ivy-educated gentleman has forgotten more knowledge of classic menswear than most people will ever learn (to use a phrase I picked up from Mr. Burton.)
What I like the most about ivy style are the values that it inculcates: thrift, modesty, and virtue. Exhibit A are the dusty-rose-hued Nantucket Reds worn by Mr. Press. They are more New England than a cottage on Nantucket behind a white picket fence.
The D-ring ribbon belt is another favorite of mine. Affordable, indestructible, and elegant in a youthful way, they are a menswear classic that J. Press has stocked for decades.
How dare you relate values to Ivy??? Why I.. I… – you are so spot on. He looked great, and the whole evening had the values you mention all over it. And I fixed a typo of yours!!! Now I only owe you like 500 of them back. 🙂 – JB
Great article, and some nice pics that are exemplary of ivy style. As a refugee from Brooks (who stopped carrying ocbd’s and sack suits), I am very grateful for JPress.
Gum or no gum, that is a beautiful lady.
Regarding: “counterpoint to the let’s-talk-smack-about-people-we-don’t-know thing.”
I knew Steve McQueen. The Steve I knew is exemplified by the following little story:
During the filming of Bullitt one of the camera crew was seriously injured and hospitalized. About the only person in the entire production to visit that injured man in the hospital was Steve.
Was Steve a perfect human being? No. So what. Who is?
He was a competitive guy in a very competitive world. You would have to be to become the number 1 international super star and the highest paid actor in history up to his lifetime.
He had big success’s and big disappointments in his life. But he tried and he was a good guy. And truly a genius actor.
Where did the stone throwers get their information anyway? The tabloids?
Regarding J.Press: They are simply the best.
Thank you. It just gets boring hearing people talk negatively about people they have never met. Well done! – JB
Reading this article, and viewing the photos, was a sheer delight!
Thanks, JB.
I love this sort of content! I wish that J.Press had streamed or recorded the event, but it doesn’t appear that they did so.
Did anyone snag any of the madras for MTO sport coats or any of the OMTC shirts at the event?
You make an interesting point. Maybe I can pull something together? – JB
Great gathering! Laura Arnold’s style is impeccable, as it is in any photo of her featured on this site. Richard Press has the most New England look I’ve probably ever seen assembled (and of course looks completely at home in it), And JB, that is a seriously great tie. I’d douse myself in seltzer in any company and with no regard for dignity to lift a stain off of it.
not that any of this matters all that much but: I’m not offended that you made some weird claim about Michael Jackson, I am actually more offended that you were condescending and rude to me and insisted that you were going to prove me wrong. I think saying that you “misspoke” several days later is a bit disingenuous after you seemed to delight in talking down to me. It’s distasteful.
Ok then, apology withdrawn. – JB
Your other comment was taken down. We do not allow personal attacks. You can always email me if you have something personal you want me to hear.
Mr. Burton, Mr. Press, and Ms. Arnold look so natural and so comfortable in their Ivy outfits; unlike so many people on the FB page.
@Philly Trad, I agree: they are fine examples of “Wear the clothes, don’t let the clothes wear you”.
Which is also pretty basic Ivy philosophy, as I understand it.
In regards to not “letting the clothes wear you” I have a theory that people who fall into that unfortunate camp actually amplify that weakness because these types of clothing choices are increasingly out of the norm today. Meaning that when someone is dressing Ivy today, they are already drawing attention to themselves as having made a “choice.” That’s one of the things that I’ve always enjoyed about Take Ivy, namely how natural and unaffected everything seems. People that are trying too hard usually stick out like a sore thumb. But anyway, I agree with the comment about how “effortless” everyone looks in the photos here.
Mr. Burton’s facial expression radiates pleasure, gratitude, and admiration while looking at Mr. Press.
Dennis makes a great point about Take Ivy and the naturalness of the style. I too was drawn to Take Ivy for those very reasons. Their clothes would all look perfectly natural today just as they did then. Which makes me wonder: If one of the beautiful things about Ivy is its simultaneously dressed up/casual look, what does that look like in the context of 2022? What does the answer say about Ivy’s status as a ‘living’ style vs a museum piece?
It says that it is perfect for these times. I will write a post about it. 🙂
Part of it is knowing yourself, and what you can pull off in a natural way.
Me – OCBD, khakis, crew neck sweater, penny loafers, navy blazer, curcingle belt, Ancient Madder tie in a neat pattern (stripes are not me) – Natural given my personal history and personality
– Nantucket reds, bow tie, ribbon belt, navy watch band, or madras jacket – I would look ridiculous
BUT, on Mr. Press the reds and bow tie look great! Because we are two different people, and
on him these items are natural.
And this, frankly, is where most people who try this style fail.
Love Laura’s Madras jacket! And it’s cool to see an almost full-length shot of Mr. Press. JB, you look pretty well turned out too, old bean.
Kind Regards,
H-U
Nice to see Mr. Press looking in the pink. I wish I could have been there.
Heinz-Ulrich – I hope you will be posting again on your own website as well. You have been missed.
I love the tie, JB.
I don’t like bow ties, a blazer deserves a chest patch pocket, and I prefer “Charleston Brick” red to “Nantucket Red.”
This said, Mr. Press elsewhere wears one of best of all the Magee Donegal Mist tweeds— and he brought that steep-ribbed serge “Reefer Twill” to my attention, which inspired me to ask Fox Bros. to look in their West-of-England archives (closets probably). So, bless his soul.
https://berle.com/collections/all-products-excluding-sale-items-1/products/prime-poplin-br-flat-front-br-charleston-brick?variant=31748484300867
Mr. Press always looks so at ease in his attire and displays the concept articulated by CC that trad dressed up is more,casual,than others and trad casual is more dressed up.
Mr.Press could roll into a a meeting board meeting and appear perfectly attired. If he showed up at after school event the bow tie and Reds and a more casual air.
Mr Burton’s photos are proof of the superiority of white OCBDs to all other colors.
Thank you!!!
Aw….
It’s darling that you came back and checked though.
Great write up and photos. JB, Laura and Richard Press were dressed in Ivy Style perfection.
I hope we see more like this article.
Although I’ve never owned a Porsche 911, I’ve heard the British Top Gear guys say that they were designed to kill the inexperienced driver with little notice, especially the turbo model.