On Wednesday, September 9, J. Press launched the Fall/Winter ’26 collection with the third runway show since present and creative director Jack Carlson took the helm at the 124-year-old menswear house. The new collection focuses on American tailoring and British mills. It includes a Barbour collaboration and the brand’s first women’s capsule in fifty years. J. Press also shared a press release, which is excerpted here:
This season, on the eve of its 125th anniversary year and one year into American designer Jack Carlson’s tenure as Creative Director, J. Press celebrates its roots in the British Isles. Jacobi Press founded his namesake label on the Yale campus in 1902, and the style he pioneered, “Ivy style,” has become synonymous with classic American style and with New England. But much of it has its origins in old England (and Scotland, and Ireland).
“Jacobi Press came to America from Latvia and his family had planned for him to become a rabbi. He decided to go into menswear instead. He didn’t grow up with any of this British stuff. But he had a keen eye, impeccable taste, and uncompromising standards,” Carlson writes. “He was kind of the Ralph Lauren of his day, back in 1902. He created an idealized version of the world he imagined at Cambridge and Oxford, and on great British country estates. He created what we now know as American ‘Ivy style’ accordingly.”
J. Press is proud that many of its offerings are still made in the British Isles, from its famous Shaggy Dog sweaters which are made way up in the North Sea, in Shetland; to English neckwear and outerwear for city and country; to Irish Aran fisherman sweaters made in the windswept isles off the west coast of Ireland. From Scottish cashmeres and Harris Tweeds; to Cheviots and English flannels specially produced for J. Press by the likes of Fox Brothers and Marling & Evans, J. Press’ relationship with some of these mills goes back over a century.
I have perused the new arrivals from J. Press website and present 20 of my favorite items in these 7 categories:
Suits
Tweed Jackets
Dress Shirts
Neckties
Sweaters
Rugby Shirts
Shoes
Suits
My three favorite suits are all made in America and feature classic styling. Every gentleman’s wardrobe should include suits in grey flannel, navy chalkstripe, and the iconic Prince of Wales check. These suits would look equally sharp in a boardroom or at a semiformal event.
Tweed jackets evokes the classic country squire look that J. Press is famous for. These three jackets are all made in America but are very British in heritage and materials. Dare I say that the look of these jackets is reminiscent of the very best from Ralph Lauren.
The club collar is a 1920s throwback and feels like it belongs in a scene from The Great Gatsby. Not everyone favors this retro look, but for those daring enough to give it a try, it provide an extra dash of elegance. It would look great paired with most regimental, repp, or club ties.
Traditional British regimental ties feature stripes that run from left to right (from the wearer’s left shoulder down to the right hip), while American-style repp ties run in the opposite direction. American repp stripes are still the gold standard for Ivy Style neckwear. These ties are made in the United Kingdom and inspired by schools, rowing clubs, and cricket clubs – but with the all-important reversal of stripe direction, making them acceptable for those unaffiliated.
The Shaggy Dog sweater is a J. Press classic. While l love the classic model and appreciate its elegant simplicity, the cable knit version looks especially stylish in this grey blue color. Lambswool is a nice alternative to Shetland wool. This pale blue cable knit crewneck is an attractive choice.
Summer is my favorite season, so it is always hard for me to begin packing away my beloved polo shirts. Fortunately, in autumn I get to bring out the rugby shirts. A collegiate classic, they are the perfect casual shirts for cooler weather. The shirts featured here are reminiscent of school colors – particularly the Big Three (Harvard, Yale, Princeton) of the Ivy League, the blue and gold of my undergraduate alma mater (Trinity), and fittingly the blue and grey of Jack Carlson’s alma mater (Georgetown).
I am a lifelong sailor and was introduced to Sperry Topsiders by my grandfather, the man who taught me how to sail. Like J. Press, Sperry is an American heritage brand that started in Connecticut. This classic and comfortable boat shoe looks great on boaters and landlubbers alike.
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