It’s already time to dip into the Esquire archives again. This one was spotted by Marc Chevalier, walking menswear encyclopedia and member of Ivy Style’s Facebook group. The ad above dates to August 1936, less than one year after Esquire had helped introduce the Bass Weejun to the nation. Two months later, there was this …
I can’t remember exactly what J. Press’ Shaggy Dog sweaters cost when this site was founded in 2008, but it was a lot less than the $245 they’re charging today: Even pricier, Ralph Lauren has some brushed lambswool and cashmere crewnecks this season at $265. At least there’s a bubble-gum pink option: At those prices, …
Brooks Brothers’ media relations department has confirmed a rumor posted by a commenter here that the company plans to discontinue the Own Make collection. A spokesperson issued the following statement to Ivy Style: Own Make was a small range and an even smaller part of the business sold in a handful of retail stores. We …
Esquire recently made its entire archival history available online. For a mere $4.99 per month you can digitally browse every issue it ever published. I’m sure the folks at Hearst Media wouldn’t mind if we occasionally share the findings, as long as we give Esquire Classic a free plug. The image above is a two-page …
As we bring PC Week to a close, I’d like to address why I thought it worthwhile to broach this issue that is so contentious on college campuses. In wondering how to close things out, I found myself pondering the “correct” in political correctness. Can we pursue the “correct” without the “political”? PC by definition …
During the Ivy heyday, before the Free Speech Movement, discourse on college campuses was largely the opposite of today. Pro-establishment speech was politically correct, while anti-establishment speech was incorrect. Richard Press reminds us that while the tables have turned, there has always been speech that is discouraged. * * * Professor Herb West delivered his …
I had just left college when the movie “PCU” came out in 1994, and I was barely familiar with the term “politically correct.” I had probably first heard it from a guy I’d occasionally run into in the quad, who handed out fliers and held a clipboard. He was one of the few guys who, …
Today’s most tireless champions of political correctness are called “social justice warriors.” They are quick to spot hidden meanings of oppression and victimhood in everyday life. We started thinking what it would be like for a modern-day SJW to be shot — hold on, let us finish the sentence — back in time to a …
According to the season opener of “South Park,” which aired last month, political correctness is back with a vengeance. Its shelf life in the ’90s was about six years, says a character in the show, adding that we’ve got 5.9 more years to go before people start to chill out. In the meantime, you can …
The student government at Pitzer College, a small private school located in Los Angeles, has rejected the request to fund a yacht club on the grounds that it would be inherently exclusive and that the term “yacht” is offensive. Thurston Howell III would probably agree. The college plans, however, to fund a new tattoo club. …
Ivy Style contributor Rebecca C. Tuite, author of the book “Seven Sisters Style: The All-American Preppy Look,” was married last week and made the New York Times weddings pages. Congrats!
If you find yourself in the properly reflective and curious frame of mind to handle a weighty intellectual essay, there’s a piece in the current issue of Lapham’s Quarterly that you should sit down to with a full cup of tea. The periodical was founded by Lewis H. Lapham, who is also the editor emeritus …
With apologies to Patti Page, if you’re fond of sand dunes and salty air, you’re sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod Community College. Or at least be intrigued by the photos taken on campus from 1961-1966. We don’t usually drill down to the community college level, but oddly enough, due to the …
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Brooks Brothers‘ flagship at 44th and Madison*, and yesterday Town & Country put up a fun post called “11 secrets from Brooks Brothers’ past revealed.” No mention of an internal memo to do away with collar roll. — CC *Photo above is actually of Wall Street location.
Robin Williams in “Dead Poets Society” We return to our Professor Week coverage with a gallery of film dons (and a few schoolteachers). The list must be endless, so let us know who else belongs here. Above, Robin Williams in “Dead Poets Society.” Below, John Houseman as a Harvard Law professor in 1973’s “Paper …
Today marks the seventh anniversary of Ivy-Style.com. We’ve now produced 1,233 posts by several dozen contributors, with no end in sight. As per tradition, let’s review the highlights of the past year. • At the top of the list must surely be the addition of our new Millennial Fogey columnist Daniel C. Greenwood, who has …
You probably heard the news yesterday that Ralph Lauren is stepping down as CEO from the company he founded (fear not, he will remain creative director). His successor comes from — are you ready for this? — Old Navy, so we’ll see if things start veering in a new direction. Speaking of the world of …
We’ve featured Hillflint here at Ivy Style before, and yesterday the rising start-up got some far bigger publicity: a post at Town & Country entitled “The brand that’s making heritage collegiate gear cool again.” Goes the story: “We founded Hillflint three years ago, just after we graduated college, because we wanted to make something for our …