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 …
Daniel Patrick Moynihan came up in the comments section last week, and as he was an academic as well as politician, he fits the bill for our Professor Style Week. For a tradly guy you’ll see a far-reaching embrace of the genre, including straight as well as buttondown collars, desert boots, double-breasted seersucker, olive poplin, …
Our sure-to-be-periodically-interrupted Professor Style Week has reminded me that in my biographical storytelling for Ivy Style I have dropped little clues to the identity of my alma mater. That school is the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. The name is either immediately known or not, something alumni secretly relish. Wooster is among a cadre …
Today Brooks Brothers sent out an email blast with a graphic emblazoned with the words “The Shirt We Love.” It’s fitting that the shirt features a straight collar, because Brooks’ iconic shirt for the past century — the buttondown — hasn’t been getting much love from the trad community recently. The latest purist to bemoan the …
There’s nothing trads hate more than accidentally becoming trendy for six months to three years. It’s a pretty silly notion, though. People who know you are well aware that you’re about as un-trendy as they come. On the other hand, I suppose it’s reasonable to feel a small anxiety that random strangers might look at you …
On Thursday night a book launch party was held for G. Bruce Boyer and “True Style.” The event took place at The Armoury and brought out a plethora of Boyer groupies and menswear personalities. Here’s Boyer with Alan Flusser, that other great menswear author, and who was clad in sneakers and sweats (perhaps from just playing …