Today would be the 100th birthday of John Cheever, who died in 1982. Two news reports you might want to check out are this one by the New York Daily News, and for an English perspective, this one from the Telegraph. I asked Bruce Boyer if he might have any particular insight on one of …
Paul Fussell, author of the mordantly hilarious “Class: A Guide Through The American Status System,” died Wednesday at the age of 88. “Class” includes an entire chapter devoted to the semiotics of dress, and he aims his wry wit at his own class as much as those above and below. Here’s an excerpt: Upper-middle clothes… …
If you can’t get enough of images from the heyday of the Ivy League Look, there are several tumblr sites you need to check out. Above, The Weejun. Below, Traditional Natural Shoulder: And finally, The Ivy League Look: All great resources for documenting Ivy style from the past. — CC
Yesterday the trailer was released for Baz Luhrmann’s “Great Gatsby” adaptation, due out this Christmas. And don’t forget, the theatrical version will be in 3-D. Will the glasses be shaped like the ones on Dr. Eckleburg’s billboard? — CC
In its June issue, GQ uses the term “Ivy League Look” in what I suspect is the first in a long time. The context is in a one-page guide to Cambridge. The magazine mentions J. Press, but neglects to mention The Andover Shop, opting instead for a place called Concepts, described as “part high-end skate …
“Fifty Shades of Grey” is the steamy new novel that has bored housewives all stirred up, but here’s a shade of grey for us guys. While browsing at J. Press recently, this jacket caught my eye from across the room. The reason was the color: a grayish olive that struck a resounding early ’60s note. …
Yep, there’s another. No sooner had I begun preparing the announcement of Tuckernuck than another new online preppy retailer contacted Ivy Style HQ. Launched two months ago by two former lawyers schooled at the University of Virginia, Cornell and Washington & Lee, Country Club Prep is based in Atlanta and brings together small, preppy brands …
Based in Georgetown and founded by young women from Brown and Penn, Tuckernuck is a new online retailer that launched last week. The company is the preppier offshoot of Uscoop, a flash-sale site aimed at college students. According to a press release, the company draws inspiration from such WASPy destinations as Nantucket, Vail, Newport and …
Last year we reported on a $1,200 Ralph Lauren madras sportcoat; the price struck us as a little steep, not by the standards of RL, but of the fabric. This year the headline stealer is this vintage patch madras jacket from Chipp, for which an eBay seller is asking $1,100. The seller’s rationale for the …
In his new film “Moonrise Kingdom,” which kicks off the Cannes film festival on May 16, writer-director Wes Anderson is stepping up the prep. Anderson has consistently shown a keen eye for style in his films, at times incorporating prep elements, such as the uniform of blazers, blue oxfords and rep ties at the eponymous …
It’s always interesting to read interviews with the personalities of Tradsville, as it tends to reveal a surprisingly diverse lot — young and old, hip and square, slim fit and baggy, and of course liberal and conservative — all of whom share a common affinity for natural shoulders and oxford cloth. This week an interesting …
E-commerce site Mr. Porter has unveiled a new collection by Paul Smith in which the British designer draws inspiration from “Take Ivy.” According to the website’s announcement, Sir Paul, who has been at the forefront of British fashion for five decades, is well placed to explain how Ivy style first came to the UK from …
Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis film project is apparently climbing slowly but surely through the rings of development hell, though the light of day may be miles away. According to reports, the music rights have been secured and there’s a script that focuses on one 36-hour period of the jazz great’s life. Perhaps befitting a small …
Last month Ivy Style reported on the suspicious similarities between an inexpensive, offshore-produced belt by Lands’ End and what many consider the real deal made by Rhode Island native Kiel James Patrick (disclaimer: an Ivy Style advertiser). The post struck multiple nerves, including domestic versus offshore manufacturing and design integrity within the apparel industry, and …
Perhaps because he’s a football player, Dink Stover has been at Yale for a hundred years. Hey, the real world is coarse and common, would you want to leave? One hundred years ago this month Owen Johnson published his college novel “Stover At Yale,” which is long on novel but short on college. I attempted …
In February Ivy Style featured a virtual question-and-answer session with columnist Richard Press, and this time we turn the podium over to menswear author G. Bruce Boyer, contributor to the upcoming Ivy exhibit at the Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology, and whose latest book, “Enduring Style,” features never-before-seen photos of Gary Cooper. Today …
Summer is three months, or 90 days. Today Brooks Brothers sent out a mailer announcing a boxed set of polos in 44 colors. Why 44? Because that’s the flagship’s cross street on Madison Avenue. It’s also convenient number for planing your summer wardrobe. Not only does the set cover just about every shade in the …
Today Assouline sent out an email announcing the publication of “The Ivy League” by Daniel Cappello, my colleague at Quest magazine. The book starts by examining the history of the Ancient Eight and its place in American (and increasingly, global), culture, and goes on to devote a chapter to each school and what makes it …
Today in 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” was published. A cage-match between old money and new, it is regarded as the greatest American novel by many literary critics. As you’ve probably heard, a new film adaptation is scheduled to be released this year on Christmas Day. It is directed by Baz Luhrmann and …