The battle between old money and new wages again as Leonardo DiCaprio takes on the role of Jay Gatsby in a new adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1926 novel “The Great Gatsby.” The film, which begins shooting soon in Australia, will be helmed by director Baz Luhrmann (“Moulin Rouge,” “Romeo + Juliet,” “Strictly Ballroom”). While …
Brooklyn-based Classic Specs makes a cool pair of preppy shades for anyone looking for the classic P3 shape at the more affordable price point of $89. The Beaumont model (shown above in maple) comes in several color choices for frames as well as lenses, including prescription. — CC
Last week Brooks Brothers released its Fall 2011 promotional videos on YouTube. The youth-oriented clips continue the “Back To Campus” and “Back To Town” themes. Above is the latter video, which, minus a two-second intro and outro, clocks in at 90 seconds. According to my calculations — and I may have blinked — there are …
Yesterday an interesting auction ended on eBay: a polo shirt made by Lacoste for Brooks Brothers, putatively from the 1950s. The shirt’s four-inch tails and artifact status, however, were not enough to motivate anyone to place a bid at the opening price of $499, and at the close of the week-long auction the shirt went …
Several years ago the fashion forward began using the sockless ankle as a style focal point. Later the wrist — adorned with “man bracelets” — became another prime location for enhanced personal expression. But now, according to new fall items released on the Rugby website, the hot anatomical joint is the elbow. Four out of …
Today is Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ birthday (she would have been 82), and obliquely in her honor we present a photo of her late husband captured wearing a buttondown collar, which he eschewed upon entering the national spotlight, saying they were “too Ivy League.” — CC
Not much of a recap, as last week I only went to two of the smaller shows. Designer Forum, which I’ve covered here several times before, suffered a breakaway faction that met in suites at the Park Lane Hotel. Here are a few of the things I saw at both shows, and stay tuned for …
The Ivy trend has officially reached the cash-grab phase: Abercrombie & Fitch — which once sold tweed sportcoats and other authentic Ivy-style items — has released a new collection for teenyboppers entitled “Elements of Ivy.” The web copy reads: “Distinguished from the rest and exceptional by every standard, Elements of Ivy is a collection of …
Digital style omnivore Derek Guy recently spotted a tumblr loosely entitled Rich White People, which consists of a potpourri of vintage photos, contemporary advertising images, movie stills, and snapshots of British royals. It’s all very pleasant on the eyes, and most germane to tradly types are the various vintage Ralph Lauren ads scattered pell-mell among …
Most trads feel more comfortable in pink than they do in black, the verboten hue. But we’re a small portion of the population. For many guys, a pink shirt is something that requires a great deal of deliberation. I recently gave my father a pink shirt; he’s in his sixties and had never worn one. …
This spring/summer season I noticed a plethora of back buttons on the collars of sport shirts at 346 Madison Avenue. It’s one of those small details from the Ivy heyday that it’s easy to laugh off as a trivial furbelow, until you see how immediately noticeable it is. Like everything in menswear, the third collar …
Yesterday The Sartorialist ran a photo of “Take Ivy” author Shiro Itoh and announced the publication next month of “Take 8 Ivy,” which was touted as a sequel to the seminal Japanese book chronicling American collegiate style. I was able to flip through “Take 8 Ivy” here in Tokyo a couple of weeks ago. Basically …
A few days ago someone who goes by the sobriquet “Andover Hotchkiss” posted the above image on Ivy Style’s Facebook page. It’s an ad for a book entitled “Prep 101: The Battle of Status and Social Rank,” by Dr. Charles Walker, Jr. and Cedric S. King that is supposedly due out next month. The tome …
They say you don’t get a proper spring in New York, and that certainly seemed the case this year. A stubborn winter was followed by an interlude of gray skies, wind and rain with just a handful of sunny mild days, and now we’re projecting 91 for Memorial Day. So while it’s madras and seersucker …
For the last couple of years, one of the recurring refrains on the trad forums and blogs has been an impatient wish for the Preppy/Ivy/Trad/Americana (PITA) trend to go away so that stubborn fuddy-duddies can go back to being behind the times. Rejoice, gentlemen, for that day is here: Mark McNairy, arguably the leading guru …
Many guys are accustomed to going sockless in warm weather; some even being daredevils and dressing with their bare ankles exposed to frigid temperatures. Style guides, GQ especially, often endorse this particular whim. But even with the continuing trend for bare ankles, there still remains proper, breathable hosiery to cover up with and show some …
Put This On‘s latest video profiles two opposing clothing brands: J. Press, the epitome of tradition, and Thom Browne, the antithesis of it (at least on the surface). The Press segment includes an interview with Jay Walter, who spent 25 years at Brooks Brothers before heading up the made-to-measure department at the New York J. …
Earlier this week Gilt Groupe sponsored an “Ivy Style” flash sale with contemporary fashion pieces about as closely related to the Ivy League Look as my alma mater is to the Ancient Eight. Now rival company Mr. Porter presents an exclusive three-button suit with patch pockets, tapered trousers and “quirky off-centre [sic] single vent.” The …
New in the Brooks Brothers summer catalog are these Wayfarer sunglasses made in collaboration with Ray-Ban. Purists can take heart noting that the novelty styling is on the inside, not the outside. — CC