The Wrong Way To Sell The Right Clothes

K, first, take a look at this article in Town & Country about how the prep aesthetic (don’t worry, you didn’t lose me, third paragraph down or so they conflate prep and Ivy) is taking over athleisure. The article is paywalled but you get one free if you mention my name. Actually you don’t have


Covid-Era Aesthetic Has Ivy Roots

Editor’s Note: Please click here for the accompanying photo essay. DO NOT be concerned if you are not up to speed on the aesthetic phenomenon known as Dark Academia. It is an esoteric subculture which gained traction during the peaks and valleys of the Covid-19 pandemic. During those austere times, the DA aesthetic was of particular interest to


OCBD’s For Women

… are remarkably hard to find. Which is weird because I think they look great, and I am offering up this paucity as a business opportunity for someone. Ivy has come back, and this niche is sooooo empty. For LL Bean, a woman’s oxford is a straight collar. In fact, for literally 99% of retailers,


Of  OCBD’s and a Conspiracy Theory

Editor’s Note: It is Mr. Grant’s week here and we are grateful. The cover image is a small puzzle, it’ll be solved in a second here by someone bright.           It would be my guess that 5% of the visitors to this website have never heard of an OCBD. They probably stumbled onto Ivy Style,


Of Plaids And Tartans

Editor’s Note: Hank Grant is one of those people who offered to step up when my family’s health went down. THANK YOU The textile known as Scottish tartan has long been associated with the traditional style of dress. Tartan sports coats, vests, and trousers are frequently worn to Christmas parties. Tartan ties and scarfs are


Ivy Notes S2 E10

The Wall Street Journal is paywalled, so all of the following are interesting, but paywalled. And thank you to The Amazing Tom for sending these in. (Mitchell also sent in the first article, not not first – it’s not a race, just trying to give credit where credit is due. First, there’s a pretty good



Ivy-Style: The Podcast with Rhys Moore

Hey, this Tuesday sitting down to wine and Ivy with Rhys Moore, the CEO of St Johns Bay Rum Company. Rhys is SERIOUS old school Ivy but … hilarious. Rhys Moore If you have any questions you want me to ask, please drop them in the comments. Rhys is a serious fox hunter, can tie


Happy Birthday To Richard Press

Richard Press turns 85 today, please join me in wishing him the happiest of birthdays. I say his age because he said it first, on our podcast which you can hear here. In 1937, the year of his birth, there was a lot in the air. Literally. Amelia Earhart disappeared, the Hindenburg did too, and


Ivy Notes S2 – E8

Old School found a… I don’t know what it is but it has some great moments, it is called Take Ivy and it is 7 minutes. Check it out here. The Amazing Tom is reading this book: Contributor Chris Modlin sent in this follow up to yesterday’s piece about habit creation and practice: check it


Profile In Ivy – Tom Heany

I am committed to doing many more profiles than last year. Well, actually, I am committed to doing more of everything than the last half of last year. So here we go. Got back from the gym this morning, it was packed. A lot of resolutions. I am personally down 46 pounds from my biggest



From Mobile to Manhattan: A Sartorial Journey

By Scott Rye Joining Loyal American Life Insurance Co. as a clerk in 1955, the year the company was formed, 24-year-old Matt Metcalfe rose quickly through the ranks, becoming secretary and a director just three years later, and executive vice president two years after that. At the beginning of 1960, the company listed assets of


Every Tie Has A Story

Editor’s Note: First, THANK YOU to James Grant who threw in a great story while I am finishing up my family’s medical issues. Second, the site is still not repaired so apologies for only one image but this is such a great piece you probably won’t mind. When I was a boy, I once asked



Podcast Talk (See What I Did There?)

The show is #2 globally right now on MX.   A few of you have written in that the audio is low on Richard in some spots.  I think I can fix that further for Part 2 (I sent the show to an engineer). Some of you have asked why the show is on MX.



Ivy Style: The Podcast Episode 1 Part 1

J. Press presented the inaugural broadcast.  Can you even imagine?  It was amazing to be in the J. Press store in Manhattan, watching and recording Richard Press hold court and none other in our genre can.   You can listen to the show here.  I broke the show up into two parts, next part to launch


Ivy Notes S2 E7

It was a remarkable night. Unlike Richard’s first show with me, this one was ALL Ivy. It’ll be posted on Monday.     I will say this though.  My daughter is a giant Richard Press fan, and asked to come down to see him again.  She and her boyfriend were once again the only teens