Ivy Style had the somber privilege of sharing the news of Norman Hilton‘s death back in 2012, and now, lest his name be forgotten at this tumultuous time in American retailing and American society, we revisit this post. May it serve as a reminder that the qualities of being both uncompromising and visionary can carry …
College football game with scarf and sweater, no mask. Those were the days.
You’ve no doubt noticed a number of artist profiles over the past few months. We continue the ongoing tribute to those keeping alive the great tradition of menswear illustration with this interview with Andrew Mashanov conducted by Ivy Style contributor ZG Burnett. * * * IS: Please tell us about yourself, and about your background …
It’s September and time — or almost time — to put away the Indian madras for another year. The term “Indian summer,” incidently, refers not just to a meteorological phenomenon (which actually happens in fall), nor to wearing madras for three or four months of the year. It’s also the name of a haunting tune by …
In September 1746, the British succumbed to a French attack on Madras (now Chennai) as part of a larger struggle for the control of India. But the Battle Of Madras is notable less for its strategic importance than for the fame it bestowed on Robert Clive, a brave and enterprising young clerk who was a …
Our impromptu Madison Avenue series continues with unconfirmed reports that the supreme symbol of the Ivy League Look in New York — Brooks Brothers’ flagship store at 346 Madison Avenue — will not reopen. The building is evidently owned separately from the company and is not part of the deal with the new owners. If …
I was just down at the popular Cliff Walk here in Newport and lamenting the change of seasons that’s in the air. That line from “The Great Gatsby” popped into my head, the one about wishing you could reach out and grab onto summer and keep it just a bit longer. But the seasons come …
When the Spanish Flu struck a century ago, J. Press was already in business. It survived that pandemic, the Great Depression, two World Wars, and everything else — including constant changes in how men dress. And so despite the coronavirus, the company is releasing its Fall/Winter 2020 brochure right on time. Expect it to hit mailboxes …
Last week the New York Times ran a major feature on the men who now own Brooks Brothers, and are bent on “reshaping the American retail landscape.” Of new co-owner David Salter, the paper writes: “Last year, we said within five years, we want to be at $20 billion,” he added, referring to the overall …
Today we revisit the work of a man devoted to the preservation of the Ivy League Look in its pure — albeit office attire — form: Yuhei Yamamoto, who operates out of Tokyo under the name Tailor Caid. Hardcore Ivy fans will know him from his blog, which features a vast library of vintage images …
One of most interesting aspects of the Ivy League Look is that while it campus dress was extremely formal in relation to that of today, it was relatively casual in relation to off-campus dress of the time. Historian Deidre Clemente has shown how college kids invented the very concept of being dressed-down in her book …
Yesterday we featured a contemporary artist who takes inspiration from the collegiate fashions of the past. Today, in contrast, we feature original collegiate fashion art from the 1950s which is scheduled to go the way of Columbus statues. Joe College, meet the year 2020. The iconic American figure Joe College is on the chopping block …
Wes Robinson is one of those inherent creative types, and we’re fortunate that the object of his interest just happens to be Ivy style. A synesthete, Robinson wields his condition like a secret weapon, and, combined with his talent for brushwork, creates delightful little portraits of some well-dressed fellows. Though that is hardly the extent …
Pictured is my posterior in 2009 at the end of my last California summer before embarking for the East Coast. Updated photo coming soon. Enjoy your Labor Day. * * * I can think of no better way to mark the end of summer than with my own end. It’s wrapped in a pair of madras …
I am reminded me of an old article in which the author finds himself staring out the window of a New England country inn on an autumn day. His only companions are a bottle of old sauterne and the ghosts of his past. He calls sauternes “memory in a glass.” My epiphany is that seersucker has …
As the summer of 2020 winds to a close, we revisit these Japanese images from eight years ago with a little inspiration for what to wear this weekend. These are bow-tie slip-ons…. …. which might just result in a….
Rowing Blazers is weird. The people that inhabit the fashion world label it a neo-prep brand and point to items like 3/2 button stance blazers in patterns like blackwatch or gun club check, or chunky shawl collar cardigans. Conversely, prepsters are leery to accept a brand that sells collaboration hoodies and graphic-print tees into their …
Today MR Magazine reported that Brooks Brothers has finalized its sale for $325 million to Authentic Brands Group and SPARC Group. The menswear trade publication writes (emphasis added): Through the transaction, SPARC, the dedicated operating company for ABG-owned brands including Aéropostale, Nautica, and Lucky Brand, assumes the role of core licensee for Brooks Brothers. SPARC …
This interview originally ran in 2011, but the historic information on Gant, one of the most celebrated brands of the Ivy heyday, has evergreen value, and so today we pay it a revisit. * * * With fashion in a constant state of flux, it’s no wonder apparel brands are less than assiduous when it …