I’ve been working on that Hollywood magazine I’ve mentioned before, and recently interviewed the actress Hannah John-Kamen. She’s had roles in a number of franchise fantasy worlds (Star Wars, Tomb Raider, Game Of Thrones, the Marvel Universe), so I asked her where she’d like to go if she had a time machine. Backwards or forwards? She …
Architects are generally an international type, the sort who work in minimalist offices with Scandinavian furniture. But during Ivy’s heyday, many of them wore soft-spoken and soft-shouldered suits, even while radically remaking urban skylines. Above, at the 1957 International Building Exhibition in Berlin, Hugh A. Stubbins relaxes while articulating his vision, the epitome of nerd-chic. Below, Architect …
Last week I reported on LL Bean discontinuing its iconic camp moccasin. Soon after LL Bean sent me another message on Twitter saying that items often go in and out of the catalog, suggesting that the move may be temporary and that the shoe could be brought back with presumed fanfare. Isn’t that what happened …
Like this post and want more like it, more often? Help keep Ivy Style going for another decade. * * * There’s much brand news to catch up on over the next couple of weeks. We start with Ralph Lauren, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last night with a fashion show in Central Park, complete …
If there’s a Neo-Prep revival afoot, don’t expect J. Crew to be part of it. Unless of course the trend gets really big. After all, they’re in the fashion business. Recently new CEO James Brett, formerly of West Elm, told the Wall Street Journal, “We can’t be all New England preppy. Not everyone wants to look …
Don’t unpack your sweaters just yet (what’s known as premature unpackulation), as there’s still plenty of heat in the forecast, at least here on the East Coast. But it’ll be time soon enough. And remember, there’s more to the Ivy sweater genre than just Shaggy Dogs. Take playwright Neil Simon, for example, who’s pictured above …
Taking the madras out for the last weekend of summer in Copenhagen, Denmark. From Ivy Style’s Facebook group. Like this post and want more like it, more often? Help keep Ivy Style going for another decade.
In case you missed it, yesterday was National Bow Tie Day. No worries: you can still wear one today. And if you don’t have one, visit the father-son duo at R. Hanauer, which operates BowTies.com and is one of Ivy Style’s most loyal sponsors. And to inspire you, here are some outfits from Ivy Style …
“Preppies no longer exist,” declare Matt Walker and Marissa Walsh in their book Tipsy in Madras, A Complete Guide to ‘80s Preppy Drinking. Although a book about cocktails, the introduction of the text actually provides insights which might be most interesting to the readers of this site. The authors take one through a succinct timeline of …
First-time contributor EAE has composed this paean to Brooks Brothers’ Beverly Hills store, which closes Monday, August 27. Like this post and want more like it, more often? Help keep Ivy Style going for another decade. * * * Brooks Brothers’ location at the corner of 468 Rodeo Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard has been …
Over the past several decades, G. Bruce Boyer has distinguished himself as one of the most erudite writers ever to tackle the subject of menswear. Born in 1941, he came of age at the Ivy League Look’s height in popularity. A graduate of Moravian, the fifth-oldest college in the US, Boyer went on to do graduate …
According to GQ, a preppy style comeback has begun. Apparently fashionistos have gotten tired of workwear and streetwear. In a post from earlier this week, the mag writes: Brendon Babenzien’s Noah—the New York brand that unites streetwear heads, skate rats, and glossy prepsters under one roof—just unveiled its latest seasonal collection. While the brand has …
Like this post and want more like it, more often? Help keep Ivy Style going for another decade. * * * Since the publication of “Take Ivy” and the MFIT’s “Ivy Style” exhibit five-plus years ago, there hasn’t been much to add to Ivy Trendwatch. That’s our very narrow category used only for cultural happenings …
As hinted in our last post, we continue with an examination of the rising revival of neo-prep. It comes to us from the trade publication Women’s Wear Daily, which absorbed the menswear publication DNR several years ago. Recently I spent a fun but exhausting near hour speaking with a reporter from WWD, and last Monday …
A little preview of our forthcoming post. Though it came out in spring, I hadn’t seen this until this week. — CC
Our last post on the Brooks exhibit at Grand Central inspired this submission from a reader. Like this post and want more like it, more often? Help keep Ivy Style going for another decade. * * * If one looks closely at the crest on the historic blazer in the recent Brooks Brothers exhibit, it …
Last week Brooks Brothers unveiled its exhibit inside Grand Central Terminal, just a couple blocks from its Madison Avenue flagship. I checked it out on opening day, and found commuters of all stripes — some even rep — who stopped by to have a look. It certainly shows the breadth of the brand over …
Last night Jack Carlson hosted another packed party at the Rowing Blazers pop-up shop in downtown Manhattan. The occasion was the introduction of the brand’s latest collaboration, which is with Murray’s Toggery Shop. Why work out in basic gray fleece when you can do it in Nantucket Red? Just the day before Rowing Blazers was …
In light of the recent J. Press news, let’s “squeeze” in this New York Times piece from 2000. * * * The Traditionalist’s Hit Parade By Ginia Bellafante 12/19/2000 Not too long ago, in an attempt to compete with the world’s Gaps and Banana Republics, Brooks Brothers transformed itself from the kind of store that …