Notes On Camp

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 …


Ivy Trendwatch: Ralph Lauren’s 50th + University Collection

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 …


J. Crew: Not Everyone Wants To Look Like A New England Preppy

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 …


Sweater Season

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 …


End Of Summer, Copenhagen-Style

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.


Beau Tied

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 …


The Tipsy Point

“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 …


Fare Thee Well, Brooks Brothers Beverly Hills

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 …


Bruce Almighty

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 …


GQ: The Great Preppy Style Comeback Has Begun

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 …


Ivy Trendwatch: H&M Goes Collegiate

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 …


WWD On The Rebranding Of Preppy, With Quotes By And From Ivy Style

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 …


Prep For All

A little preview of our forthcoming post. Though it came out in spring, I hadn’t seen this until this week. — CC


The Other Brooks

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 …


Now Departing: Brooks Anniversary Exhibit At Grand Central

  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 …



The Traditionalist’s Hit Parade

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 …


After 86 Years, J. Press To Close Cambridge Store

The PR firm representing J. Press has just announced it will be closing the store in Cambridge, which served Harvard men since the heyday of the Ivy League Look. Note: J. Press send out a correction. The store was actually opened 86 years ago, not 68 as previously reported, and as indicated in the press …


Cardinal Virtue: A Guide To Nantucket Red Pants

There’s still plenty of summer left, and so new contributor Mawuli Grant Agbefe has rounded up a sampling of the red trousers currently on the market. Agbefe hails from Chicago and graduated from Baylor in 2014. He is currently working as a debate coach. Follow him on Instagram @The_winterwhitehouse. Like this post and want more content like …