Not long ago I had a conversation with a friend who is a fellow clothes lover. His style is something I would describe as excessively patterned but casual and nonchalant. He cherishes elements of the Ivy League Look but mixes in pieces of this or that as he fancies. We were discussing whether Ivy Style is …
Funny how everything’s turned upside-down, as I argued in the “50th Anniversary Of Slob Nation” essay. Back during the Heyday, Brooks Brothers never had to invoke the terms “Ivy League” or “preppy” — in fact company executives often abhorred the terms — for a very simple reason: Brooks had crafted its signature style long before …
This summer G. Bruce Boyer published a lengthy think piece in the magazine First Things called “Dress Up: What We Lost In The Casual Revolution.” I’ve only neglected sharing it here in a post as Bruce and I have brainstormed about recording a discussion about its main themes. Astute readers will recall that I’ve mentioned …
We’ve still got a lot of counting down to do until overcoat season arrives. In the meantime you can start counting up, as in saving your pennies for a chesterfield coat. Check it out on this young man of yore. — CC
My four years at Loomis (now Loomis Chaffee) were adolescent days of wine and roses, but lurking behind the bush was six degrees of separation. Our Glee Club concert at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in the middle of a gritty black Hartford ghetto was a long six miles away from the lush Loomis campus down …
As part of our year-long look at the year 1967 — a time of immense social change, including the fall of the Ivy League Look — we present this lengthy New York Times Magazine feature from last week. The story recounts the first African American boys to integrate the South’s elite prep schools. The piece …
The news is starting to spread about the return of a proper J. Press retail store to New York City. Yesterday the Wall Street Journal reported on it; WSJ subscribers can log in and access the story here. For the rest of us, here’s a snippet: Preppy clothing retailer J. Press said it is trying …
In honor of Ralph Lauren‘s 50th anniversary in business, here are 67 vintage marketing images to celebrate the year 1967.
The last post, as always, brought out debate — this time on the little matter of cardigans under sportcoats. One reader pointed out that cardigan (whether sleeveless or not) under a tweed jacket was fine, but never under a blazer. Well such rules have never stopped the folks at Ralph Lauren, as this image shows. …
G. Bruce Boyer has a new piece for the Drake’s website on one of his signature items, the sleeveless cardigan. Writes Bruce Almighty: Of the two classic sleeveless knits to wear under a suit coat or sports jacket – the V-neck pullover and the cardigan – the cardigan is surely the most elegant and versatile. …
If you thought the battle to dress JFK was competitive, imagine the skirmish over his scent. According to a New York Daily News piece recently dispatched to Ivy Style HQ, there were four fragrances associated with the late president. Two are familiar, and two probably not. The four fragrances are: Jockey Club by Caswell Massey, …
On this long holiday weekend we revisit this 2013 post, which is dedicated to longtime reader RM. * * * Earlier this month the Dallas Morning News did a style tribute to JFK. There’s plenty to nitpick in the story, including the awkwardly oxymoronic line that Kennedy’s style influence is “arguably eternal,” but there were …
This fall Gant has given an eco spin on the patchwork preppy classic. Just as old school items, according to Paul Winston of Chipp, were often made from scraps of old cloth, Gant’s new limited-edition, one-of-a-kind shirts are “upcycled” from fabric shirtings in the company’s archives. To purchase a shirt — which manages to be …
The New York Post reports today on more drink-fueled shenaningans in the Kennedy clan — including the recent arrests of Max and Caroline for disorderly conduct — along with a history of the family’s near constant state of scandal. Writes the Post of the family’s Hyannis Port hijinks: The privileged air of those carrying the …
Whenever I make my annual pilgrimage to the Bluegrass state I play “My Old Kentucky Home” as I cross the bridge over the Ohio River from Indiana. The racialized original version, not the sanitized one played for the world to hear at Derby (locals never refer to it as “The Derby,” or even “The Kentucky …
This photo of a young Mike Nichols is a fine illustration of bold simplicity. Although it’s the height of GTH season, and you’re likely reading this while wearing patch madras, do take note of the discreet combination of striped buttondown, solid tie (presumably in black or navy), and tank-style watch. Three classic, simple pieces that add …
Update 8/18: Orders have been sent out from the third production run of the Ivy Style Club Tie. There are about 20 leftovers, so grab yours fast (click the Buy It Now button at the bottom of this post). Other products are being developed, so there are no plans to do another club tie run. …
My time at J.Press in New York began in 1960 at the sliver of a store that occupied the second floor on the northeast corner of Madison Avenue and 44th Street. It was indeed a tight squeeze at J.Squeeze. The unforgiving 1,200-foot space stuffed 2,500 garments on double hangers in mobile Garcy racks. Customers were …
Last week saw the passing of Julius Hertling at the age of 92. His eponymous menswear manufacturing firm made clothing for J. Press for decades. Richard Press invited me to join him at the memorial service for his longtime friend and colleague, where he had this to say about the man he affectionately called “Julie”: …