First ImPRESSions
The first stages of construction have begun that will return J. Press to its rightful place on 44th Street.
What Now? The Uncertain Future Of Neo-Prep
In light of the recent Boston Magazine article on Vineyard Vines, we revisit DCG’s first Millennial Fogey column, from November 2013. * * * To speak of preppy-with-a-twist among trad purists is to garner reactions ranging from “What does this have to do with Ivy style?” to “Stop wasting my Internet, I want to look …
From The Vineyard To Main Street: CC & RVP In Boston Mag’s Vineyard Vines Profile
Boston Magazine has a lengthy profile on Vineyard Vines that includes a number of quotes from Richard Press and myself regarding VV’s particular branch — or vine — on the Ivy/prep/trad tree. By way of snippet: That’s where Vineyard Vines came in. What they were doing when they started wasn’t particularly revolutionary—we’re still talking about …
Behind The Scenes At J. Press Fall/Winter 2017 Photo Shoot
Here’s a sneak peek at what J. Press has cooked up for this fall, as recently unveiled on its Instagram account.
Beatniks And Nerdy Ivy Looks: Beams Plus’ Upcoming Subterraneans Collection
Well that’s a coincidence. No sooner had I posted on the completely made-up concept of “beatnik prep” than a reader informs me that that is the very theme of an upcoming collection. Beams Plus, the Japanese brand known for its Ivy and vintage Americana, has developed a collection entitled “The Subterraneans” for this fall/winter. The …
Beatnik Prep
Back in the chilly days of March I amused myself by playing with style juxtapositions. The concept of “beatnik prep” was pretty simple. Start with a beard or goatee (check), take your corduroy or tweed cap and wear it backwards at an angle, so it resembles a beret. Then add natural-shouldered sportcoat and maybe even …
A Diverse Outfit
Meet Ivy Style reader and Facebook group member TJ Aguilar, and have a look at his outfit. The first thing you’ll notice is the strong sense of whimsy: lobster-emblazoned sneakers, madras belt, collegiate crest tie given to him by a friend. Now for his serious side: Aguilar is a sergeant in the Tulsa County Sheriff …
Confronting The Shadow: The Preppy’s Dark Alter-Ego, The Bro
There’s a guy you probably encounter on a regular basis. Sometimes it seems like he’s right over your shoulder, following you. He kind of looks like you. He has a neat haircut. He wears khakis and boat shoes. On festive summer occasions he’ll wear patch-madras shorts and polo shirts in bright, go-to-hell colors. When he …
St. Andrew’s School, Middletown, Delaware, 1960
Wonder what these kids thought of Holden Caulfield? St. Andrew’s is where “Dead Poet’s Society” was filmed. — CC
Rye Humor
“Rebel In The Rye,” a new movie charting the development of JD Salinger and his writing of the classic prep-school angst novel, “Catcher In The Rye,” will open in September. Alas early reviews, presumably based on the festival circuit, are not good. There is much debate about whether “Catcher In The Rye” and its smart-alecky …
Golden Years: My Brief Bromance With Frank Sinatra
Note: This column originally ran on January 22, 2013, and is being reposted today following news of the death of Sinatra’s wife Barbara Sinatra at age 90. * * * The life that late I led in the heyday was “Mad Men” in real time. Until the 1950s, retailers respected the privacy of their celebrity …
Aggressive Style
The past couple of April Fool’s Days, I’ve amused myself — and hopefully a few of you — by indulging one of my pet peeves: campus political correctness. It’s a pet peeve because, you know, it has the power to destroy Western Civilization. Some are concerned that Evergreen State College won’t be evergreen anymore because …
Success Through Good Grooming: Bert Bacharach’s Right Dress, 1955
This weekend we presented some great photos of composer Burt Bacharach. This led some readers to point out the other Bert Bacharach, which Ivy Style covered in this post from 2013. At the time, it never occurred to me that two men with the same name — but spelled differently — could be related, but …
Blue On Blue
An Ivy Style reader recently submitted this fine photo of composer Burt Bacharach circa 1966. Fans of the Great American Songbook will likely consider him the last in a line of succession that stretches back to the parlor tunes of the early 1900s. After Bacharach’s hits for Dionne Warwick in the late ’60s and early …
Ivy Trendwatch: J. Crew Invokes ’60s-Era Collegiate Cool With Unlined Oxford
We haven’t had anything to classify under Ivy Trendwatch for quite some time, but we do now thanks to J. Crew. With a headline called “The New, Old School Oxford,” the company has introduced a collection of oxford-cloth buttondowns that tout their vintage collegiate inspiration and unlined collar. “With a longer, unlined collar, our new oxford …
Wooden Acting: Farewell To Martin Landau
Martin Landau died this week at the age of 89. The actor should be familiar to everyone here for his role in the Hitchcock classic “North By Northwest.” In 1995 he won the Best Supporting Actor award for the movie “Ed Wood.” Landau also starred in the TV series “Mission Impossible,” in which he had …
Don’t Sweat It?
In Thursday’s post about Brooks Brothers, some readers expressed horror at the pairing of tailored clothing with sweatpants. While I certainly made fun of the forced nonchalance of adding a pocket square to the mix, combining athletic wear with jackets and trousers gets to the very heart of how college men revolutionized the way the …
The Dignified Hoodie: A Gallery Of That Gentleman ’80s Polo Model
Even an item as banal and unstylish as the hoodie can be elevated by its wearer. Case in point, that handsome old gent from Polo ad campaigns from the late ’80s and early ’90s. I remember these ads — including the hoodie shot above, taken alongside a tennis court— from when they first came out, …
Countdown To The Brooks Bicentennial
Yesterday the trade publication WWD ran a slideshow of the Brooks Brothers Spring/Summer 2018 collection, giving us the first glimpse of what the company has up its sleeve in celebration of its 200th anniversary. Alas it was more of the same, and we will have to wait and see if Brooks has any kind of …