Happy Birthday, Charlie!
Charlie Davidson of The Andover Shop turns 91 today and refuses to retire. Truly one of a kind. Happy Birthday, Charlie, from all of us here. — CC
JFK At Work And Play
A lot of original photos of JFK has gone on the auction block at Bonhams. There are a couple of sartorial details worth noting. The photos are from 1954, when Kennedy hadn’t fully sanitized his wardrobe of Ivy affectation in order to better reflect the American public via the medium of television. In the photo …
Yesterday And Tomorrow
Here is a fascinating photo from Yale in 1928. The young man on the left looks old-fashioned to us today with his three-piece suit with plus-fours (which was actually probably part of a four-piece suit that included trousers as well as knickers). In contrast, the student on the right looks perfectly contemporary in his crewneck …
Alternate History: What If The Ivy Heyday Had Never Happened?
Carmelo Pugliatti is a longtime reader of Ivy Style based in Italy. He is known in the comments section and on our Facebook group for his extensive collection of historic menswear images, as well as his incisive commentary on American culture from a European point of view. It’s especially admirable that he is brave enough …
Spoils Of War: Chens On Khaki For Ralph Lauren Magazine
If World War II had never happened, would khakis have ever become a staple of the American male wardrobe? That’s the question I found myself pondering when my editor at Ralph Lauren Magazine said he wanted me to write a feature on khakis. What in the world was there to say that hadn’t been said? …
From The Ends Of The Earth: International Elements Of The Ivy-Preppy Wardrobe
This post, which features much input from our Facebook group, was inspired by a recent comment decrying bit loafers for their Italian origin. It got me thinking about what other items associated with the Ivy League Look and preppy style have origins outside the UK and Ireland. Here’s what we came up with, presented alphabetically. …
Caledonophilia: A Tribute To Scotland’s Contributions To The Ivy League Look
While the English are often praised for laying the vestiary groundwork forthe Ivy Leauge Look, it is my biased opinion that the Scots are worthy of praise for their numerous contributions to the genre as well. I am biased because my Scottish grandmother made sure that I am not only proud of my Scottish heritage, …
New Michael Spencer Video Shows How Traditional Buttondowns Are Made
Ever seen an unlined oxford-cloth buttondown actually being made? Probably not, but you can now. Michael Spencer has just released a video that examines its three shirt collar options: unlined, lined but not fused, and finally lined and fused. While purists like the comfort and nonchalance of unlined buttondowns, lining and fusing is often best …
Perfect Match
No, not the couple. The guy’s outfit in this 1959 illustration. Check out the full image: He’s matched light blue socks to his light blue shirt. That’s a matchy-matchy no-no, to say nothing of harmonizing with the drapery. The other items are fine, including what we assume is a navy knit tie, and penny loafers …
The Velvet Touch
There’s breaking news today in the world of men’s footwear. That’s right: it’s not often that velvet slippers make headlines, but last night at the President’s speech before Congress, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross took a piece of “winter White House” style with him from Palm Beach to DC and donned slippers from Stubbs & …
Happy Birth Day-O: Harry Belafonte Turns 90
Happy Birthday to singer, actor and activist Harry Belafonte, who turns 90 today. Below you can check out an early recording he made with the Zoot Sims Quintet below. It features Roy Haynes on drums. Haynes was one of the jazz musicians who got hip to Ivy in the mid-’50s, and I interviewed him in …
Dateline 1967: What A Difference A Year Makes
Yesterday I was looking at some images by Japanese illustrator Kazuo Hozumi and came across one that had five of his signature smiling figures in a random assortment of outfits. Something clicked and I realized that two of the figures, who were side by side, formed a clever cartoon parody of the fall of the …
Charlie Knows Best: Custom Slim-Cut, Forward Pleat Flannels From The Andover Shop
Since I started working at The Andover Shop several months ago, every day has been a “party”,” in 90-year-old owner Charlie Davidson’s words. After noticing that forward pleats seem to be making a comeback, I figured I’d give them a try. Most of the customers at The Andover Shop opt for them when commissioning suits …
J. Press Spring 2017
This past week J. Press unveiled its Spring 2017 collection, the second in a row to feature the use of live models, which made their return last fall. It looks to be the same two models. the older not too old and the younger not too young. The looks feel current without being trendy, a …
Light In The Fog: Streets Of San Francisco’s Mike Stone
When we ran our profile of a tradly dressed Washington DC police officer recently, a reader left a comment invoking the name of Mike Stone, the cop played by Karl Malden on the ’70s TV show “The Streets Of San Francisco.” In contrast to his wide-lapelled and groovy necktie-wearing partner (played by a young Michael …
Fashion Police: Ivy Style Reader Is A Top Cop
Like many people who work in Washington DC, I am a transplant. However, I don’t work for a congressman or a law firm. I walk a foot beat in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods as a member of the Metropolitan Police Department. I grew up on the South Shore of Massachusetts and credit my …
Bow Tie & Badge: NYPD’s “Hipster Cop” Retires
Longtime J. Press New York employee David Wilder alerted me to the story of Detective Rick Lee, a plainclothes NYPD officer who retired this week at the age of 51. Lee became a minor Internet sensation because of his stylish clothes, earning the nickname “hipster cop” because “trad” is not part of the contemporary lexicon. …
Honoring Tradition: The Sewanee Dress Code
As a follow-up to yesterday’s post on the University Of The South in 1969, here’s a revisit of one of Ivy Style’s most popular posts, which offers a glimpse at how the school’s students look today. * * * Yesterday The College Fix — a site located on the conservative side of the political circus …
Holding Fast Against The Winds Of Change: University Of The South, 1969
It’s been well noted that the South has hung onto classic American attire better than any other part of the country. It’s certainly a region where traditions are deeply valued. Which is why students at the University Of The South did not jump the Ivy ship en masse like their peers in the Northeast. These …