Spring Squeeze: Exclusive J. Press Brochure Preview
February 26, 2020
You’ve probably noticed over the past couple of years that J. Press has greatly improved its bi-annual brochures under the tutelage of executive Robert “Squeeze” Squillaro (I gave him that nickname, by the way, and he’s yet to tell me not to use it). The new one for spring-summer has just been posted online, and a hard copy for leisurely perusal will be hitting your mailbox shortly.
Here’s what Squeeze had to say about the season’s photo shoot and offerings:
J. Press continues to reinforce our commitment to classic American style with Spring/Summer classics:
Cotton poplin suits in three colors
Seersucker jackets, trousers, sport shirts and shorts
India Cotton Madras jackets, trousers, sport shirts and shorts
Poplin trousers and shorts Made in USA
Cotton crewneck sweaters made in USA
Cotton oxford and broadcloth dress shirts with buttondown collar Made in USA
A wide selection of repp stripe, emblematic and striped knit ties
Suits and sportcoats in our classic 3/2 sack model.
We have some great new items, including:
Cotton-linen sweatshirts in three colors
A range of university tees & sweats
Trim Madras popovers
Madras and seersucker bomber jackets
Vintage-inspired patterned blazers
And an amazing lightweight lambswool tennis sweater made for us in Scotland.
There are two concepts for the brochure: Relaxed Summer that was shot in Westhampton Beach, NY and a mix of Urban Casual & Professional shot in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It’s never easy shooting a Spring/Summer book in the Winter, but fortunately we had great weather in Westhampton Beach. It brought back some great memories as the beachfront location was where I got married, and I had not been back there since.
Thank you, Squeeze-san, for whetting our appetite, and for these behind-the-scenes shots. — CC
A J. Press Shaggy Dog sweater is one of the five essentials items in Byron Tully’s “Old Money Style” book.
Congratulations to Mr. “Squeeze”: the quality of the brochures and the merchandise keeps getting better year after year.
Harvard Square will never be the same after the tragic loss of the J. Press store and the Au Bon Pain with its chess tables and Parisian cafe style outdoor tables.
@Daiv Good catch! We couldn’t get approval from the Penn licensing department for our custom pennant design. Hopefully we can make that happen in the future.
It is true that J Press Shaggy Dogs come in the best colours and they are shaggier than other iterations. I also love all the current varsity stuff they have on their website, sadly I did not attend an Ivy league school so cannot partake. The closest I got was Duke in the 1990s for a term….never mind.
Nice stuff for the most part. What I see in the collection is the same trend, jackets too short and too tight. I cannot understand it.
I bought a beautiful HSM Ebay blazer a short time ago, at a great price. A bit snug and short, however. Probably, the worst fitting garment I ever had.
I’ll keep it, for it captures “Today’s Look, not at $800, but $35.
Wriggles,
If you can’t ‘squeeze’ into today’s threads, you need to get with the program, stop eating meat, be part of the solution. Besides, it “makes you look taller”.
Can’t wait for the new Spring Brochure. Always a treat. I wish they would do a more muted madras sport coat, perhaps using shades of olive, mustard yellow, burgundy and navy, as I recall seeing in some heyday ads.
Wriggles – I’m not so sure about the short and tight diagnosis. Based on so much of what we see out and about currently, you may well be correct. But, it could be that the models are wearing something a bit smaller than what would be traditional in an effort to appeal to the (trendy and admittedly somewhat silly to my eyes) contemporary ethos. Say, a 42 long man in a 41 regular coat. Also, with the models’ hands in their pockets, it is hard to be certain, but the madras sport coat doesn’t seem too short. If you are going to be near one of the stores, I would encourage a try-on before dismissing the new stuff.
While I enjoy the winter, and it has finally arrived here in Mid-Michigan, I was thinking ahead with enthusiasm earlier this week to breaking out the brighter colors and madras items for Spring once the weather warms (usually and most reliably not until May here) and Memorial Day Weekend approaches. I might even jump the gun a bit and stray into gauche rube territory by sporting a madras tie or, Heaven forbid, a pair of salmon chinos with a navy blazer for the final week of the semester in late April. . . Our our teaching and learning conference a week later. OK, non sequitur over.
Fred Johnson – I find the sock-less style puzzling. While it feels uncomfortable to me, Weejuns have been worn sans socks since the heyday and probably before, and boat shoes and sneakers may be worn sock-less in reasonable comfort if one is so inclined. I am getting used to it on Millennials and Gen Z, but at the mid-day Ash Wednesday service yesterday, I saw an exceedingly well dressed gent, roughly 55 years old, wearing a traditional banker’s gray suit, white OCBD and repp tie with leather “dress loafers” (if I may use the term) and no socks. I really can’t imagine a be-suited heyday professional, whether at church, office or anywhere really, going without socks, and particularly not when it was 50 degrees outside. It was a navy chalk stripe suit and black cap-toes with socks for me. To each his own, of course, but I find wearing hard leather shoes, such as the cordovan’s I am wearing today, sock-less mystifying.
Can a man three years my senior be considered a heyday professional?
Taking the week off to work on the house. High water khakis, hopelessly worn RL blue and white university strip shirt,(both with FEC style paint spatters) LLBean cotton sweater in navy, worn, twenty + year old Sperry top siders, navy Sail magazine hat today. No socks, though it is only in the forties today.
Sounds quite appropriate, Sacksuit, as long as you don’t mind chilly ankles. It is the dress shoes and suit combo sans socks that I find odd, and that is what I meant to contrast with my hypothetical 1950s heyday professional. However, I tend to sock my pedal extremities even with top siders until warmer weather arrives.
Au Bon Pain has been bought and sold so many times now I have lost track. In 1978, my friend and lunch chum from Locke-Ober, Charlie Smith and his family, all Harvard grads and trustee, Louis Kane, a nephew, started it’s US operation and quickly spread, opening locations across the country. I was present at an informal lunch at Locke’s when the decision was made to put chess board tables in the first one, Harvard Square. Too bad it is gone along with J. Press.
@Charlottesville, I’m with ya, maybe its getting older but I don’t go sockless with my Bean bluchers and sperry top siders anymore until it gets to be legit spring/summer-
I have fond memories of your town, I was a grad student at JMU in the mid 90s, which meant for entertainment and for research, I was in Charlottesville at least twice a week for two years (have been in Upstate NY for over 20 years now)
I often go sockless with Weejuns or Topsiders, with drills, OCBD, tie and blazer to work. Hell I don’t wear socks with my golf shoes. I might add only when weather permits.
Nice brochure…although it’s a bit irksome to see Dear Old Penn seemingly “replaced” by Georgetown on pp. 54-55.
Spolier alert:
A J. Press Shaggy Dog sweater is one of the five essentials items in Byron Tully’s “Old Money Style” book.
Congratulations to Mr. “Squeeze”: the quality of the brochures and the merchandise keeps getting better year after year.
Harvard Square will never be the same after the tragic loss of the J. Press store and the Au Bon Pain with its chess tables and Parisian cafe style outdoor tables.
@Daiv Good catch! We couldn’t get approval from the Penn licensing department for our custom pennant design. Hopefully we can make that happen in the future.
In the last photo above, why was it included? It shows me nothing about what he’s wearing.
It is true that J Press Shaggy Dogs come in the best colours and they are shaggier than other iterations. I also love all the current varsity stuff they have on their website, sadly I did not attend an Ivy league school so cannot partake. The closest I got was Duke in the 1990s for a term….never mind.
Nice stuff for the most part. What I see in the collection is the same trend, jackets too short and too tight. I cannot understand it.
I bought a beautiful HSM Ebay blazer a short time ago, at a great price. A bit snug and short, however. Probably, the worst fitting garment I ever had.
I’ll keep it, for it captures “Today’s Look, not at $800, but $35.
Cheers!
Wriggles,
If you can’t ‘squeeze’ into today’s threads, you need to get with the program, stop eating meat, be part of the solution. Besides, it “makes you look taller”.
Can’t wait for the new Spring Brochure. Always a treat. I wish they would do a more muted madras sport coat, perhaps using shades of olive, mustard yellow, burgundy and navy, as I recall seeing in some heyday ads.
Wriggles – I’m not so sure about the short and tight diagnosis. Based on so much of what we see out and about currently, you may well be correct. But, it could be that the models are wearing something a bit smaller than what would be traditional in an effort to appeal to the (trendy and admittedly somewhat silly to my eyes) contemporary ethos. Say, a 42 long man in a 41 regular coat. Also, with the models’ hands in their pockets, it is hard to be certain, but the madras sport coat doesn’t seem too short. If you are going to be near one of the stores, I would encourage a try-on before dismissing the new stuff.
While I enjoy the winter, and it has finally arrived here in Mid-Michigan, I was thinking ahead with enthusiasm earlier this week to breaking out the brighter colors and madras items for Spring once the weather warms (usually and most reliably not until May here) and Memorial Day Weekend approaches. I might even jump the gun a bit and stray into gauche rube territory by sporting a madras tie or, Heaven forbid, a pair of salmon chinos with a navy blazer for the final week of the semester in late April. . . Our our teaching and learning conference a week later. OK, non sequitur over.
Best Regards,
I guess socks are “out” from now on..
Fred Johnson – I find the sock-less style puzzling. While it feels uncomfortable to me, Weejuns have been worn sans socks since the heyday and probably before, and boat shoes and sneakers may be worn sock-less in reasonable comfort if one is so inclined. I am getting used to it on Millennials and Gen Z, but at the mid-day Ash Wednesday service yesterday, I saw an exceedingly well dressed gent, roughly 55 years old, wearing a traditional banker’s gray suit, white OCBD and repp tie with leather “dress loafers” (if I may use the term) and no socks. I really can’t imagine a be-suited heyday professional, whether at church, office or anywhere really, going without socks, and particularly not when it was 50 degrees outside. It was a navy chalk stripe suit and black cap-toes with socks for me. To each his own, of course, but I find wearing hard leather shoes, such as the cordovan’s I am wearing today, sock-less mystifying.
Charlottesville,
Can a man three years my senior be considered a heyday professional?
Taking the week off to work on the house. High water khakis, hopelessly worn RL blue and white university strip shirt,(both with FEC style paint spatters) LLBean cotton sweater in navy, worn, twenty + year old Sperry top siders, navy Sail magazine hat today. No socks, though it is only in the forties today.
Cheers,
Will
Sounds quite appropriate, Sacksuit, as long as you don’t mind chilly ankles. It is the dress shoes and suit combo sans socks that I find odd, and that is what I meant to contrast with my hypothetical 1950s heyday professional. However, I tend to sock my pedal extremities even with top siders until warmer weather arrives.
Au Bon Pain has been bought and sold so many times now I have lost track. In 1978, my friend and lunch chum from Locke-Ober, Charlie Smith and his family, all Harvard grads and trustee, Louis Kane, a nephew, started it’s US operation and quickly spread, opening locations across the country. I was present at an informal lunch at Locke’s when the decision was made to put chess board tables in the first one, Harvard Square. Too bad it is gone along with J. Press.
@Charlottesville, I’m with ya, maybe its getting older but I don’t go sockless with my Bean bluchers and sperry top siders anymore until it gets to be legit spring/summer-
I have fond memories of your town, I was a grad student at JMU in the mid 90s, which meant for entertainment and for research, I was in Charlottesville at least twice a week for two years (have been in Upstate NY for over 20 years now)
I often go sockless with Weejuns or Topsiders, with drills, OCBD, tie and blazer to work. Hell I don’t wear socks with my golf shoes. I might add only when weather permits.